Water why is it so important for our health and wellbeing.
When I suggested that someone drink more water to help them with some problems they had, their response was "WHAT I CANNEA DRINK THAT STUFF IT'S POSION!" Anyhow I've written it in capitals as the person actually did shout. Luckily I don't scare easily. So I cannot stress enough how important it is to drink enough water, especially if you have illness. The amount of people who are actually having certain symptoms because they are dehydrated can be mind blowing.
Our body uses water in all its cells, organs and tissue. It helps to regulate our temperature, helps the body to digest soluble fibre and prevent constipation, lessens the burden on our kidneys by flushing out waste products, helps our lymphatic system to detox, lubricates our joints, moistens tissue such as those in the eyes and mouth. Staying adequatly hydrated can also help us to loose weight, as it fills us up more, so we are less likely to over eat, additionally it has the advantage of helping us to feel less bloated and to have that more efficient elimination process.
You may need to consume extra water if you are sweating more due to illness, hot weather or exercise. When we are stressed, we tend to need to drink extra. You may need to drink more when hungover, after consuming alcohol or caffeine, as they dehydrate the body. You may need to drink more when on medication to help with side affects, such as dry eyes, constipation, dry mouth, fatigue, and to assist with detoxification.
The signs of dehydration are not urinating at all or enough, having very dark yellow urine, feeling dizzy, rapid heartbeat, rapid breathing, sunken eyes, very dry skin, sleeplessness, headaches, lack of energy, irritability...
How much water do we need?
Well that can be a slightly tricky question and depends on our body weight, our activity levels, our general state of health and also also on our diet and lifestyle. However a general rule of thumb is drinking around 8 X 8oz glasses a day. It has been reported that we should be drinking half an ounce to an ounce of water for each pound we weigh, so for example if you weigh 150 pounds that would be 75 to 150 ounces of water a day. It's important to use your own instincts too, as you will know by how you feel. Just as with everything BALANCE IS KEY. So don't over do it either, as I know of a lady who over did it with her diet regime, drank too much water and didn't eat enough, fainted, and then slipped into a coma for days as the electrolyte balance in her body was so badly affected.
Most people pee 6 or 7 times every 24 hours. Peeing between 4 and 10 times daily may be considered healthy if the frequency does not interfere with the person's quality of life. Urinary frequency depends on the following factors:
Age
Bladder size
Fluid intake
The presence of medical conditions, such as diabetes and UTIs.
The types of fluids consumed, as alcohol and caffeine can increase the production of urine
The use of medications, such as diuretics, those for blood pressure, and certain supplements.
If your nervous system is bothered by some thing.
On average, a person who drinks 64 ounces of fluid in 24 hours will pee approximately seven times during that period.
The chart below shows of healthy colours of urine which will help you to gauge your own levels.
Happy hydrating, detoxing and peeing. And if you want to go that step further for purer water to reduce chlorine and other chemical additives and taste, invest in a water filter. When out it's best to drink out of glass bottles to avoid any endocrine disrupting chemicals from plastic bottles, and it's more eco friendly. Remember the more of us that ask for our water to be given to us in glass bottles the more the industry will want to supply us to meet the 'supply on demand criteria.' Cheaper still fill up a reusable glass bottle with your filtered water and take it with you.
If you find plain water boring, have some in the form of herbal teas, want to go 'fancy" alternate it with the carbonated water add some lemon, cucumber, lime, strawberries, pomegranate orange, blueberries, mint, basil....
