Benefits of Drinking Water

This past week I was struggling with fatigue. All these anxious thoughts were circling through my mind. Was it something I ate? My husband said, “It can’t be something you ate. You eat healthy.” He was right. It couldn’t be that.

Did I get enough sleep? Sure, there are nights I burn the midnight oil on the computer. I need to watch that. But even after eight hours of sleep and a nap, I didn’t feel much better.

Is it this awful, humid heat we are experiencing lately? The beginning of summer this year was wet and cool but now it’s in the eighties and nineties with high humidity. I never suffered so much with the heat though. In fact, I always pictured myself retiring in some hot climate.

Am I going through menopause? I called my sister who is twelve years older to ask her what the symptoms of menopause are. Nope. I’m not there yet.

Do I have cancer? Wouldn’t that be awful? Cancer is such a scary word. Whenever something in my health goes wrong I wonder, “Is it cancer?!”

What was it?!

In my quest to find the cause of my fatigue, I suddenly recalled a time in the past when I drank water and felt my crankiness and fatigue dissipate. An “ah ha” occurred. I downed two glasses of water and like a drooping plant given water, I began to perk up.

How could something so easy have slipped my mind? Well, I don’t really love drinking water. But if it’s what I need to do, then so be it. I much rather feel energetic than fatigued!

The conventional recommendation is to drink at least eight glasses of water a day. In the summer heat, we may need more. If your urine is a very light yellow tint, then you are drinking enough water. If it is dark yellow then you are probably not drinking enough water.

In the book, Your Body’s Many Cries for Water, by Fereydoon Batmanghelidj you can read all about the tremendous benefits of water. Here are some more important ways water benefits us.

Water:

o hydrates internal organs, enabling them to function properly.

o helps prevent hangovers and headaches. Drinking alcohol causes dehydration which then causes hangovers.

o facilitates fat loss.

o curbs your appetite which helps people who are looking to lose fat.

o flushes toxins and other waste from the body.

o helps prevent constipation. When you don’t drink enough water, your body is forced to take it from other organs like the colon which then leads to constipation.

o keeps skin healthy and glowing.

o keeps the immune system healthy. It reduces your risk of disease and infection.

o regulates appetite. People often mistake thirst and hunger, and eat when their bodies are actually craving fluid.

o maintains acid-alkaline balance.

o cushions and lubes your joints and muscles.

So, take water wherever you go. Add a squeeze of lemon or lime for flavor or add ice cubes and a straw to make it more fun to drink. Whatever you do, make sure you drink it. That way you can prevent a whole host of medical issues brought on by dehydration or uncomfortable feelings like the puzzling fatigue I described. It’s definitely worth it.…

Tired All the Time? Why We Are Constantly Exhausted These Days and How to Get More Energy

Spent, shattered, exhausted, sleepy. Why are we tired all the time? Want more energy? Read on.

Given the choice: more clothes, more shoes, a another week of vacation or tons more energy, which one would you pick? I know the choice I prefer.

Tiredness has become such a common state of being that doctors have developed a term for it. “TATT” stands for “tired all the time”.

ARE YOU TIRED OR ILL?

If you have been feeling exhausted for more than a few weeks and there is no obvious reason (e.g. recent illness, lack of sleep, stress, overwork), you might be suffering from an illness. A visit to the doctor and some standard tests including blood work should help look for any underlying problems.

Fatigue may be caused by anaemia, diabetes, fibroids, sleep disorders, asthma, chronic fatigue syndrome, menopause, cancer and others. This list looks scary and it is all too easy to attempt self-diagnosis or work yourself up into a state of hypochondria. Just visit the doctor to put your mind at ease. I suffered from exhaustion for 4 painful weeks. I felt like a zombie and was so tired that all my senses seem to shut down too. For example, I could have sworn my hearing had weakened. I was surprised at the diagnosis. I had taken medication for an ear infection three months before and it turns out that my ear infection had never fully gone away. So when I was sleeping my ear was unable to filter out sounds (your ear filters out noises as you sleep in the same way that fish can sleep even though they do not have eyelids). Another round of antibiotics and my tiredness disappeared.

GET MORE SLEEP

This might sound like the most obvious advice but many adults do not get the recommended average of seven to eight hours of sleep at night. Try to go to bed and wake up at the same time every morning, even weekends to get your body into a good routine. And do not bring your phone, computer, blackberry, ipad or watch TV in your bedroom.

SKIP THE PROCESSED FOOD

Avoid white carbohydrates such as white rice, white bread, pasta, rice cereal, bagels etc as they give you fake energy surges which results in big energy dips later on. Eat more nuts, seeds, protein and veggies instead. And always eat breakfast in the morning. Think of food as fuel, without it, you will be running on empty.

YOU CAN’T BEAT AN EGG

Not so long ago, eggs were considered cholesterol-packed unhealthy no-nos, but the new thinking goes back to the old thinking that eggs are superfoods, packed with 9 essential amino acids, choline (good for the brain and nervous system) and vitamin D. Eggs will help keep your body healthy and energized.

DRINK MORE WATER

Your fatigue may be caused by dehydration. If your urine is dark yellow you are not drinking enough water. Keep a big bottle of water beside you as a regular reminded to drink more water.

TAKE BREAKS

Louisiana State University found that briefer, more frequent breaks were better for workers in terms of increasing their productivity and beating fatigue. Resting for even just one minute, 3-4 times in an hour can do you the world of good.…