Drink to Your Health . . . With Water!
Mother Nature's Healthy "Cocktail"
Some nutritionists insist
that 80% of the country is walking around dehydrated. We drink too much
coffee, tea, and sodas containing caffeine, which prompts the body to lose
water. More troubling is that fact that when we are dehydrated, we don't
know what to drink.
The answer is simple: drink water!
Water is pure liquid refreshment and accounts for a large percentage of
what makes each of us "human." The average 150 lb. adult body
contains 40 to 50 quarts of water. Almost 2/3rds of our body weight is
"water weight":
Blood is 83% water
Muscles are 75% water
The brain is 74% water
Bone is 22% water
The Fountain of Youth, Health, and
Everything Else that's Good
Water is necessary for your body to digest and absorb vitamins and
nutrients. It also detoxifies the liver and kidneys, and carries away
waste from the body. And when it comes to digestion . . . it's just not
happening without water. Fiber alone cannot aid proper digestive function
by itself. In fact, without water as its partner, good fiber goes bad,
causing constipation and extreme discomfort.
If you're dehydrated, your blood is literally thicker, and your body has
to work much harder to cause it to circulate. As a result, the brain
becomes less active, it's hard to concentrate, your body feels fatigued,
and you just "poop out."
Water - The Miracle Worker
Simple water -- when it's pure and free of contaminants -- is truly a
"wonder drug." Without chemicals, additives, or anything
unnatural, a steady dose of 8 glasses of water a day (ideally ½ your body
weight in ounces of water) will:
Improve Your Energy
Increase Your Mental and Physical
Performance
Remove Toxins & Waste Products from
your body
Keep Skin Healthy and Glowing
Help You Lose Weight
Reduce Headaches and Dizziness
Allow for proper Digestion
Help to keep you more Alkaline
Drinking Water is Heart-Healthy
The findings of a six-year study of more than 20,000 healthy men and women
aged 38-100 in the May 1, 2002 American Journal of Epidemiology found that
women who drank more than five glasses of water a day were 41% less likely
to die from a heart attack during the study period than those who drank
less than two glasses. The protective effect of water was even greater in
men
Drinking Water and Weight Loss
Water is a natural appetite suppressant, so developing a good water
drinking habit can be a long-term aid in achieving and maintaining a
healthy weight. Doctor F. Batmanghelidj MD, author of "Your Body's
Many Cries For Water" says most times your “hunger” is your body
asking for water – not food.
It's also important to remember that when the body is dehydrated, fat
cells get "rubbery" and cannot be easily metabolized. This means
that it's harder to lose when you don't drink your water.
Who Can Benefit From A Water Regimen?
Everyone . . . including YOU!
Water is especially important for pregnant women and nursing mothers. For
athletes and work-out fanatics, drinking water reduces cardiovascular
stress and improves performance. And, since water reduces body
temperature, it makes the whole exercise process safer and more effective.
Water is also an important "healing tool" for people with a
history of kidney stones. Since water dissolves calcium in the urine,
downing at least 8 glasses daily reduces the risk of stone formation.
Drinking water is also valuable in preventing urinary tract infections in
both men and for women, flushing impurities out of the system.
Even mild dehydration makes you more susceptible to viruses. For someone
like me, with an immune system compromised from my battle with terminal
cancer, water is a powerful weapon in my war on colds and other illnesses.
I've also found that water helps me recover more quickly.
When your body is hydrated, drainage from allergies and colds doesn't
stick and collect in your throat and lungs, and your cough is more
"productive". Even cold sores that appear on the lips are
minimized by drinking water because those eruptions tend to favor dry
areas on the body.
Tips for Drinking Water
I know how hard it can be to remember to drink enough water every day, but
I also know how hard it can be to bounce back from the effects of being
even mildly dehydrated. So I'd like to share a few easy tips to help you
reach your "water mark" every day:
You are naturally thirsty i.e.
“dehydrated” in the morning . . . help your body flush out the toxins
it has been processing all night and take advantage of this thirst to get
a “leg up” on your daily water requirements by drinking a glass of
water first thing.
If you are cold drink warm water instead of
dehydrating coffee & tea.
Don't wait until you're thirsty to have a
drink – you are already dehydrated if you feel thirsty.
Set a timer to remind yourself to establish
a habit of drinking water and keep a bottle of water with you at all
times.
Compensate for diuretics . . . thieves that
steal water from your body. If you drink coffee, tea, or sodas with
caffeine, you'll need to drink a few extra glasses of water to make up for
the water that these diuretic beverages "leech" from your
system.
Source: Better Way Health.Com
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