Water is a life essential without which bodily metabolic processes, excretion and temperature control cannot happen. Humans can typically live just 3-4 days without water. However, to maintain optimum natural health we should ideally be considering natural ways to achieve complete hydration levels and not merely subsistence survival amounts.
When you are dehydrated there is a reduction of the normal water content of the body, creating a dysfunction of chemical balance and metabolic processes. This will noticeably affect the following benefits of healthy hydration:
● Good digestive health and the prevention of constipation
● Kidney health – this is essential for regulating blood pressure, maintaining bodily water levels and filtering/removal of waste products
● Skin health – good hydration is beneficial for skin cells resulting in the minimizing of wrinkles and fine lines. Additionally, it improves the skin appearance by the removal of toxins and impurities.
● Mental well-being – dehydration is a trigger of stress along with negative perceptions, cognitive impairment, anger and fatigue.
● Healthy immune system – good hydration plays a vital role in boosting the immune system. T
● Flushing out toxins – water plays a critical role in the elimination of toxic bodily waste through excretion in sweat and urine. This additionally promotes renal and urinary tract health.
● Enhancing brain function – studies have shown that chronic dehydration reduces motor and cognitive skills, lowers pain threshold, affects mood and reduces memory function.
● Headache prevention – drinking water helps to prevent and treat headaches caused by dehydration.
● Regulation of body temperature – water is essential in this crucial function through such mechanisms as sweating in heat to cool the body.
● Promotion of cardiac health – this is through maintaining an appropriate blood viscosity.
● Prevention of illness (see below) – this is primarily through processes such as balancing the body’s nutrient and mineral levels.
Good hydration does not mean only drinking water when you are thirsty
The unfortunate truth is that most people, even when paying attention to their health, pay scant regard to water and only drink water when they are thirsty. It is important to note that thirst is actually a symptom of dehydration!
The worrying truth is that the majority of people are chronically dehydrated – sources have noted, for instance, that a staggering 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated.
What disorders can good hydration prevent?
There are a number of disorders that may be prevented or treated by a significant increase in water uptake. The benefits from the aspects of maintaining natural health and circumventing the need for pharmaceuticals are all too apparent.
Such disorders include:
● Gastric pain – significant improvement in the misery of gastritis, duodenitis and heartburn can be achieved with an increase in water intake alone. This should be in conjunction with dietary considerations.
● Depression – chronic dehydration may underlie fear, anxiety, insecurity and the establishment of depression as the water requirements of the brain tissue are not being met.
● Hypertension – High blood pressure (essential hypertension) may be an adaptive process of the body to unacceptable water deficiency. When the total water volume in the body is decreased, the main blood vessels adaptively close thus raising hydraulic pressure within this closed system.
● High blood cholesterol – Cholesterol production in the cell membrane is a part of the cell survival system. It is an essential necessary substance. Its excessive presence within blood is indicative of bodily chronic dehydration.
● Type 2 diabetes – this condition has been linked brain water deficiency to the point that neurotransmitter systems—particularly the serotonergic system— are adversely affected. In the presence of chronic dehydration, the adaptive physiology of the brain is such that it automatically begins to upgrade the glucose threshold in order to maintain its own volume and energy requirements.
It is clear from the above that water and natural ways to complete hydration should be at the forefront of one’s personal preventive health measures. Good hydration is essential in the fight to prevent and treat disease without recourse to toxic pharmaceuticals.
What are 12 natural ways to maintain your complete hydration?
Maintaining good hydration is so important that it needs to become a genuine and deeply ingrained habit. The secret is to find inventive natural ways to complete hydration, being more creative and making drinking water enjoyable thereby becoming something we want to do and not merely a chore.
The following are various ways to achieve just this:
#1 Understand your body’s fluid requirements
It would make complete sense to have an awareness of your body’s water needs before arbitrarily increasing your water intake.
