Today’s healthy habit is about hydration. It’s simple but many people do not drink enough water to hydrate their bodies. The general rule of thumb for hydration is not eight to ten glasses of water, it is all about your body weight. If you weight 150 lbs, I know I am old school still using lbs instead of kilograms, divide 150 by two and then by eight, that will give you the amount of water you need to drink to be properly hydrated. In this case 150 lb person should be drinking nine and a half eight ounces of water a day.
A common reaction I get from my patients is, if I drank that much water I would be urinating all day long. Well that might be true in the beginning. As well you should make sure your water is mineralized thus helping the water to penetrate the cell walls and thus being utilized and not just going straight to the bladder.
Reverse osmosis water is not mineralized as well distilled water is not mineralized. I add natural mineral salts to my water, just a pinch.
Common signs of dehydration can mimic many health issues and if you actually feel thirsty you are already dehydrated. Most people mistake hungry for thirsty and will reach for something to eat when in fact they are dehydrated. One of the most common signs of dehydration is fatigue. Our bodies are very complex but simple, if you are dehydrated you are restricting blood blow which could affect blood pressure, muscles and nerve function and oxygen flow.
Light headedness is another common sign of dehydration. When your blood pressure drops due to dehydration you can become lightheaded. Headaches are another common sign of dehydration.
Since our bodies are 70% fluid, water is very important. Notice I wrote water and not just liquids. Water helps the body regulate body temperature thus cooling the body when needed, preventing overheating.
Another important common reaction to dehydration can be pain in the muscles but more importantly pain in the heart . In fact people have died of a heart attack due to dehydration and lack of electrolytes or minerals from dehydration.
Caffeine and carbonated beverages are not considered water and are actually fluids that dehydrate the body in themselves. For every beverage that contains caffeine or that are carbonated you need to add another glass of water.
With summer weather coming don’t forget to have plenty of water on hand, do your body a favour and hydrate it. One last point if you drink your water out of a plastic bottle don’t keep the plastic bottle in the sun. A better choice would be a glass container of some sort to hold your water. You can also add flavour to your water by adding slices of lemon, lime, cucumbers or oranges, get creative. Another way to get water and ultimately hydrate your body is eating water packed fruit like watermelon.
Once again our bodies are simple, give it some water.
Diane Elms D.H.M.H.S., CCI, CCII, Homeopath specializing in drugless cancer care, 2006 Iridologist of the Year, if you have any health related questions contact diane@choicesforhealthandharmony.com or 905 768 0848.