As a Registered Nutritionist, I have clients who come to me with a variety of ailments seeking to restore balance in their body. In this series "Habits for Vitality", I'm going to give you some basic habits to incorporate into your life to help you make the changes necessary to live an Optimal Life.
Most people only consider 3 Macronutrients when looking at their diet: Protein, Carbohydrates and Fats, but there is a fourth Macronutrient: Water.
There are 2 very important questions I ask clients after I have heard their primary goals (e.g. weight loss, pain reduction, allergy issues). The first is how much water they drink on a daily basis and the second is how often they have a bowel movement. The answers will usually tell me if they are adequately clearing toxins out of their body and that is always the best place to start. Most health issues center around digestion (or rather poor digestion) and holding excess toxins in the body. Therefore taking water into account is vital to achieving optimal health.
Water - we take it for granted daily. It's just not big deal to have a shower any time we want, water the lawn, wash the car, etc. It flows abundantly (so it seems) so what's the Big Deal? The reason it is so abundant on the earth is because we need it in abundance in our bodies.
What percentage of your body is water? Have a guess. It's between 55% and 80%. So how important do you feel it is to drink good water?
- Drink at least two glasses of good water as soon as you wake up and take some Probiotics (good bacteria for the intestines that are vital for proper digestion).
- Sip good water throughout the day.
- Drink then wait around 20 minutes before eating.
- Drink 1+ hour after eating.
Try NOT to eat and drink at the same time, this dilutes the HCL (Hydrochloric Acid) in your stomach! What's the color of your Urine? Yellow can mean you're dehydrated, or you've consumed some B complex vitamins!
The Brain, along with all the internal organs and cells rely on water as a crucial substance to allow for proper functioning. Mild dehydration can interfere with concentration and cause headaches. Instead of having a nap in the afternoon, try chugging 2 glasses of water and that sleepy feeling will likely disappear.
If you are trying to lose weight and you are not drinking enough water - Good Luck!!!! You will struggle and isn't that the last thing you want? Converting fat into energy in the body is a very complicated metabolic process which requires a great deal of water. Also waste is produced in this process that must be flushed out of the body. Give yourself a break. Drink more water and watch the weight slip away much more easily.
Clinical and scientific research exposes, for the first time, that recurring "chronic pains" are a signal system of the body indicating severe general or local dehydration. Most of the arthritis pains can be relieved simply by drinking water. Instead, however, the patient often receives costly pharmaceutical medications which treat the symptoms rather than cure the cause.
Most people do not consume enough water on a daily basis. Infants who are breast fed do NOT need to drink water, as they get plenty in the breast milk. If they are not breast fed, they should consume 1.5 ounces of water per pound of body weight. Children should drink an average of 40 ounces a day. Children should EAT fruit and DRINK water as fruit juice is loaded with natural sugars (add sometimes added sugars). Adults should drink at least 48 to 60 ounces a day and more if they are exercising vigorously.
Increase your water consumption by one glass per week until you reach the desired intake of about 8 glasses per day. This way, your body will slowly get accustomed to receiving more water and you won't be running to the toilet every 10 minutes. The ideal situation would be to consume 2 glasses upon rising in the morning then have 1 glass of water every hour until late afternoon. If you have a digital watch, set it to chime every hour as a reminder. If you consume your water in the early part of the day, you won't be waking in the night for trips to the toilet.
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