By: Mandy Macri, CNHP, CPT, CES
Whether you are just starting to make a conscious effort to drink more water or you have been a longtime advocate of the practice, this post can help you understand its purpose and make sense of the confusion about how much to drink and what kind you should drink.
First of all, how do you know if you need to drink water? Here are a few symptoms of dehydration:
- Constipation
- Burning or irritating urination
- Afternoon extreme fatigue
- Varicose veins
- Kidney stones
- Hemorrhoids
- Headaches
Your body needs LOTS of water! Your brain contains about 80% water, your muscles about 75% water and your blood needs a whopping 90% water!! It helps to regulate your body temperature, flush wastes and toxins from the body, moisturize the skin, lubricate the joints, bones and muscles and helps in cell creation. I think we can all agree, it’s pretty important! So which “type” of water is the best to drink?
The body requires 100% pure hydrogen and oxygen, free of toxins and inorganic minerals!
The human body cannot convert inorganic minerals from the earth to useful organic minerals for our bodies. That’s why good, nutrient-rich vegetables and fruits are such an important part of our diet. Plants are responsible for absorbing the minerals from the water. We then eat the plant and can assimilate the nutrients at that point. Bottled “mineral” water or spring water contains small amounts of inorganic minerals (let’s call this “dirt”) that the body can do nothing with. Avoid paying for water with these added dissolved solids. It’s great for watering your plants but not for you. The best water you can give your body is steam-distilled pure water. It contains nothing but H2O. If you do not have access to distilled water, your second best option would be a reverse osmosis filtration system. Your common water filters that are found at the faucet, refrigerator, pitcher and water bottle level only remove taste and smell. Many claim to remove “99.9% of contaminants” but when tested, often fall short. Removal of chlorine and fluoride are key components of good water filtration. Here are few statistics you may not be aware of:
- At a 4% water depletion, muscle endurance diminishes and you start to get dizzy
- At a 5% water loss, headaches begin – drowsiness, loss of the ability to concentrate and unreasonable impatience occurs
- At a 7% body water depletion, there is a good chance you will collapse
- Just a 2% dehydration rate can cause a 20% decrease in performance
Fun Fact: 56% of 8-year-olds drink at least 1 can of soda a day!
So How Much Water Should You Drink?
For maintenance, you should be consuming about half your body weight (lbs) in ounces per day. For example, a 200lb person needs to consume 100 oz daily to maintain homeostasis in the body. Keep in mind that consuming salty foods or caffeinated drinks will create more of a burden on your kidneys and you’ll need more water to balance the body. Exercise also depletes water. A strenuous one hour session can sweat away more than a quart of water!
Can a person have too much water?
YES! Too much water can dilute your electrolytes. Not overdoing your water intake and replacing the electrolytes are important for good health.
Next to good air, good water is the most important component of good health! If you do not have access to distilled or reverse osmosis water, it’s OK! Use the “good, better, best” philosophy – choose the best option option of which you have available at the time! If you are traveling, don’t avoid drinking water just because tap water is all that’s available. It’s still a good option until you have the means to choose a better option. Every cell in your body needs good water and it’s absolutely vital for the best possible health. So drink up!
Reconnected Health 