Your Body and Water

Did you know...

Water is truly the elixir of life for the human body. Our
bodies are mainly water as the percentages below show:

* Lean muscle tissue is 75% water
* Saliva is 95% water
* Blood is 90% water
* Lymph is 94% water
* Lungs and brain are 80% water


Why is water necessary to live:

- Water cleanses your body and removes toxic wastes. If
toxic wastes build up, they can lead to obesity,
constipation or diverticulitis. Also the toxins are
absorbed into the bloodstream and lead to inflammation and
disease.

- Water helps keep joints comfortable and lubricated.
Dehydrated cartilage causes friction in the joints that can
lead to degenerative joint disease and arthritis.
Water may be the answer to elevating the pain of arthritis.

- Water keeps your blood thin and makes it easier for the
heart to pump it through the body. When blood is too
thick, it causes increased stress on your heart to pump it.
It also shuts down blood vessels, making it harder for
nutrients to get to the vital organs.
Water may help diabetics control their blood sugar.

- Water keeps your skin smooth, healthy and young-looking.
Dehydrated skin is rough, dry and wrinkle-prone.
Water may help prevent wrinkles.

- Water is vital to the brain--80% of your brain is water
and it needs water to function and have energy.
Water may make your memory.

- Just a 5% drop in bodily fluids will cause a 25-30%
energy loss in most people, and a 15% drop will cause death.
Water may help you run that extra mile.

We need water to stay healthy, cleanse our systems
and replenish the fluids our bodies need.

How much water do we need?

It's been a common practice to recommend 8 (8 oz.) glasses
of water a day, but that's truly just a bare bones minimum.

Every day we lose over 2 quarts (64 oz.) of water through
our normal bodily functions alone, so we need to take in at
least enough water to replace what we lose...but our bodies
need more than that.

A good guide is to strive to drink a quart of water (32
oz.) for every 50 pounds of body-weight.

I know what you're thinking--"I'll be in the bathroom more
often."

That's True, but what's wrong with that? It's a good thing--
you're cleansing your body of wastes and toxins. Would you
rather have them inside of you to cause sickness or
disease? I don't think so.

An easy way to tell if you're drinking enough water is by
the color of your urine. If it's dark yellow, you need
more water. Ideally, your urine should be clear and
colorless or barely have a tint of yellow.

Note that water means water.

Water is NOT:

- Soda
- Club soda, sparkling water or mineral water
- Gatorade, Propel or other sports drinks
- Vitamin water or other flavored waters (they're
processed and can contain sweeteners and additives)
- Coffee or tea
- Juice
- Fruit-flavored beverages such as Hi-C, Hawaiian Punch or
Sunny-D
- Beer, wine or liquor (nope--sorry but that scotch and water you
like doesn't count)
- Other beverages made with water, such as Kool-Aid,
lemonade or Crystal Light
Why can't we count these beverages?
Because the additives take away the alkaline in water.

When and how to drink?

You should drink water freely throughout the morning,
afternoon and evening. Add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice
to make it more alkaline--lemons are very alkalizing to
your body.

Avoid drinking large quantities with or immediately after
meals because the water can dilute your digestive enzymes
and make digestion less efficient.

If you're thirsty after a meal, it's OK to sip water, but
wait at least 2 hours after a meal to drink a large glass.

It's also essential to drink water before, during and
after a workout.

Filtered or unfiltered?

When it comes to drinking water, remember this: All water is
NOT created equal. Since our bodies are alkaline, our
water must be alkaline too. Thanks to acid rain and the
chemicals added by municipalities, that's not always a
given.

Regular (unfiltered) tap water is acidic and contains
harmful toxins like fluoride and chlorine. Avoid tap water
(this includes water fountains) at ALL possible cost, no
matter what you may read in the news.

The best sources of alkaline water are distilled water or
filtered water (using reverse osmosis, Brita filters or
similar filtering).

Ionized water is also very alkaline, but the down side is
that ionization systems can be pricey. If you can swing
it, though, it's worth it.

What about bottled water?

Some people think bottled water is the best. Not always.
Here's a list of common brands of bottled water and their
pH (remember--anything 7.0 or greater is alkaline, less
than 7.0 is acidic):

San Pellegrino spring water--4.49 (acidic)
Perrier--4.91 (acidic)
Pellegrino sparkling water--5.28 (acidic)
Aquafina--5.96 (acidic)
Volvic--7.07 (alkaline)
Whistler Water--7.18 (alkaline)
Dasani--7.2 (alkaline)
Evian--7.53 (alkaline)
Canadian Mountain--7.96 (alkaline)
Vittel--7.98 (alkaline)


Other sources of water

Your daily water intake doesn't have to just come from a
glass or bottle.

Eating high water content foods is an ideal way to help get
your body's water needs. Not only are they alkaline by nature,
but they also contain essential nutrients that your body needs
to stay healthy.

High water content foods work perfectly with our bodies--
The water from fresh fruits and vegetables carries the
nutrients from those fruits and vegetables into the
intestines, where they're absorbed by the body.

Then, the same water that brought the nutrients in carries
wastes away from the body.