Water

Water is absolutely essential for good health.

The body is made up of approximately 60% water which is in need of constant replenishment. Every system of the body is dependent upon water and without an adequate intake, the body is placed under additional stress in order to conserve. This additional stress and conservation means that a compromise has to be made in the functioning of all cells and tissues.

If you are aware that all cells of the body are sitting in a bath of water, you may start to think of how you might like this water to look. Cells can communicate and function more clearly in fresh, clean water rather than stale, stagnant water.

Water is a first line intervention for the improvement of many symptoms including: skin health, fatigue, headaches, prevention and treatment of colds and flus, constipation, gout and kidney stones.

To improve your overall health, ensure you are drinking an adequate amount of water each day.

How much water should you be drinking?

A simple test to determine if you are drinking enough water is to look at the colour of your urine. Your urine should be clear, rather than yellow. The darker the urine, the more dehydrated you are.

Here is an easy calculation to determine your daily water intake:

Take your body weight in pounds and divide by 2. Drink this many ounces each day. For example, if your weight is 150lbs you should be drinking 75oz of water each day.

For conversion:

32oz = 1L

8oz = 250ml = one tall glass of water

Your need for water will increase if you are exercising, sweating, drinking coffee or tea, breastfeeding, living in hot or humid weather, or dehydrated from illness.

To give yourself an idea of how your symptoms might improve by increasing your water intake, try a 3 day challenge and drink the amount of water you've determined from the above calculation based on your body weight.

It is best to measure out the amount of water you need to drink each day and find a re-usable stainless steel bottle to help you keep tract of your water intake.

Look for reverse osmosis water and avoid the use of plastic water bottles.