To kick off the new year and the new newsletter, I have put together 5 health tips that will dramatically improve your health starting NOW. Over the next several weeks I will detail a new tip in each newsletter. They are things that are safe for most people. They are simple, but bear in mind that these are only a START. A good direction to go for 2006 and beyond. I hope you will consider them and start down the road that will help you prevent disease, feel better, and have a nice long healthspan.
The Benefits of Water:
-Detoxification. It flushes toxins out of your body. Removing the build up of toxins will have a profound impact on your skin. Your cells will be juicy and hydrated rather than dry and gray. This improves fine lines. The toxins removed through your skin and bowel will help to give you a healthier glow. Healthy bowels mean healthy skin. In Chinese medicine, the skin is a reflection of the harmony in your intestines. There are many ways to address this, but proper water intake is a very good start. Did you know that age spots are actually a build up of toxins in the skin? Removal of toxins will improve age spots and prevent new ones from forming.
-Increased metabolism. When you have enough water, the chemical reactions that drive your metabolism work more efficiently which speeds up the process and helps you burn more calories. This will directly help you lose weight. You will have more energy. You will also benefit more from exercise, as your muscles need enough water to work efficiently. Efficient muscles will help your physical endurance, which leads to being in better shape and even more weight loss. The flow of water through your body gives the body energy. This happens in much the same way a moving river is used to make electricity. This is another way water can actually help you lose weight.
-Respiratory health. It will flush your secretions of your respiratory tract to help you fight off viruses and allergies. A constant flow of secretions in your sinuses, throat and lungs helps to ward off infection and fight infections that may arise. Face it; most people will have a cold or flu at some time in their lives. When this happens, flood your system with more water. It will have a beneficial effect on sinus problems, allergies, and asthma.
-Kidney health. Flushing your kidneys with water will help ward off kidney and bladder infections. Urine that remains stagnant in the bladder is one risk for developing a kidney or bladder infection. Why not minimize this risk by drinking enough water?
-Lubricate joints. Your joints are lubricated with something called synovial fluid. Synovial fluid is 90% water. This will decrease joint pain from injury or arthritis. So why not drink more water and take less pain medicines?
-Take less medicine. This may be why you dont see drug companies advertising to drink more water. You wont need pain medicine, acid reflux medicine or antibiotics nearly as much, if you DRINK ENOUGH WATER.
-Temperature regulation. Sweat, is the best method of cooling due to the evaporation effect. This is also why we treat someone with hyperthermia by putting water on them and blowing a fan.
-Maintain fluid volumes of all fluids in the body, including lymph, blood, digestive juices, spinal fluid and more.
-Efficiency. Since ALL of the transport and chemical reactions in your body depend, at least in part, on water, providing the proper amount will help your body to run as efficiently as possible. Every single process that happens from the most minute chemical process to more complicated functions like digestion, detoxification, thinking, and movement is affected by water.
How much to drink:
The first thing we need to do is to drink enough water. We all lose about 2 liters per day. This leaves the body as moisture in the air we breathe out, sweat, respiratory secretions, and urine. We need to replace this every day. Well, how much is enough? This can be a complicated issue, which is affected by climate, exercise, salt intake, amount and types of food consumed and many other things. A good rule of thumb is:
1 liter for every 50 pounds
So a 150lb person should drink 3 liters a day. In this, the age of the 64 oz. Big Gulp, you should easily be able to drink 3-4L of water in a day. At this point, I cant help but mention soda. Soda is public enemy number one! If you switch from soda to water you are doing yourself a double service. You are cutting out a toxin (soda) and adding a healing agent (water.) [I will speak to the benefits of cutting out soda in one of the other 5 tips.] One liter per 50 pounds is a rough guideline. You do get some water from the foods you eat. Another good guideline is to look at the color of your urine. Unless you take a B complex vitamin, which will make your urine very yellow, the color of your urine should be a pale yellow, meaning barely yellow. If your urine is more yellow, you need to drink more water. If you take B complex, then you cant use the color of your urine as a guide. When you are under stress (the subject of one of the 5 tips), or any kind of change including healing, your body will produce chemicals and other waste that need to be removed from your system. This will increase your need for water.
