Dixie Ann Black
Yes, it is a New Year filled with hopes, dreams, and goals. Paradoxically, as we age and find ourselves needing to take more care of our health, we might also find ourselves burnt out on the idea of New Year’s Resolutions. But most of us still want to improve your health, right?
Here’s a simple tweak with great results; Let’s drink more water!
Everyone is different and some of us need more than others, but the Mayo clinic informs us that men need about fifteen (15) cups of fluid a day and women need about eleven (11) cups per day. Twenty percent of our daily fluid intake actually comes from food and the rest from drinks, (mayoclinic.org). Health experts recommend an average of eight 8-ounce glasses (cups) of water per day. This amounts to 2 liters or half a gallon of water each day. (Healthline.com).
As we rush through life with fast foods, packaged foods and other “concentrated foods”, the percentage of fluid intake falls. Often, the result is that a lot of us do not make it to those 11 or 15 cups of fluids per day. In fact, many of our favorite daily fluids, such as coffees, teas and soda can actually have a diuretic effect on our systems us, causing more frequent urination. Furthermore, sweet drinks may result in even more water being needed to help counter the sugar overload. Some of the key foods that dehydrate the body include salty snacks, large amounts of protein, parsley and asparagus, as well as soy sauce, sugary treats, fried foods, ready meals (concentrated or fast foods) and alcohol (hydratem8.com).
The Mayo clinic points out that we might need to modify our total fluid intake based on several factors including exercise, environment, overall health, pregnancy and breast-feeding. (Remember also, that some medications may have an impact on the amount of fluids a person should consume.)
Since our bodies are roughly 70 percent water, our daily intake of fluids and in particular, the pure stuff should be the largest part of our diet. Making eight glasses(cups) of water a goal goes a long way in reaching those 11 to 15 cups of fluid we all need daily. The beauty here is that vegetables, and greens in particular, are largely water so we can get the rest of our fluids from these sources.
Drinking more water can result in clearer skin, reduction up of acne, help us absorb nutrients from our food, improved kidney function, regulate our body temperature and improve frequency of bowel movements. Water also helps excrete waste through perspiration, urination and defecation. It helps fight illness including kidney stones, urinary tract infections, asthma and hypertension.
Here are a few more benefits from getting eight glasses of water per day:
* Helps create saliva
*Aides digestion
*Improves blood oxygen circulation
*It protects our body tissues, spinal cord and joints
*Helps brain function
*Helps maximize physical performance (power and endurance)
*Helps prevent constipation
*Helps us lose weight
Add some fresh lemon to the water and we’ve amped up the power of our intake. Lemon is highly beneficial in aiding hydration, adding vitamin C, supporting digestion, weight loss and more. (Healthline.com)
How do we stick to drinking enough water? One option is to get a sturdy, portable insulated container. Many small local stores and specialty shops as well as Target, Walmart and even the supermarket has attractive, easy to carry water bottles. (Online stores also carry a large variety, but keep in mind that buying locally helps our local economy).
It is best to try not to carry around plastic bottles as it can cause exposure to dangerous chemicals like BPA in the water. (Mayoclinc.org.).
Note how much water your insulated container holds, typically 4 cups? Start with that. The key is to be consistent. We will notice that our body will start to crave the pure clean water and before we know it we will be refilling your water by mid to late afternoon.
Even more profound is the change that takes place in us when we attend to what we put in as our fuel. The properties of water include fluidity, flexibility, softness as well as power. Water is key to life, yet it is easy to ignore.
“Nothing in the world is as soft as and yielding as water. Yet for dissolving the hard and inflexible, nothing can surpass it.” (V.78 Tao Te Ching, Stephen Mitchell translation).
Let’s think of adding more water to our life as adding flow to our movement, flexibility to body and mind.
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