Why Water? Ten Good Reasons to Drink Lots of Water
First big reason: We humans are two-thirds water. Darwinian-ly speaking, when we first emerged from the primordial soup, we were water creatures, then after a billion years or so, reptiles, and finally (not so long ago) we evolved into the two-legged, big-brained homo erecti that we are today. It is imperative that we honor our watery roots, keeping our liquid cytoplasm intact or we will quite literally, dry up and die. Water is vital to all the things that make our bodies do stuff. If we get too dehydrated, our bodies will no longer function due to extreme dryness (desiccated corpses, mummies, old wrinkly people, etc). This is not surprising if the body is low on a "nutrient" that makes up 65% of it.
Sort of an addendum to number 1: Even though we are 65% water, we don't really have to slurp down 65% of our weight each day. Kudos to fruits and vegetables. They are 95% water. So if we eat 6-10 helpings of raw veggies and fruits each day, we can be a bit less panicky about our water requirements.
There is more to drinking water than maintaining your water levels. Water reacts with all the chemicals and electrolytes in your body just to function. Inasmuch as we sweat whether we exercise or not, and sweating promotes loss of sodium, chloride, potassium, magnesium, calcium (electrolytes) we need to replace BOTH water and minerals on a daily basis. Therefore, dehydration is not just a loss of water, but a loss of minerals as well. The minerals are easily replaced by a mineral supplement (I like Standard Process' Mintran) and/or a good salt like the Grain and Salt Society's Celtic Sea Salt. Use both.
Many people, women, in particular, are loath to drink enough water because they are afraid of "water weight." Well, the opposite is true! The body will hang onto water when it perceives that it is starving for water, so the best way to get rid of water weight is to drink more water. But here's another problem: If you don't drink enough water yet you keep up your bad, processed salt intake (like Morton's salt), your body will hoard water, which will make you feel bloated and fat. It can also promote the onset of high blood pressure. As I have already inferred, all salt is not the same. I advise you to throw away all of your bad salt, and use only the good Celtic Sea Salts which have all the minerals intact. Eating salt as Mother Nature in all her Source-inspired wisdom has provided, will eliminate hanging onto the salt and retaining water. Get the good salt at your local health food store or call The Grain and Salt Society at 1-800-867-7258.
What else does water do for you? It helps chemical reactions, regulates body temperature and lubricates joints, eyes and your spinal cord. In fact, I see people with sore necks and backs who have not "done" anything to cause their pain... except - forget to drink water and take their minerals. Seemingly out of nowhere comes the pain, the stiffness, the "I can't walk", the "I can't turn my neck" kind of torture that my emergency patients present with. A couple little Mintran taken with a glass of good filtered water could have prevented a couple or three weeks of agony. Remember that.
What else? Well, if you don't drink enough water you could have a dry cough that doesn't go away, headaches, nosebleeds, acne, PMS, constipation, allergies, dry skin, itchy skin and prematurely aging skin. Old people are notorious for not drinking enough water because their thirst reflexes are deadened. Don't be a notorious old person.
Remember to drink water in the winter even though it's not nearly as appealing as drinking an iced glass of water on a hot summer's day. All the above symptoms could get much worse in the winter. When the air is dry and cold, it takes more water just to breathe. Add forced air heating systems and wood fires and our dehydration is exacerbated. You must be more vigilant in the winter since 1) you naturally don't want to drink as much water when it's cold and 2) you really need to drink as much if not more than in the hot months.
Water and your immune system: During winter, lack of water will dry out the mucus membranes of your lungs, gut and sinuses and will lessen your resistance to disease. These watery mucus barriers actually protect your body against bacteria, viruses and pollutants but only when fully hydrated and intact. Allowing them to dry out just could be just asking for a cold.
Want to lose weight? Water is the main component of fat mobilization. This is why in my Cleansing and Weight Loss classes I insist that everyone drink at least 64 ounces of water daily. A well-hydrated body has higher levels of oxygen in the bloodstream translating into an increased ability to burn fat as fuel. The more efficiently you burn fat as fuel, the more effectively you can exercise, leading to a better overall body composition.
How much water? Eight glasses a day is a good starting point. I have also heard that you should drink half of your body weight in ounces everyday. So, for example, at 110 pounds, I should be drinking 55 ounces of water per day. Minimum. If it's hot out or if you live in Colorado, add 10% more. Since you may lose a quart or more of water during exercise, please be aware of this and replace what you have lost. Coffee is not water. Alcohol is not water. Iced tea is not water. Gatorade is not water. Water only is water!
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