As a useful guideline the US National Academy of Medicine recommends that men’s fluid intake should be 3.7 litres/day and women’s fluid intake should be of the order of 2/7 litres/day.
Clearly, these are average figures that don’t take into account such factors as levels of exercise, health status etc, However, they are a good starting point!
#2 Setting a realistic daily water intake goal
As with many situations in life, improving your water intake will definitely benefit from goal setting – specifically setting a daily water intake goal.
This will be motivating and producing long-lasting positive changes.
To be truly effective, any goals that you set should take into account the acronym SMART, and incorporate the following criteria:
• Specific
• Measurable
• Attainable
• Realistic
• Time-bound
#3 Replace other drinks with water
To boost the amounts of health-giving water you drink, it makes sense to replace any carbonated and so-called sports drinks with water.
In addition to improving hydration, you will be reducing your refined sugar and artificial sweetener intake – which of course can only be good news for your health!
#4 Drinking a glass of water before each meal
Another very practical way to increase your intake the of water is to get into the habit of drinking a full glass of water before every meal.
This in addition to be an excellent weight management tactic – it will encourage you to eat less during the meal – it will also boost your daily water intake by up to a litre a day.
#5 Start using water filtration
Although considered to be safe, tap water may contain traces of pharmaceuticals, bacteria, heavy metals and disinfecting chlorine.
It is definitely worth considering some kind of domestic water filtration – this will remove contaminants and improve the overall taste of tap water – this will encourage you to increase the amount of water you drink. Additionally this water will be significantly less expensive than bottled water and taste just as good.
Systems range from simple jug filters right through to reverse osmosis water filters and whole-house systems that filter all domestic water at the point of entry into your home.
#6 Eat more foods high in water
One simple way to get more water is to eat more quality wholefoods that also happen to be high in water content.
Fruits and vegetables that have a particularly healthy water content include:
• Lettuce – 96% water
• Celery – 95% water
• Zucchini – 95% water
• Cabbage – 92% water
• Watermelon – 91% water
• Honeydew melon – 90% water
In addition to their healthy water content, these fruits and vegetables are bursting at the seams with goodies such as vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
#7 Carrying a reusable water bottle with you
Keeping a water bottle handy throughout the day can encourage you to drink more water.
In addition to being environmentally-friendly it serves as a visual reminder to drink more water.
#8 Set reminders to drink water
For a further top tip to increase your water intake why not set reminders? You can do this using an app (an example is the Waterllama water tracker app) or setting an alarm on your smartphone or smartwatch.
This is a useful way of increasing your water intake – particularly if you have a busy schedule.
#9 Drinking flavoured water
The flavour of water is not for everyone, – if this is the case for you why not try flavouring the water you drink.
Examples include:
• A fruit-infuser water bottle – try popular combinations such as strawberry-kiwi, cucumber-lime and lemon
• Powder or liquid water flavour enhancers – be sure to choose a product without added refined sugars or artificial sweeteners – examples of good products are Twinings Cold Infuse water enhancers.
#10 Try drinking one glass of water each hour at work
A great way of increasing your water intake during the day and, more importantly, keeping it consistent.
Drinking just one glass of water per hour (if you work a standard 8 hours) can potentially increase your daily water intake by 2 litres!
#11 Sipping water throughout the day
Merely consistently sipping water throughout the day is another of the great natural ways to complete hydration – remember, a lot of a little equals a lot!
A reusable plastic bottle in close reach is a great reminder to do this.
#12 Drink one glass of water before bed and when you wake up in the morning
This is an easy one and very effective.
Simply drink a glass of water before going to bed – this will keep you hydrated through the night in addition to boosting your water intake generally.
When you wake up also drink a glass of water – in addition to hydration this will help you wake and increase alertness.
All-in-all a win-win!
Choosing from these 12 simple and natural ways can help you boost your water intake and achieve complete hydration.
Please feel free to leave a comment on this article and please share this with anyone you know who may be interested.
“TO BE TRULY FREE – BE PHARMA FREE”