It’s understandable that you want to drink tasty beverages like soda, tea, alcohol and other flavored beverages – especially those with a lot of sugar and fizziness in them… but the truth is, this is the worst thing you can do with your health.
These things may taste good (but do they really?) but the long-term effects are bad.
Think about this: every cell, organ and tissue in your body uses water. You can go a lot longer without food than you can water, and still live. Water is as important as blood to your survival.
Thankfully you can get water into your body in a variety of ways, but nothing is as good as some good, filtered spring water.
Many of us are so used to ignoring our thirst that we no longer even notice the signs that we are becoming dehydrated.
If you…
- Have dark urine
- Little urine
- Dry mouth
- Fatigue
- Thirst
- Hunger when you’ve eaten
- Headache
- Confusion
- Light-headedness
- Lack of tears
…you may be either dehydrated or getting close to being dehydrated. If you’ve been ignoring your need for water and hydration for some time (maybe years), it’s very important that you start measuring what is going in.
Measure It
Purposely drink 64 ounces of fresh water each day. Get a big glass and fill it up in the morning, and make sure you drink all the 64 ounces by the end of the day. Keep water with you at all times. In reality, 64 ounces is not that much. It’s only about 1/2 of a gallon of fluid.
Ensure that you get this minimum amount for at least seven days before trying to add more, so that your body can adjust.
Eat Fluid-Rich Foods
Fruit and vegetables have a lot of fluid in them. The more of these you eat, technically the less water you have to drink to get your minimum hydration.
But, if you keep drinking the 64 ounces of water, plus water-rich fruit and vegetables, you’re going to be that much more hydrated and feel even better.
As you get used to being fully hydrated, you’re going to start notice that your thirst comes sooner than it did in the past. Do not ignore it. Drink when you’re thirsty so that you can stay hydrated, and the cells in your body will stay healthier and function better.
