Did you know that the human body is 55-60% percent water? Water is what your body needs to survive, it is what regulates your body temperature, it is what keeps your body from drying out, what nourishes your brain, and what keeps your skin looking healthy... but how much water do you need to drink to reap these benefits? This article will show you a great deal of the benefits of water, how much water you need, and will give you ways to get enough throughout your day.

Water keeps your body from drying out, it keeps many important body parts such as your nose, eyes, mouth and even skin from being dry and uncomfortable. Water nourishes the brain and helps the brain raise it’s processing and learning abilities. This can really apply when you are about to take a test or learn something very important. A study was done to show this in action, two groups were given the same test. One group was not allowed to drink water the night before the test, then one group was given 500 ml of water. The group with water performed significantly better. Water also keeps your skin looking amazing. Water keeps your skin hydrated so it doesn't look dry and it flushes toxins and bacteria that can cause acne out of your body.

Everyone needs a different amount of water for their body. The amount of water you need to drink depends on a lot of factors, your weight, climate, and level of exercise all play into the amount of water you need to drink. There are many different sources to find out how much water you need, but two easy ways to find out are a water calculator and a formula based on your weight. A water calculator can be found many places like here camel bak hydration calculator or here bodybuilding.com water calculator. Another simple way to figure out how much water you should drink is to take your weight, split it in half and that is the number of ounces you should drink each day.

Getting enough water is hard to do but there are many ways to get excited about hydration. One way you can make sure you meet your water intake goal each day is to make time goals for yourself. You can set goals for how much water you want to drink by a certain time, and you can even write this on your water bottle! Another way to get yourself to drink more water is by adding fresh fruit to it. Lemon is a great thing to add to water because not only will it make you want to drink more of it, it will boost your metabolism. One last way you can make sure you meet your water intake goal is to get a water bottle that you think is pretty or even just fun to drink out of. Now this may sound silly but if what you are drinking out of makes you happy, you will be more inclined to drink it.

Although drinking lots of water is very important, drinking too much can lead to Hyponatremia or overhydration. Overhydration can water down your sodium electrolytes, make your cells swell, make you vomit, cause headaches, and in rare cases, it will lead to seizures and even death. Water is important but don’t overdo it.

Water is already a giant part of us and we are surrounded by it, but simple actions can make the water leave our bodies. We need to treat our bodies right and hydrate them so that we have beautiful skin, healthy brains, healthy bodies, and skin that isn’t dried out and cracking. So find your daily intake goal for water and get to it!

Story by Ginger Hanlon

Sources:
https://www.everydayhealth.com/water-health/water-body-health.aspx 
https://youtu.be/9iMGFqMmUFs
https://www.uwhealth.org/madison-plastic-surgery/the-benefits-of-drinking-water-for-your-skin/26334

The Office
The Office is hilarious. They are really addictive once you watch one you'll never want to stop watching. It is about a paper company called Dunder Mifflin. They are sales men. Michel is the Branch manager and he is not the best at his job. All and all this is a great show to watch when your bored or with friends. I give this show a 5/5.  ​

Slashe​r 
The show Slasher will literally have you shook. This show is about how a girl named Sarah moves back to the same town and house that her parents were murdered in. That was a really bad idea. The Slasher kills people that disobeys the 7 deadly sins. The seven deadly sins are gluttony, lust, greed, pride, despair, vanity, and sloth. Sarah and her friends Robin, Cam and Dillan try to solve this murder mystery. All in all this show is amazing i give it a 5/5.    ​

Finally, what we’ve all been waiting for, a snow day! Now… what to do, you say? Don’t worry I've got the perfect, snowy activities.
 
Well first off you have to have the perfect playlist to listen to under the snowfall and jam along to! Here’s a few Christmas/winter songs to dance around to:
 
Home for Christmas - In real life
If you’re not a big boy bander fanatic, you probably wont know who this is. But for those of you who also beige watched Boy Band every week on ABC, This is Chance, Brady, Sergio, Drew, and Michael Connor singing the original “Home for Christmas” by Bing Crosby,  like absolute angels.
 
Mary, did you know - Pentatonix
Okay, yes, “Mary did you know” has everything to do with jesus and for some of you who don't believe in god, that may not be exactly up your alley which is totally fine. But this song, gives you a glimpse in the ‘90’s. It’s honestly beautiful.
 
