| Watering Yourself Down |
| Friday, 21 May 2010 16:13 | |||
 Laguna Beach, California, May 2010 — Water is crucial to all aspects of health and wellness, including skin, joints, brain, energy, focus, weight loss and reducing risk of disease and infection. Water makes up 60-70 % of our body weight — and every system in your body depends on water. If there is one thing that can significantly change your health for the better – it’s the amount of H2O we drink every day.
How much should you consume every day? The 8-12 glasses (8oz each) minimum is an excellent guideline. The Institute of Medicine recommends that men consume 3 liters (about 13 cups) of total beverages a day and women consume 2.2 liters (about 9 cups) of total beverages a day. Most bottled water contains around 16oz – so drinking four per day minimum would do the trick. Your 8-12 glasses per day should come from water, not from tea, coffee, or soft drinks. Coffee/tea/soft drinks actually dehydrate you – and therefore you will need to drink an extra glass of pure water to replace what you have lost. Most experts suggest we not drink unfiltered tap water. When a physician and world expert on cellular nutrition was asked what vitamin he would give his cells he replied, "purified water." Cells show signs of degeneration when they do not get purified water – even more so than lack of good nutrition. Sip water throughout the day – imagine lightly sprinkling a lawn, not deluging it with a downpour as this will create a “run-off” and not be absorbed properly. Keep a bottle of water with you at all times so that you can sip throughout the day. Drink before you are thirsty because when you are thirsty you are already dehydrated. Thirst is also often mistaken as hunger – so drink often to feel less hungry. Dehydration may show up as a headache, tiredness, lightheadedness, nausea or anxiety. If you experience any of these symptoms, drink 1-2 glasses of pure water (before you eat or grab a coffee or sugar!) and notice if you feel better. What if I find it difficult to drink enough water? Make it more appealing - add lemon/lime to it along with liquid stevia (if you like a bit of natural sweetness) or a tiny bit of pure juice (so you don’t spike your blood sugar). Sip when you are doing your daily activities — so it will become second nature and you won’t even think of it — like writing emails, driving, blow drying your hair. When should I drink more than normal? When you have exercised more than usual, it is extremely hot or if you have had more alcohol, salty or richer meals. With alcohol and rich meals - on the day of and the day after – drinking water and taking something like USANA’s Proflavanol 90 will help you feel better and get the toxins out of your body more quickly. Drink 8 glasses of water today and just notice how you feel... when we feel better, we tend to keep doing things that are good for us. SOURCE: Live Well International
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