Day 178 of 365 - Water Works
Everybody is aware that our bodies contain a large percentage of water. You may also know that even being only slightly dehydrated has repercussions on how well your body functions. Some eyes are probably rolling already, with people saying 'Oh God, somebody else telling me to drink more water!'. But, bear with me please.
Benefits of being properly hydrated include helping all your systems function optimally. Metabolism gets a boost, hormone signals work better, you have more energy and better brain function. If you are feeling tired or have brain fog part way through your day, drinking water is a good first choice strategy rather than a caffeinated drink.
While drinking several glasses of filtered water per day is still a good recommendation, it may not be well absorbed and used by your cells. For example, sipping water over the course of the day is better than rapidly drinking a whole glass at a time. Many people say they just cannot drink a lot of water, so gradual sipping may be a helpful approach. Your body can only process about one eight ounce glass per hour, so guzzling a large quantity, it will just be flushed out.
Spring water is the most ideal form of water, but next best is filtered water. Neither should be from plastic bottles which leach harmful chemicals into the water. One of the reasons that spring water is ideal is that it's form is something called structured water. What that means is that it has both an extra hydrogen and an extra oxygen molecule. Instead of being H20 it is H302. This is actually the kind of water inside our cells and it helps them function at their best.
If you don't have access to a regular source of spring water, you can make your own structured water. As it turns out, many plant foods contain this kind of water, or create it when added to filtered water. You simply add berries, citrus slices or cucumber slices, or all of them, to a jug of water in the morning and sip it throughout the day. Some people prefer to just add a small wedge or slice of lemon to every glass of water, but it's ideal if it has had some time to infuse in the water.
If you are one of those people who simply cannot imagine drinking a couple of liters of water a day, then eat more of the plant foods that contain structured water. Some of the ones containing a higher amount include: bell peppers, cauliflower, cucumber, radishes, romaine lettuce, strawberries, tomatoes and watermelon. If eating more quantities of vegetables or fruits seems challenging, consider blending a variety to make a more tolerable, concentrated drink which you could sip.
How do you know if you are drinking enough water? Your thirst, and color and quantity of urine are your guides. However, you don't get thirsty until you are already slightly dehydrated, so pay attention to the other two. Urine should be pale colored, but color can also be affected by vitamins if you are taking those. Urinating seven to eight times a day is normal! Drink more water if you are not going to the bathroom much.
One of the dietary plans I followed several years ago had a recipe for water which was actually delicious. I had forgotten about it and remembered to look it up today when I was reading again about structured water. Here it is: 2 L water, 1 tsp grated ginger, 1 medium cucumber peeled and thinly sliced, 1 medium lemon thinly sliced and 12 mint leaves. It was prepared the night before and sipped over the course of the following day.
I do drink several glasses of water a day, but not eight. Recently I realized that I have made my teas my most frequent drink, with my green tea in the morning and herbal teas in the afternoon. My tendency has been to drink a full glass of filtered water when I take my supplements before a meal, with perhaps one or two other glasses per day. Now, I am doing an experiment to decrease my tea intake and increase my water intake and will be making structured water again, even in its most simple form with a slice of lemon.
Sometimes it is the most basic things that can make a substantial difference to how we feel. I think this one is worth a try, for me at least.
Benefits of being properly hydrated include helping all your systems function optimally. Metabolism gets a boost, hormone signals work better, you have more energy and better brain function. If you are feeling tired or have brain fog part way through your day, drinking water is a good first choice strategy rather than a caffeinated drink.
While drinking several glasses of filtered water per day is still a good recommendation, it may not be well absorbed and used by your cells. For example, sipping water over the course of the day is better than rapidly drinking a whole glass at a time. Many people say they just cannot drink a lot of water, so gradual sipping may be a helpful approach. Your body can only process about one eight ounce glass per hour, so guzzling a large quantity, it will just be flushed out.
Spring water is the most ideal form of water, but next best is filtered water. Neither should be from plastic bottles which leach harmful chemicals into the water. One of the reasons that spring water is ideal is that it's form is something called structured water. What that means is that it has both an extra hydrogen and an extra oxygen molecule. Instead of being H20 it is H302. This is actually the kind of water inside our cells and it helps them function at their best.
If you don't have access to a regular source of spring water, you can make your own structured water. As it turns out, many plant foods contain this kind of water, or create it when added to filtered water. You simply add berries, citrus slices or cucumber slices, or all of them, to a jug of water in the morning and sip it throughout the day. Some people prefer to just add a small wedge or slice of lemon to every glass of water, but it's ideal if it has had some time to infuse in the water.
If you are one of those people who simply cannot imagine drinking a couple of liters of water a day, then eat more of the plant foods that contain structured water. Some of the ones containing a higher amount include: bell peppers, cauliflower, cucumber, radishes, romaine lettuce, strawberries, tomatoes and watermelon. If eating more quantities of vegetables or fruits seems challenging, consider blending a variety to make a more tolerable, concentrated drink which you could sip.
How do you know if you are drinking enough water? Your thirst, and color and quantity of urine are your guides. However, you don't get thirsty until you are already slightly dehydrated, so pay attention to the other two. Urine should be pale colored, but color can also be affected by vitamins if you are taking those. Urinating seven to eight times a day is normal! Drink more water if you are not going to the bathroom much.
One of the dietary plans I followed several years ago had a recipe for water which was actually delicious. I had forgotten about it and remembered to look it up today when I was reading again about structured water. Here it is: 2 L water, 1 tsp grated ginger, 1 medium cucumber peeled and thinly sliced, 1 medium lemon thinly sliced and 12 mint leaves. It was prepared the night before and sipped over the course of the following day.
I do drink several glasses of water a day, but not eight. Recently I realized that I have made my teas my most frequent drink, with my green tea in the morning and herbal teas in the afternoon. My tendency has been to drink a full glass of filtered water when I take my supplements before a meal, with perhaps one or two other glasses per day. Now, I am doing an experiment to decrease my tea intake and increase my water intake and will be making structured water again, even in its most simple form with a slice of lemon.
Sometimes it is the most basic things that can make a substantial difference to how we feel. I think this one is worth a try, for me at least.
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