Between the synapses of your brain is water—not soda or juice or sports drink—water. I’m sure you’ve heard that drinking water is important, and it is. But, do you know what happens to your body when you don’t drink enough water? Many people depend on a sense of thirst to tell them when they need a drink. Actually, by the time you feel thirsty your body has already suffered the consequences of dehydration.
When your body is not adequately hydrated, it affects your overall health. One of the first symptoms is a headache. Often people will take a couple of aspirin, when actually they need to drink a couple of glasses of water. The next time you get a headache, try this before taking medication.
Another common thing that happens when you don’t drink enough water is that you become constipated. Usually people with this problem will take a stool softener or some other medication, but again, if you drink adequate amounts of water, the problem may disappear. If not, chronic constipation can lead to hemorrhoids and eventually surgery. Isn’t drinking water preferable to that?
When lack of proper hydration becomes a chronic long-term problem, the symptoms become more systemic. It’s not uncommon for people to develop heartburn, allergies, arthritis, Lupus, and various autoimmune conditions because they don’t drink enough water. Don’t we all know someone with one of these problems? You see, you can’t flush toxins out with sugar and caffeine. Very simply, your body stops functioning properly without adequate amounts of water.
Maybe you’ve never heard this before. How can water cure all these problems? Well, don’t underestimate the power of the pharmaceutical industry. Right now there’s no money to be made by writing people prescriptions for water.
If you’re used to consuming lots of soft drinks, the taste of water may not be all that enticing. Well, there are many ways to get more water into your body. First, limit the amount of soft drinks you consume. The sugar and caffeine have to be processed by your body and this requires water—water that you’re not drinking enough of.
As a former soda and ice tea junkie, I’ll share my tips for learning to like water. I found that drinking it ice cold made tastes better. My favorite way is over crushed ice with a lemon wedge. There are water flavors that you can buy at the local health food store. Also, consider adding stevia. Stevia is a very sweet herb that is often used by diabetics as a sugar replacement. You can find it at the health food store as well.
If you’re satisfied with the taste of tap water, that’s great. If not, you have several options. Of course you can buy bottled water, but if that’s too pricey, consider purchasing a water filter to place on the taps at home. There are various water filters you can buy that filter out minerals and other additives the local water authority adds. The taste will improve immediately.
Like anything else new, adding sufficient water to your diet requires a plan. It’s not easy if you haven’t grown up doing it. Commercials are constantly peddling the latest wonder drink, and convenient snack machines sell soft drinks that make it difficult to pass up. Bring your water bottle to work and devote a month to your new habit. You’ll notice that nagging problems like headaches and indigestion disappear.
Hey… thanks… sometimes we just choose to ignore simple things & complicate our lives with sodas,etc… I wonder why…
Comment by Isha — May 27, 2007 @ 7:37 am