Are You Drinking Enough Water?

If you have a health problem, you are most likely acidic; Research shows that unless the body’s pH level is slightly alkaline, the body cannot heal itself. So, no matter what type of modality you choose to use to take care of your health problem, it won’t be effective until the pH level is up. If your body’s pH is not balanced, you cannot effectively assimilate vitamins, minerals and food supplements. Also, mucus on the small intestine can block your body from vitamin and mineral absorption. Your body pH affects everything. Disease cannot survive in an alkaline state and yet they thrive in an acidic environment. An acidic pH can occur from, an acid forming diet, emotional stress, toxic overload, and/or immune reactions or any process that deprives the cells of oxygen and other nutrients.

An acidic balance in your body will:

• Decrease the body’s ability to absorb minerals and other nutrients
• Decrease the energy production in the cells
• Decrease its ability to repair damaged cells
• Decrease its ability to detoxify toxins and heavy metals
• Make you more susceptible to fatigue and various illnesses

The Significance of Water & Why We May
Have A Dehydration Epidemic 

A recent Harvard study shows 25% of children said they didn’t drink any water in a day, choosing sports drink, soda and juice instead. While that is concerning, it’s even scarier to see that 70% - 75% of American adults are in a chronic state of dehydration. Often, many people think dehydration comes from extreme heat or physical exertion but that is inaccurate. It happens when we don’t hydrate our bodies sufficiently for daily living. Most people aren’t even aware they are dehydrated. Water is vital to our overall health and longevity but most Americans don’t consume enough water and often times not the correct water.

Water is essential to every single process within our bodies. Our brain and heart contain 73% water. Our lungs Water carries vital oxygen to our brains. Our muscles and kidneys are 79% water. Your blood, responsible for transporting nutrients throughout your body is 92% water. Your lungs, that take oxygen from the air to provide your body with oxygen, are 83% water. Even your bones are around 25% water. Water serves as a lubricant, a base for saliva and fluids surrounding the joints. Additionally, it regulates the body temperature, eliminates waste and regulates metabolism.

Dehydration causes muscle weakness, poor mental performance, headaches, sluggishness and more. Americans tend to consume many beverages throughout the day but not nearly enough water. Most people especially those in North America, consume more dehydrating beverages than hydrating beverages. Dehydrating liquids include soda, coffee, tea, and alcohol. These dehydrating liquids counteract hydrating liquids. This means that we need to compensate for each dehydrating beverage we consume. Unfortunately, this doesn’t happen in the majority of people's lives.

The Journal of Nutrition recently found that bad moods typically start with a lack of hydration. Women studied showed more anger, frustration, depression and annoyance when they are dehydrated. Additionally, when you are dehydrated, your saliva stops proper production, it results in an abundance of bacteria, leading to bad breath, sore gums etc. Most dentists recommend drinking more water to their patients with halitosis. Furthermore, as we age, our body’s thirst mechanism doesn’t work as well. This means it is easier for older adults to become dehydrated and be completely unaware. For example, our body constantly craves food which in truth, our body is thirsty and trying to communicate this symptom in a way one would listen.

The Levels of Dehydration
* 1% dehydration leads to thirst
* 2% dehydration leads to feelings of anxiety, reduced appetite, and reduced energy by 20%
* 4% dehydration leads to nausea, dizziness, emotional instability and fatigue.
* 6% dehydration leads to loss of coordination and coherence of speech
* 10% dehydration cells begin to die
* 11% dehydration cannot be fixed simply by drinking water. The balance of the organism has undergone serious cellular changes and requires a medical professional.
* 20% dehydration may lead to death Warning Signs of Dehydration

Early Signs Of Dehydration: 

• Fatigue
• Irritability
• Exhaustion 
• Depression 
• Cravings
• Cramps
• Headaches 

Major Signs Of Dehydration Include:

• Heartburn
• Joint back pain
• Migraine headaches 
• Fibromyalgia
• Constipation
• Colitis 
• Asthma
• Allergies
• Hypertension
• Autoimmune disorders 

Tips for staying hydrated:
1) Drink ½ an ounce of water daily for every pound you weigh. A 150 lb person needs to drink 75 ounces. One glass every hour is a good rule of thumb.
2) Avoid diuretic beverages that flush water out of your bodies such as caffeinated coffee, tea, soda or alcohol.
3) Start your day with ½ to 1 quart of water to flush your digestive tract and rehydrate your system from the overnight fast.
4) Drink water at regular intervals throughout the day and don’t wait until you are thirsty.
5) Get in the habit of carrying water with you or keeping it on your desk. Convenience makes it much easier to consume.
6) Drink a glass of water before each meal and have a beverage with each snack.
7) When you are stressed or engaged in physical activity drink more water.
8) Every six ounces of caffeine or alcohol requires an additional 10 to 12 ounces to rehydrate you.
9) Avoid drinking ice water. Icy cold water requires your body to heat up more to bring it to a more suitable temperature.
10) Eat more fruits and vegetables. They have a higher water content. About 20% of fluid intake comes from food.

Learn More about Healthy Water 

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A few of my small tips to a healthier you:
​
1. Lemon Water
Always start your morning with a glass of pure water and a few slices of lemon. Also, it should be noted here that most times we are not actually hungry, we're thirsty. So make sure you don't confuse thirst with hunger. Drink a glass of pure water when you feel hungry to see if the hunger dissipates or not.

2. Don't Skip Meals
Skipping meals can actually cause your body to go into a fat-storing mode to protect itself. Your body does this will really make it difficult to burn off the calories.

3. Mind, Body Connection 
Mental and emotional states have a big impact on our physical body. It's vital to identify the emotional triggers that lead you to seek unhealthy comfort food. Minimize the processed foods and track your emotional state of being when hunger strikes. Be sure to take 30 minutes for you, to do what makes you calm and brings you joy.