I've known for some time that water is essential for my survival.

The real, quite vital, kind of essential, not the 'add some lavender oil to your bath' kind.

Of course, your need for water changes daily, depending on your activity levels, your location, the foods you eat, and your health, etc, etc.

But the fact remains, you can quite happily discount all of the variable factors, and just embrace the idea that you will need to drink lots of water, everyday.

Around eight glasses worth, as we are also commonly aware. But if you don't like pigeonhole yourself into the 'average' category, you can always take this test to find out exactly how much you should consume taking your current A/S/L into account. (If you're pregnant at high altitude, basically you're wasting water-drinking time taking a test...)

Water is the great healer. It's brilliant for all sorts of stuff, like cooking oatmeal, diluting wine for your grandmother or filling water bombs.

It's gotta be the easiest first step towards a better level of overall health.

Stop Being Crap: Start drinking like a fish

I had a little episode late last year actually, when I had been working out, a lot, the weather was quite warm in London, and I'd been severely neglecting my water intake.

I moved to get up out of my seat at work on afternoon, when a wave of nausea swept over me, and every part of my body became unbearably heavy.

I had almost fainted, and I found myself hanging in a purgatory between conscious and unconscious. I was pinned to my chair, my head was spinning like I'd just suckled eight straight shots of vodka from an London Eye shaped ice luge, and I could not, for the life of me, shake it off.

It was kinda scary - I didn't know what was happening to me, but I knew that if I tried to get up again, I'd either faint, or throw up.

The overpriced sushi I had for lunch wasn't going anywhere as far as I was concerned - so I decided to stay put.

Twenty minutes later, and things weren't improving, so I called over a workmate to help me over to the couch to lie down. The world felt like a ship's deck, and we were navigating choppy waters with a one-armed captain at the helm.

I finally managed to get home, where I administered a big-ass bottle of water to my lips, and crashed for the night.

Freaky stuff. I saw a doctor the next day, when I felt, amazingly, normal, and I explained the episode. He made an educated guess that I was dehydrated. Well, I'd kinda figured that. But it always pay to pay someone to tell you what you already know.

But how dumb is that? I actually made myself sick, because I forgot to give my body one of its most basic requirements. So dumb. Really dumb, fo real.

Wet, Wet, Wet

I've been trying to have more water in my life since that incident, but it wasn't until this last week that I actually made a real, concerted, measured effort to drink more, and be less crap.

So, I started a tally.

My goal was eight glasses a day.

The first day, I managed four glasses. The second day, four glasses. The rest of the week continued in the same frustrating fashion. Curses.

I mentioned my goal to one of my colleagues at the office.

"You're not bloody using these glasses are you?"

"Uh. Yes. Why?"

I held the pint glass in my hand up to the light to check for visual imperfections.

Oh. A pint glass.

Yes, ladies and gents, I'd been sinking 2 litres a day without a fuss, and being subsquently annoyed with myself for not drinking more.

Class act.

There's about 500ml per pint glass. 500ml x 4? 2000ml, or 2 litres. Aaaand that would be my eight glasses a day.

Sit back and enjoy the benefits

Water has major health benefits. Loads of 'em. Ask anybody.

And, if you want all the health benefits it has to offer, just drinking more water is really the easiest way. The hard way...well, it's harder.

Here's why you should aim to get eight glasses down you today:

Water helps maintain a healthy body weight as it reduces your appetite - watching a morbidly obese person eat a Pepperoni deep-dish pizza will have the same effect, but that's just unhealthy. For you.

Water flushes toxins from your body - One word: Colonoscopy.

Water helps your digestive system work more efficiently - So do prunes.

Water hydrates the skin - So does Dr. Hauschka. But it's bloody spency.

Water can make you sleep better, because it helps your body produce the natural sleep regulator melatonin - Melatonin pills don't do too shabby a job either.

Water's good for your energy levels - So is a syringe of adrenalin to the heart. But you can't count on John Travolta when you're feeling low, he's a busy man.

In closing, water is a magical liquid gift from the universe. Drink it in, people.