Several years ago I went to a wonderful spa in Tecate, Mexico called Rancho la Puerta. It wasn't the kind of spa where you sat around all day and had your nails done; it was a place where you could always choose from at least half a dozen acitivities ranging from aerobics to yoga to dancing, to water excercise.  You would take about six classes a day, eat wonderful vegetarian food, and fall into bed at night.

At Rancho la Puerta, they gave everyone a plastic water bottle upon arrival, and told us we HAD to drink 8-10 glasses of water a day. At first, it was quite difficult, but soon we got used to it, and the weight began to fall off us. Couldn't tell if it was the water, or the vegetarian diet, or the constant exercise, but we all (there were four of us) really lost weight in the week we spent there. (I've repressed the actual number of pounds, long since gained back).

Ever since, I've been drinking 8-10 glasses of water a day.  My skin looks great, I am always "regular," and I feel nourished and hydrated.

Then WebMD came out with its article on "7 Common Medical Myths Debunked." The first one of them was  that it is not necessary to drink eight glasses of water a day. But if you read the article, you will find out that the reason they say not to drink too much water is because many of us are also drinking other beverages -- soda, milk, wine, coffee--that also count as fluids. And most of our food is made of  water. So if you have a cup of coffee, a diet Coke, and a glass or two of wine  a day, as I do, you can skimp on the water.