Water in Your World?

Back in January I did a small series on the four “Table Legs” of Orange Tree Lane, or four foundational changes I think many of us need to make in order to enjoy better health.  Now June the half way marker is right around the corner, and I’m wondering, have any of you made a change in how much water you are drinking (OTL Table Leg #1)?  We’ve probably had the last rain of Spring and can be expecting steadily rising temperatures throughout the summer, and that will bring an increasing awareness of thirst while we swim and play in the sun. It’s fun to play in water, but the water we take INSIDE interacts with every cell in your body and is crucial for numerous life- sustaining interactions. Are you getting enough?

TAKES AWAY TOXIC DEBRIT
Being dehydrated accelerates the aging process of your body because water is crucial for transporting building materials and taking away waste products to and from our cells and organs. Last night our washing machine overflowed and had to be moved to mop up the water underneath.  That part of the floor hasn’t seen the light in a very long time, but moving the machine revealed a sizable and disgusting pile of lint and debris which had accumulated in some spilled laundry detergent. You could say that the pile of gook was kind of like the debris that won’t get flushed from a dehydrated body. It’s not a pleasant sight! Your skin may be the first indication that all is not well, but other undesirable effects of dehydration that make you feel and look worn out are headache, tiredness, inability to think, indigestion and heart burn, and even depression. (1)  We should probably try drinking more water on a regular basis first before reaching for other things to help with these ailments!

IMPORTANT TO HEALING JOINTS
Though no one else can see our aching joints, they sure do make you feel older, and the cartilage that cushions your joints is made up mostly of water.  Some of that joint pain could be the construction site continuing on with faulty machinery while waiting for the supply trucks to come, or in other words, damaged cartilage being used without being repaired properly. (2)  We wouldn’t want the house we live in built under those circumstances, and your body is your house too!

HOW MUCH?
So how can we make sure we are drinking enough water?  We’ve all heard the advice to drink about 1/2 gallon, 64 oz., or 8 cups of water a day.  Or some say take your body weight, divide in half, and drink that many ounces of water a day. (140 lbs.=70 oz. of water needed daily.)  Try drinking a full glass of water when waking up, bringing water to sip on wherever you go during the day, drinkng a cup whenever you get the urge to snack on something (and snack on fruit instead of other things), and making water your drink of choice most of the time.  I like to float a tea bag in my water.  After about 3 minutes it has a very subtle and delicious flavor of the tea I have chosen, and it makes drinking more water much more interesting!

THIRSTY? TOO LATE
And remember that thirst is not a good indicator of your need for water because at the point of thirst you are not going to be dehydrated; you already are! (5)  Lots of small changes throughout the day can easily add up to a fully hydrated, efficient and active cell repair system in our bodies.  For me personally, I’ve just accepted the fact that water is what I drink, just as I have accepted that I eat whole grains rather than refined.  You also might want to invest in stainless steel, reusable water containers to avoid consuming the BPA that leaches in from plastic water bottles, and to keep a bit of plastic out of the dump.

This week try drinking just water at every meal to see if it can become a habit for the whole family.  You might want to add a little liver cleansing lemon juice, or a tea bag to add interest.  I hope to hear how it went! 

I’ve shared a few of my ideas, but what have you done in your life to encourage yourself to drink more water?  You can leave a comment right over to the right in the comment box.

Molly

(1) http://studenthealth.oregonstate.edu/answerspot/message.php?message=2038  (2) http://nutritioninfo.tripod.com/id19.html

(3 http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=148  (4) http://www.nursingcenter.com/prodev/ce_article.asp?tid=939252
5) http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/water/NU00283/NSECTIONGROUP=2

This information is solely for informational purposes. IT IS NOT INTENDED TO PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE. Neither Orange Tree Lane or any of its affiliates take responsibility for any possible consequences from any treatment, procedure, exercise, dietary modification, action or application of medication which results from reading or following the information contained in this information. The publication of this information does not constitute the practice of medicine, and this information does not replace the advice of your physician or other health care provider. Before undertaking any course of treatment, the reader must seek the advice of their physician or other health care provider.