Water is our life-source, covering 70 percent of planet earth’s surface and composing approximately 70 percent of the human body. It is no wonder, why the average human should be drinking around 8 glasses of water per day. Unfortunately, the majority of us get far less than this amount and much of the water that we drink is deprived by all the caffeine we consume on a daily basis. If you’re are exercising consistently you need to be drinking more than just 8 glasses per day.
Coffee, sports drinks, energy drinks, soda and other sugary drinks not only dehydrate us, they also rob the body of essential minerals and nutrients, as they are diuretics.
It is important to look into the body to gain a fuller understanding of just how vital water is to our human ecosystem. Proper hydration is vital to the bodies innate ability to remove toxins, maintain healthy skin, hair and organs and produce digestive enzymes as well as absorb minerals, nutrients and essential vitamins.
Chronic dehydration can be linked to several symptoms in the body including high blood pressure, excess weight gain, headaches, constipation, indigestion, fatigue, allergies, lack of mental clarity, muscle and joint aches and pains and skin issues, which than may lead to more serious diseases.
Aim for 8-10 glasses of water per day, evenly spread out through your day. In Chinese Medicine, we recommend drinking room temperature water, so your body takes the most advantage of it and strengthens the digestive fire. If it’s ice cold water, our metabolism slows and digestive fire diminishes. If it’s taste you have a hard time with, squeeze a lemon, lime or orange in the water and drink it down. Water is an easy way to maintain health and to excrete toxins from the body.
Here are some ideas to increase water through the day:
1. Drink water rather than coffee, sodas or power drinks. These drinks will only dehydrate you and create more toxins and acidity for the body to deal with.
2. Start your day off with warm water and a squeeze of lemon. Skip the coffee and go for what actually helps you detoxify. Coffee contains many carcinogens from the roasting process, which end up in your cup.
3. Drink water after lunch. Many people get the post-lunch slump. If you can take a siesta, even 15 minutes, this would be ideal. Drinking water after lunch is also another way to help your body metabolize the food you have consumed and refresh your energy.
4. Stick to clean tap water or filtered water, don’t buy plastic water bottles. If you’re in an area that may have harmful chemicals in the tap water such as Fluoride, Arsenic, Lead, and Uranium, you’ll need to invest in a good filtration system to assure you’re getting clean water. Avoid purchasing plastic water bottles – these are horrible for our health as well as our environment and your pocket book. Plastic water bottles leach phyto-estrogens and other harmful chemicals into the water, even if they are BPA free, so the next time you think that the super expensive alkaline water you can buy at a health store is healthy for you, think again! If that’s not convincing think about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in the Pacific Ocean. This massive dump of floating garbage, mostly comprised of plastic, is bigger than the size of Texas and is affecting our eco-system.
Get healthy! Water is a necessity to awaken your bodies health. It helps eliminate toxins, creates a healthier skin glow, decreases excess weight and increases your energy. If you are concerned about assuring you are getting clean, alkaline water there are a host of companies that specialize in filtration and alkaline water ionizers.
