Today I am going to talk about water. Before you begin to think this is old news and stop reading, I should mention that there is probably a lot about water that no one has told you before.
Most of us have been told by our doctors that we need 6-8 glasses of water everyday. What I have found in my practice is that most people have no idea why this water intake is so important. I have also observed that most people drink way less water per day than they need, which means most of us are walking around dehydrated! If you are reading this and are one of the people I have told to drink more water, know that you have inspired me to write today...and no, I absolutely did NOT think less of you for not drinking enough.
I find that many health issues can be improved if not cured by drinking adequate amounts of water. If you are properly hydrated, you will have more energy and a faster metabolism. If you don't drink enough water, your lips/skin/scalp will be dry, your digestion will not work properly, and your metabolism will be slow. Being dehydrated will also cause you to feel tired all the time and have a cloudy mind. If you stay dehydrated for long enough, your body will produce more stomach acid to compensate for the lack of water to digest your food. In this case, many people get heartburn. Doctors will often prescribe these people antacids, which will do nothing to treat the real problem, which is chronic dehydration.
If your mind feels foggy and it is hard to focus; if you notice that you have problems digesting foods that you could eat when you were younger; if your lips and skin are dry despite using moisturizers; and you are not drinking enough water for your body weight, then you are dehydrated.
Sometimes curing these problems really is as simple as increasing your water intake. So, how much water do you need? The amount of water needed to support your body's healthy function is related to your weight. The more you weigh, the more water you need. Naturopathic doctors will tell you that you need 1/2 your body weight in ounces of water daily. For example, if you weigh 160 pounds, you need 80 ounces of water every day to keep your body functioning well at your weight.
Wow! That's a lot of water! Yes, it is. The human body when healthy should be composed mostly of water, so you need a lot of water daily to make that happen.
I have actually had people look me in the face and tell me they are not going to drink that much water because they will have to go to the bathroom too many times during the day. This response always surprises me, because these people are choosing to remain unhealthy rather than make more trips to the bathroom during their work day. Now, when you first increase your water intake after being chronically dehydrated, your body will flush toxins. This flushing will cause you to urinate more often. After your body flushes out the bad stuff, your cells will hydrate and you will notice that you urinate less often.
I would caution people to work up to their ideal water intake gradually. Gradual change is more convenient, allows your body to flush slowly, and will end up being long-lasting. Suddenly going from drinking 3 glasses of water per day to 1 gallon will shock your body and irritate you emotionally. Start with a hydration goal that you can achieve easily. Get a large water bottle and make it your goal to empty it by the end of the day.
Did you know it is possible to drown internally from drinking too much water at once? For this reason, you should not chug 1 gallon of water in the morning and decide you are done with water for the day. Spread out your water intake over the whole day. You can sip water all day or drink one glass (about 8 ounces) at a time. Remember, water is just that. Water is not juice or coffee or tea. Yes, they are all liquids, but they are chemically different from plain water. Coffee and tea are dehydrating, and juice contains a lot of sugar so it makes your digestive system work harder than just drinking water.
Water is the oldest drink given to us by nature. People around the world are fighting over access to drinking water. In the US, we are lucky enough to have water freely available out of the tap and in whole aisles in many grocery stores. We should take advantage of our easy access. Keeping yourself hydrated is an easy way to stay healthy, and help yourself heal when needed.
Now, drink up!
Most of us have been told by our doctors that we need 6-8 glasses of water everyday. What I have found in my practice is that most people have no idea why this water intake is so important. I have also observed that most people drink way less water per day than they need, which means most of us are walking around dehydrated! If you are reading this and are one of the people I have told to drink more water, know that you have inspired me to write today...and no, I absolutely did NOT think less of you for not drinking enough.
I find that many health issues can be improved if not cured by drinking adequate amounts of water. If you are properly hydrated, you will have more energy and a faster metabolism. If you don't drink enough water, your lips/skin/scalp will be dry, your digestion will not work properly, and your metabolism will be slow. Being dehydrated will also cause you to feel tired all the time and have a cloudy mind. If you stay dehydrated for long enough, your body will produce more stomach acid to compensate for the lack of water to digest your food. In this case, many people get heartburn. Doctors will often prescribe these people antacids, which will do nothing to treat the real problem, which is chronic dehydration.
If your mind feels foggy and it is hard to focus; if you notice that you have problems digesting foods that you could eat when you were younger; if your lips and skin are dry despite using moisturizers; and you are not drinking enough water for your body weight, then you are dehydrated.
Sometimes curing these problems really is as simple as increasing your water intake. So, how much water do you need? The amount of water needed to support your body's healthy function is related to your weight. The more you weigh, the more water you need. Naturopathic doctors will tell you that you need 1/2 your body weight in ounces of water daily. For example, if you weigh 160 pounds, you need 80 ounces of water every day to keep your body functioning well at your weight.
Wow! That's a lot of water! Yes, it is. The human body when healthy should be composed mostly of water, so you need a lot of water daily to make that happen.
I have actually had people look me in the face and tell me they are not going to drink that much water because they will have to go to the bathroom too many times during the day. This response always surprises me, because these people are choosing to remain unhealthy rather than make more trips to the bathroom during their work day. Now, when you first increase your water intake after being chronically dehydrated, your body will flush toxins. This flushing will cause you to urinate more often. After your body flushes out the bad stuff, your cells will hydrate and you will notice that you urinate less often.
I would caution people to work up to their ideal water intake gradually. Gradual change is more convenient, allows your body to flush slowly, and will end up being long-lasting. Suddenly going from drinking 3 glasses of water per day to 1 gallon will shock your body and irritate you emotionally. Start with a hydration goal that you can achieve easily. Get a large water bottle and make it your goal to empty it by the end of the day.
Did you know it is possible to drown internally from drinking too much water at once? For this reason, you should not chug 1 gallon of water in the morning and decide you are done with water for the day. Spread out your water intake over the whole day. You can sip water all day or drink one glass (about 8 ounces) at a time. Remember, water is just that. Water is not juice or coffee or tea. Yes, they are all liquids, but they are chemically different from plain water. Coffee and tea are dehydrating, and juice contains a lot of sugar so it makes your digestive system work harder than just drinking water.
Water is the oldest drink given to us by nature. People around the world are fighting over access to drinking water. In the US, we are lucky enough to have water freely available out of the tap and in whole aisles in many grocery stores. We should take advantage of our easy access. Keeping yourself hydrated is an easy way to stay healthy, and help yourself heal when needed.
Now, drink up!