Water is essential for our bodies and our health for two major reasons. One, as we are well hydrated, our cells are able to easily detox. Toxins are able to be flushed out of the body and our cells are overall more healthy as they are well hydrated. The second reason we need water is for energy. We are electrical beings and maintaining properly hydrated cells and systems allows conduction of electrical signals and energy production and overall best communication and function of our body.
Below are three tips I have for staying hydrated and consuming water.
1. Listen to Your Body
You might have read the seemingly endless amount of articles that say you absolutely have to drink a certain amount of ounces of water every day to be properly hydrated. However, I’m not a proponent for drinking a set amount of water every day.
Rather, I believe in listening to your body and drinking what you need for that particular day. Water is used by our bodies to cleanse toxins and what your body needs to cleanse itself for the day might be different. We have been taught to believe the sign of thirst believes it’s “too late” and you’re already dehydrated but I believe that we can trust our body’s signals. Pay attention so you can respond quickly when your body lets you know it needs more water, but your body will tell you when it needs something to drink.
Sometimes when your body is sending you thirst signals, it also needs minerals. Remember that the water we used to drink as humans had minerals in it, which are now removed in the water sanitation process. Before these practices, our bodies got minerals along with H2O when water was consumed. As you listen to your body about thirst, remember to check in about minerals as well. If your hands and feet are cold and you feel thirsty, try eating a pinch of salt before drinking water. If your hands and feet are hot, your body has enough minerals and just needs water.
2. Drink Room Temperature Water
Drinking ice cold water can shock our digestive system. The spleen is responsible for warming the contents of our stomach so constantly eating or drinking cold things can put unnecessary stress on your spleen. This can lead to digestive distress, sluggishness, pain, or overall fatigue and overwhelm.
If your body is overheated, feel free to drink some chilled water once in a while. But it’s not recommended as a regular practice. When it’s very hot out and you are sweating, be sure to replace the minerals that your body is losing. To replace minerals, I recommend using minerally dense sea salts (see post about salts here) or concentrated mineral drops. At times, our body also needs to replace sugar but this can be done using honey or even by eating fruit. No processed chemical electrolyte drinks needed!
Each morning, I start by drinking a glass of room temperature water. This is a great way to flush out any circulating toxins still remaining after the nighttime detox cycle. Many times, this alone will stimulate your bowels to empty and it’s a great way to start your day clean and fresh.
3. Use Filtered Water
I recommend drinking filtered water. Our sanitation processes do a lot to remove microbes in the water, but the process also adds chemicals including chlorine and fluoride. Additionally, many tiny particulates such as dissolved medications, pesticides, and the like are still present in our drinking water. There are different levels of filtration. Reverse osmosis removes everything but comes with its own complication as you have to make sure to add minerals back. Simple carbon filters such as a PUR or Britta filter remove substantial amounts of these chemicals as well as a majority of the chlorine. In addition to being a damaging chemical to our thyroid, chlorine damages our gut flora. On a side note, iodine helps the body protect itself against the damaging effects of chlorine and fluoride. An alternative to drinking filtered water is drinking unfiltered spring water from a safe local source. There are companies that sell filtered water and occasionally you may be fortunate enough to live near a spring from which you can gather your water yourself.