Sunday, January 20, 2008

Water = Wonder Drug




Clearly, there are so many reason why you have to drink lots of water every single day....

1. Prevent dehydration

2. Pure liquid refreshment

3. Clean your body (detoxifies the liver and kidneys & carries waste out your body)

4. Healing processes

5. Help in digesting and absorbing vitamins and nutrients

6. Reduce headache (and dizziness)

7. Control your weight

8. Keep your skin healthy and glowing

9. It accounts for what makes each of us "human":
a. Blood: 83% water
b. Muscles: 75% water
c. Brain: 74% water
d. Bones: 22% water


A lot of studies showed that a large percentage of people walking around everyday are dehydrated. You might be one of them! All those other drinks we consume daily, such as coffee and tea, prompts the body to lose water, and when you are dehydrated your blood is actually THICKER and thus your body has to work HARD to cause blood circulation.... and also when you are dehydrated, your brain becomes less active and you feel dizzy!

Have you heard about the "8 by 8" rule?
On daily basis, drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water, or ideally half your body weight in ounces of water. To know the recommended water intake do this:
Divide your weight in lbs by two and the resulting number is basically the number of ounces of water you need per day.

If you dont know your weight in lbs, then divide your weight in KG by 30. The resulting number is the number of litres you need per day/

A good start is to measure your daily consumption of water for few days. If you are drinking less than the recommended numbers above try the following:

1. Carry a bottled water with you everywhere. You will find yourself reaching for it when you are thirsty instead of having coffee and tea... or soda!

2. When you plan to sit for a while (at home or in the office) have a glass of water next to you. Drink from that glass as you are doing your own thing. Try to monitor it and look at the time between now and then and have another glass every two hours or so.... some people say when there is a glass of water infront of them that they will drink it automatically without realizing it. This is because your mind knows you are thirsty, even if you don't!

3. Eat water rich foods (cucumbers, tomatoes, watermelons, cranberry juice,....)

4. Some people like to add some "flavor" to their water... thats not a bad idea actually! If it makes the taste better (by adding a tiny bit of fruit juice or add a lemon/lime wedges) than why not. I have also seen some people adding fresh mint leaves. You can also buy bottled flavoured water from your grocery store! You may also want to drink your water with a straw if you dont like the taste of it (it will skip your tongue LOL)


Please try to have all those eight glasses daily... you can divide'em throughout the day; two glasses when you wake up before breakfast, two glasses after your breakfast but before lunch, two between lunch and dinner, and two after dinner and before you sleep! Voila!

Warnings!
There has been considerable scientific debates concering the amount of daily water intake per day. Some people need to avoid drinking excessive amounts of water such as those with heart conditions or high blood pressure.

Also avoid drinking too much water while eating. This is because it causes your stomach to dilute acids which will consequently lead to digestion problems.

Keep in mind... water overdose is possible! Water intoxication can occur when the electrolytes in your body become so diluted, which will cause them problem in keeping the balance of water even in the inside and outside of cells (causing cells to burst).... but dont worry since this is very unlikely to happen.


And then again remember this.... Drinking that full glass of water first thing in the morning will help your body to wake up. So kick-start your day with that glass of water!

4 comments:

Organic Kuwait said...

nice post :)very well put together :)

Ansam said...

Organic Kuwait-
Thanks :-) I am glad you liked it

Anonymous said...

ur 8 X 8 reminds me of my companies 8 X 8 objectives which they never accomplished!!

btw are LOFAT and ansam same ppl :s i am so confused!!!

Ansam said...

Amu-
Yes LOfat (as a nick) and Ansam518 is one person, split personality LOL no no I am kidding but yeah! I am both :-P