PRINCIPLES OF LIFE - PART 2

The 5 principles of life are: breath, water, nutrition, movement and life balance or stress management.  This week, we discuss water.

Ah, water, the elixir of life.  Think of yourself as  water balloon.  Everything about us involves water.  Our blood is 90% water, brains 70% water.  Every function in our body requires water.  If we don’t have enough water in our system, a message gets sent to our brain to slow down metabolism.  This affects our energy, brain function, digestion, elimination…. EVERYTHING we do.  Our health is affected by how much water is in our body.

How much water do we need?

In general, a females our water weight should be 45-60% of our total body weight.  Men - 50-65% of their total weight should be water.  At the TWC, we have a body composition scale that can measure it for you.  This scale also measures % body fat and bone weight.  Simply ask Jodi, Amber or Andrea at the front desk and they will be happy to help you with this.  It’s a complimentary service, so please just ask.

It is recommended for general health that we drink 1/2 our body weight in ounces of water daily (ie: 150 lb person should drink 75 ounces of water a day).  Straight water is the BEST, but drinking herbal teas (no caffeine) and water based foods such as juicy fruits and vegetables, can also help increase our fluid intake.  Remember, for every caffeinated beverage you drink, you need one glass of water to cancel the effects out.

If you want to lose weight, drink more water.

If you want to improve brain function and energy, drink more water.

If you want to improve digestion and elimination, drink more water.

If you have a headache - it could be due to dehydration.  Drink more water.

If your urine is clear or light yellow and odorless, that’s a great sign you have enough water in your system.  If it’s dark yellow or even orange and has an ordor, you are dehydrated.

Don’t wait until you are thirsty to drink.  The less you drink, the more dehydrated you are, the less your thirst mechanism works.   The thirst mechanism is ONLY reliable to those whose water levels are in the healthy range.

If your body is absorbing the water you drink, you shouldn’t be running to the bathroom every 5 minutes.  Water properly absorbed takes anywhere from 30-6o minutes to enter the body, circulate to the cells, return to the stomach to help with digestion before it’s ready for elimination.

If you aren’t sure about whether the water you drink is the best, visit us at the TWC and inquire about our Kangen Water Ionizer system and our 30 Day FREE water program.  604.943.8823 or visit: http://www.yourbodyiswater.info/members/d4/lindamallard/