It is the universal solvent. We use it for drinking, bathing, washing our clothes, rinsing the dishes and sprouting our plants. It makes up 75% of our world. Our bodies are largely comprised of it, too. Water is such an integral aspect of our lives and our world that one would think God placed it there as some form of a miracle cure-all for us to use.

And it does, in fact, accomplish that purpose. Without water, farmers wouldn't be able to grow produce no matter how they tried. Firemen wouldn't be able to douse fire raging in burning buildings and doctors wouldn't be able to perform successful surgeries and operations without it. Take away water from the earth, and all the human and animal populations would simply shrivel up and die.

With the vast and all-encompassing nature of water, it shouldn't surprise you to learn that it can be a primary tool for weight reduction. With exercise and a healthy diet, two molecules of hydrogen and one molecule of oxygen are all you need to a fitter, leaner, healthier you. How so?

For starters, water is a necessary component of healthy body functioning. The recommended intake of 8-12 glasses a day wasn't taken out of thin air. To metabolize food properly, your body needs water. Your digestive system won't work as well as it should without it. It can't cleanse your body of accumulated waste nor can it give your brain the proper signals for hunger or thirst. If your body lacks water, you'll feel bloated and heavy because of the added 5% of your weight from toxins and fecal matter (ugh!) you've taken care of in your intestines. Instead of meeting the demand for thirst, you eat food and gain more weight in the process. Your liver, too, needs a lot of water to be able to metabolize fat. Without it, it's simply going to store it, compounding your problem.

Water is needed for weight reduction because it suppresses the appetite. It fills the stomach right away and keeps you from eating more than you have to. Drinking a glass of water before every meal helps limit your food intake.

Water also plays a crucial role in speeding up your metabolic rate that paves the way to a more efficient calorie-burn. The body needs to warm up water since we guzzle it cold. This causes the metabolism to rise by as much as 30%, translating to a calorie burn of 50 to 70 calories depending on how many glasses you drink.

Moreover, water is needed to reduce cholesterol and tone your muscles. Water affects the bad cholesterol in your system by zapping it off your body. It also helps your muscles recover from the trauma caused by exercised and helps in the healing process of the muscle fibers so after adequate rest, you get the lean shape you want.

This does not mean, of course, that all you need to do is guzzle down water to be on the road towards weight reduction. You will only experience the full spectrum of benefits given by the universal solvent where fat loss is concerned if you incorporate exercise and a healthy diet together with drinking the right amounts of water.

Bottoms up!