Our Need to Drink WaterIt seems self-evident. Of course we humans need to drink water.If we don't give enough water our houseplants, they send us signals - they start to droop, turn brown and die. Could it be that our bodies are lacking water, and we're missing the signals? Do you ever suffer from fatique, fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, difficulty focusing, back and/or joint pain? Maybe your body is saying "More Water Please." At first it may ask politely, but it might start screaming at you. Do we think that we have to feel thirsty in order to need water? Well, it seems that in 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is often mistaken for hunger. Do you think you drink a lot of other fluids like coffee or coke, so you're getting enough liquid? You might want to think through that one again. Please read Water or Coke, and then come back to this page. How much water should you be drinking?OK. You think you and your family needs to drink more water, but you're not sure how much water is enough. Logically, your head tells you that your 28 lb. daughter playing in the living room will not need to drink as much as her 228 lb. father working outside in the hot sun. Eight glasses of water a day seems like a lot for your daughter. Would a formula help?So here's the simple formula: Your weight (in pounds) divided in half = how many ounces of water you should drink. Here's an Example:You weigh 160 lbs.Half of that is 80. You should drink 80 ounces of water per day. How much is 80 ounces? If you have a measuring cup in your kitchen, measure out 1 cup. 1 cup = 8 ounces 8 ounces times 10 cups = 80 ounces per day
If these are measurements you don't use in your part of the world, here's a site that converts just about anything you can think of.
Step 1Now for the scary part. Find a large pitcher or empty bottle. In the morning, fill it up with how much water you should drink according to the formula. Now try to drink this all day.If you're not much of a water drinker, you may be surprised at how little of it you finish. That's OK, because now you're finished step 1 - YOU ARE AWARE! Step 2Do this again the next day, and try to drink a little more. Keep it beside you when you work. You'll find you drink less harmful drinks like sodas and coffee.What if you don't like the taste of water? Try getting the best quality water you can in your area. This might mean buying water or installing a water filter. If your water tastes bad, you won't drink it, and your health will suffer. Try adding a drop of lemon in it. To me it makes the water taste sweeter, even when it's turned luke warm. You might also want to try adding a bit of fruit or vegetable juice to improve the taste. If your water has chlorine in it, you might not like the taste much either. Try letting it sit for an hour in a pitcher to evaporate the chlorine, and it will taste better. Removing the chlorine helps keep the friendly bacteria in your digestive system. You need these good bacteria to help you digest and get the nutrients out of your food. After a while, I guarantee you will begin to love water, and won't want to be without it. Benefits For YouThis is probably the least expensive thing you can do to help your health, but not necessarily the easiest if you're not used to it.If you are trying to start a new nutritional or supplemental program or trying to detox previous poisons in your body, you absolutely must, no questions asked, drink more water. You will help your kidneys and liver get all that yucky stuff out of you faster. Drinking sufficient water may also help protect you against bladder and urinary tract infections as well as kidney failure. Another reason to drink enough water is to keep the back door from getting blocked - in other words - constipation. Why do people get constipated? Perhaps many reasons, but here's 2: 1) You don't drink enough water every day. You body gets worried, so it takes the little water you give it out of your intestines for safe measure, since it doesn't know when you'll give it more again. This makes your stools drier and harder to get out. If you drink more water regularly, you body may stop worrying, and stop taking it out of your intestines. 2) You've started a new nutrition routine resulting in detoxing old poisons and chemicals out of your body. Since you've given your body superior building blocks, your body is rebuilding old cells, and getting the old materials out. This is like renovating an old house. A lot of old materials have to get out the door to make way for the new. This might take place faster than your body can keep up, resulting in constipation and skin eruptions. Drinking more water helps your kidney, liver and colon keep all the yucky stuff moving.
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