You should drink smaller amounts of water throughout the day rather than big gulps all at once. This allows your body to use it more efficiently. When you drink over 12 ounces in one long gulp, more of that will be filtered out of your body. You will filter less and use more if you drink the same amount over an hour or so.
-By drinking more water you will be drinking less of the other less beneficial or even toxic fluids that you used to drink. Less soda, less coffee, less alcohol and even less fruit juice. You can still drink fresh-juiced fruit or vegetable juice, green tea, or other healthy beverages that will count towards your water intake. Be careful to avoid carbonation, sugar, artificial sweeteners and alcohol. When it comes to caffeine and alcohol, if you do drink these things, you must drink even more water to balance the diuretic effect, which makes you urinate more.
When starting to drink more water one of the first things you will notice is that your will feel more "clear." (I dont just mean your urine color.) Your head will feel clearer and you will be able to concentrate better. Your brain is one of the first things to be affected by low-level dehydration. Your skin will improve. You may be running to the bathroom more often, but this will eventually regulate. You see, your body has been starved of water due to low-level dehydration. For that reason, it has stored more water than necessary. When you start drinking more water, it will release the stored water. (a little more weight loss maybe?) Over the next week or two, you will reach a balance. At that point you can reconsider the amount you are drinking based on what your body tells you. Listen to how you feel. Notice your complexion. Notice how much you urinate. All of these things will guide you after the first 2 weeks when your body re-stabilizes.
Helpful Strategies:
Now that I have explained all of the good things water does and how much you need to drink, you are probably saying, yeah right, or there is no way I can drink that much. Well YOU CAN! Here are some helpful strategies for getting enough water:
1. First and foremost for changing your habits, you must believe that water is essential for your health. Without water you are unhealthy. You must accept this and know that water has healing power all by itself and that your body was made to work on water.
2. Recognize that thirst can be interpreted by you as hunger. When you feel hungry, it may actually be an early sign of thirst, which comes long before your mouth feels dry. So, when you have a junk food craving, drink a glass of water immediately. You feel full quickly and avoid the calories, and it lets time pass till the craving fades.
3. Keep track of how much you drink, set a daily goal, and reach it. If the thought of consuming that much water makes you queasy, be strategic. Drink when you are most thirsty: when you wake up, when you have your meals, during your workouts.
4. Keep water by your workstation. Instead of munching on a biscuit or crisps, take a sip from your water bottle. Reach for it all day to sip your way to your daily goal.
5. Carry a bottle of water with you so you can drink during downtime; while waiting in a bank line, sitting on the train, or in your car, watching TV, doing laundry, making dinner, etc.. Drink water every time you think about it. Dont just stop at the thought.
6. Have a big glass of water at every transitional point of the day: when you first get up, just before leaving the house, when you sit down to work, etc.
7. Sign up for a bottled water service who will deliver 5 gallon jugs of water to your home.
8. After each trip to the restroom, drink an eight-ounce glass to replenish your system.
9. Make your water taste better by buying a water jug with a filter. You can also make your own flavored water by cutting up a lemon, apple or cucumber and adding it to the water. Or, mix with a tiny splash of juice. Try making herbal iced tea by pouring boiling water over four tea bags, letting it steep for 10 minutes and diluting to taste with cold water.
One important concept to understand when it comes to water or any other health issue, is LEARN TO LISTEN TO YOUR BODY. No matter what you put into it-food, water, medicine, skin cream, exercise- become aware of how your body reacts and stop ignoring what your body tells you. This practice will help you be healthier. Be aware that your water requirements will change on a daily basis, and you will have to listen to your body to know how to adjust accordingly.
Well, thats all for the first tip. Be sure to keep an eye on your inbox in the next week or so for tip #2: The Benefits Of Fish Oils and Omega 3 Fatty Acids. Feel free to pass this along to whomever you like, so you too can Share The Health.
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