Before you spend money on expensive or dangerous medicines and doctor visits to address your health concerns, ask yourself this question: “Am I drinking enough water?” Most likely, the answer is no. Our body throws so many different symptoms at us to let us know we’re dehydrated: muscles cramps, headaches, dry skin, fatigue, constipation—the list goes on and on. And too often we just ignore our body’s cries for water and jump straight to relying on drugs and medicines to relieve these symptoms instead of first reaching for a glass of water.

If you’re dehydrated, the two biggest issues to address are: “How much water am I drinking?” and “What am I drinking?” When you drink water, you’re helping to dilute the toxins in your body and flush them out, so ideally, you should aim to drink about 1 liter of water per 50 pounds of body weight. And if you exercise or live in a warm climate where you sweat excessively, you should add on an extra 16-32 fluid oz. to accommodate for water loss. For the average adult, this means that drinking about 3 liters of water every day should be your goal. As for what to drink, the answer is simply plain water. Other common beverages like coffee, juices, sodas, and alcohol can actually dehydrate the body further and cause you to feel sluggish and low on energy. When it comes to hydration, it’s best to keep it simple and just stick with water to quench your thirst.

You’d be surprised by how many health issues can be improved by first drinking more water. If you’re feeling drained of energy, drink more water. If you’re suffering from digestion issues, drink more water. If you’re struggling to lose weight, drink more water. Fundamentally, all life starts and stops at the cellular level and your cells need water to function properly. When you’re dehydrated, you’re not living well so don’t wait – hydrate!