It’s so easy to forget to drink enough water. We all need good reminders as to why we should, how we should, and what type of water is best to keep us functioning optimally.
Not only does water improve the way we function, but it also improves the way we feel and look.
Some of the natural perks water has to offer include:
- Hydration of internal organs thus enabling them to function properly
- Hydration of skin and keeping it looking fresh and healthy
- Weight control (water is our single, most effective weight management tool)
- Increased energy
- Alleviation/prevention of a variety of ailments by keeping the immune system healthy
- Regulation of body temperature
- The flushing out of daily waste and toxins
Know the Early Signs of Dehydration:
- Dark urine with odor
- Weight loss during exercise
- Muscle cramps
- Dizziness
- Fatigue (over 50% of routine fatigue can be alleviated with proper hydration)
- Nausea
Many everyday symptoms and ailments can be improved by increasing water consumption.
Here are our best hydration tips to keep you flowing!
- Drink 1 liter (about 34 ounces) of water for every 50 pounds of body weight (Example: 150 pounds = 3 liters or about 100 ounces of water per day).
- Start your day with 16 ounces of room temperature water with the juice of half a lemon. The first 8 ounces wakes up the digestive system and the second 8 ounces will touch every organ, signaling metabolism to begin for the day. The juice from the lemon will flush out excess acid your body has been collecting from the joints while you were sleeping.
- Drink room temperature water between meals so as not to dilute your precious digestive enzymes that help deliver nutrients from your food. Drinking cold or ice water slows or freezes the digestive process. Drinking just hot water throughout the day (no tea, no lemon) is also a wonderful habit to consistently flush the lymphatic system and keep your immune system healthy.
- Water with minerals is very important. If you drink tap water, always purify it first. Please watch the second video included below in this blog and make sure you are drinking pure, mineralized water without fluoride, chlorine, or other chemicals.
- When drinking reverse osmosis or purified water, add concentrated essential trace minerals (found in the supplement section of the health food store) to your water to add back the minerals taken out by the purification process. This will actually hydrate your cells. Add 10-15 drops of minerals per liter of water. Alternatively, you may also take homeopathic cell salts to mineralize your body and nourish your nervous system.
- Another option is to take 1 capsule of trace minerals 2-3 times per day.
- Drink water every 15-30 minutes while exercising.
- Drink BEFORE you get thirsty; thirst is a sign of dehydration.
- Limit your consumption of caffeine, which acts as a diuretic and can dehydrate you.
- Coconut water is the best re-hydrant because it matches the exact electrolyte profile of our blood plasma. It is nature’s Gatorade!
- Try a natural Gatorade if you need the flavor and minerals like Ultima powder or Goodonya Hydrate
- Carry a glass reusable water bottle with you. Watch the video below to learn the dangers of drinking out of plastic bottles on a regular basis including dioxins and parabens and the unknown factor of how hot that bottle may have gotten sitting in the truck that delivered it. Plus we use over 60 million water bottles a day, and only 10% of those bottles are getting recycled.
Note: If you don’t drink enough water because it seems boring to you, then make fruit water. The combos I made for today’s show are:
1/8-cup fresh or frozen blueberries and 6 basil leaves.
1/8-cup fresh or frozen raspberries and 6 mint leaves.
¼ grapefruit, lemon, & lime, sliced. 8-10 mint leaves for an entire pitcher.
Thank you for this information! Do you have a water filter you recommend and trust? I am having a hard time finding a trusted and reliable one. Thank you so much! And congrats on your pregnancy!! so happy for you!
What’s your take on Kangan Water?
Thank you for this very informative piece. What about drinking water from a stainless steel water bottle?
We have a GE fridge in our kitchen that has a water filer attached. This is our primary source of water. Is this type of filtered water what you are referring to when you mention “purified” water? I’ve heard more and more about trace minerals, I’m just not sure if I need to take them. You’ve got me more curious now by your comments. Thanks for your help!
Not sure, Jen. You’d have to pick up a home test kit and check the filtered fridge water for contaminants, unless you know for sure the process is reverse osmosis. In that case, there’s a 12-step filtration process and then you’ll just add back the minerals to your water.
The water intake recommendation per body weight is higher than I have seen or heard anywhere. Your example would have that person drinking 12 cups of water per day- I have never seen it that high before. Am I miscalculating? Or is there information I am not aware of?
My urologist recommends 2-3 liters of water a day.
I agree with him, Carol. 🙂
That’s correct, Lauren depending on body weight. A 150 lb person could drink up to 96 ounces of water per day to stay properly hydrated and sufficiently detoxified and that would be 12 8oz cups. Less if you weigh less. Your body will tell you what your magic number is as you start to play with this amount.
Do you have any recommendations of where to get your water tested?
Hi Cathi, You should be able to buy a test kit from your local home center or online. The kits usually come with a package of strips that contain reactants that change color to indicate the presence of various contaminants in your water. Ask at your local home depot and do some searches to try to get strips that test for a wide variety of contaminants.
Why do I get a stomach ache sometimes when I drink water? I also get reflux?
That’s my question also! Christa please answer:)
Hi Michele and Melinda, this could be indicative of gut issues related to SIBO, a structural valve issue, or acid reflux related to H. pylori or low stomach acid being diluted by water…or quite simply the wrong kind of water for your system that contains some kind of contaminant.
I’m going to propose that you look into a couple of things:
1. Rule out SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth) which may be causing your gastric distress. SIBO is exacerbated by reduced stomach acid, so when you eat and drink, you can be experiencing heartburn and bloating.
2. Drinking water further dilutes stomach acid. More heartburn and bloating.
Add a splash of apple cider vinegar or ginger juice to your water. It may help. Do not drink during meals because it dilutes the stomach acid and enzymes needed for digestion.
3: Heal your gut. Watch our webinar you can access from this page to learn the 5 steps to do that. gutthrivein5.com
You didn’t talk about the Berkey filter which keeps minerals and has an optional fluoride filter. Why would it not make the cut?
Hi Emily, We like Berkey filters as well. Christa just couldn’t fit as much as she wanted to in this segment so she plans on discussing water filters in the near future.
I infuse water with lemon, ginger and green tea everyday. It makes about 4-5 cups. Then I read that tea is actually dehydrating. So should I be infusing the water without the green tea? And just drink a few cups of green tea in addition to water? I watch my urine color, and it still stays that limeade or straw color which I read is a sign that I am properly hydrated. Is that true? I drink 16oz of lemon water upon waking in the morning. Then after my morning workout, I drink another 8oz with the Ultima in it. Then I drink the infused green tea throughout the rest of the day. Again, should I not be infusing green tea into the water I drink the rest of the day? Thank you for your time.
Caffeine can be dehydrating so make sure you are drinking 1 liter (about 34 ounces) of water for every 50 pounds of body weight (Example: 150 pounds = 3 liters or about 100 ounces of water per day).