All I want for christmas is you - Fifth Harmony
Personally, i’m not a big fan of fifth harmony (No offense to any of you Harmonizers) but in their cover of this song, their harmonies were on point. Love love love it.

Come December - Jordan Fisher
First of all, Jordan Fisher is a beauty, like he’s amazing please look  ----->
Anyway ahem, he sings a original song called “Come december” and it’s perfect.
 
Sleigh Ride - Fun
Okay, I have a special place in my heart for f.u.n, they’re wonderful and this cover of “Sleigh Ride” is even more wonderful.
 
So now that you have you winter playlist poppin, next it’s time to get some snacks and refreshments. Here’s some of the best winter drinks and snacks, easy to make at home, or buy at your local grocery store.
 
Hot Cocoa-
Of course it’s easy to just buy it from the store, mix it with milk, and heat up but if you wanna make your own the recipe is simple you will need:

• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 to 2 tablespoons sugar (depending on how sweet you like it)
• Pinch of salt
• 1 cup milk or any combination of milk, half-and-half, or cream
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Then simply just mix together the cocoa, sugar, salt,  and milk then (If using a microwave) put it in a cup and heat it for 30 seconds at a time (If on a stove) Put it into a saucepan and whisk constantly while heating until hot. It you want to add some whip cream, or marshmallows and enjoy!
 
Eggnog-
Eggnog is the perfect refreshment, that is typically served cold (also available in the store), here’s what you need for this recipe:

• 1 whole egg
• 1 tablespoon superfine sugar
• Pinch salt
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup milk
• Nutmeg

With this you will need to: Beat the egg with the sugar and salt and then pour in the vanilla and milk then stir, if you want grate some nutmeg on top. Then there you have your perfect homemade eggnog!
 
Chocolate Chip Cookies (Also, this recipe makes about 3 dozen cookies so if you tryna eat all that then go ahead, I would, but if not, you may wanna tryna making a smaller portion) First you will need:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup (packed) light brown sugar
• 8 ounces chopped high-quality semisweet chocolate or chocolate chips (about 1 1/2 cups)

Then, you going to preheat the oven to 375°F and get some parchment paper and place on a pan. Then you’re gonna whisk the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a bowl then in another bowl you’re going to mix the eggs and vanilla. Then it yet ANOTHER bowl, put the butter, sugar, and brown sugar and use a electric mixer to blend it together until it's light and fluffy then you add in the egg mixture. Mix, finally add the dry mixture. After then you place spoonfuls of the dough on the parchment and refrigerate for 15 minutes, then transfer directly into the oven for 10-12 minutes, when done take them out and let them cool for 1 minute and then you can eat them accompanied with your hot chocolate!
 
And finally…
 
Nutella Brownies-
Brownies are the perfect warm chocolate squares to make your day, and definitly are a must, for this recipe you will need:

• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/4 cups chocolate-hazelnut spread (such as Nutella)
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

First you’ll preheat the oven to 350°F and spray a 8x8 baking dish with nonstick spray. Next beat the eggs, then add in the hazelnut spread. Add flour, salt, and continue mixing. Pour into the prepared dish and smooth the surface with a spatula then cook for 23-30 minutes, let cool, and enjoy with your egg nog!
 
Now that your all set with the music and refreshments, what about some card games? Here’s a few easy to learn card games, perfect for playing when your snowed in!
 
Slapjack- 
So the objective of slapjack is to collect all the cards, and to do so you deal all the cards between however many people you have playing. When everyone is dealt, keep your cards face down without looking at them, then go around in a circle and everyone will place down one card in the center. When a jack court card is placed face up the goal is you want to be the first one to “slap” it and you when the jack, and all the cards below it. If you run out of cards your out of the game, and the player who wins all the cards wins.
 
Crazy Eights-
For crazy 8’s the object of the game is to get rid of all your cards. If two people are playing each recieve seven cards, if 4-5 people are playing each get five cards. The left over cards are made the draw pile, and from the draw pile you turn one card over to start a discard pile. Now the player to the dealers left must match the cards number or suit. If you cant match the card, then you may play an 8 and name the suit in play. But if you dont have either, you must draw until you get one, the first to get rid of all their cards wins.
 
Now that you have everything you need to have a relaxing snow day in, have fun and go build some snowmen (or women) or sled around! After all it is basically a vacation!