More water please: Cora Carafe, Sigg .6L aluminum bottle, 1L steel bottle
"Water is life's mater and matrix, mother and medium. There is no life without water." - Albert Szent-Gyorgyi
The adult human body is about 50-65% water, and people can live significantly longer without food than water. You need to be well-hydrated to function optimally. Your body needs water to help flush the kidneys and move "things" around. People swear that when they drink more water, they have more energy and their skin looks better. So, shouldn't you be drinking more water?
The answer is different for every person, and the best way to know is to be mindful of how much water you are drinking and its effect on your body. Start by noticing your urine. If you are well-hydrated it will be light in color. If it is dark, cloudy, or has an odor, you are dehydrated and need more water. Experiment by drinking more water and noticing the effect on the rest of your body. Does your skin look different? What about your energy level and your mood? Write your observations down in your Mindful Log, and you'll start to notice a trend. For years I thought my lips were fated to be chapped during the winter, but last year I noticed that if I drank more water, my lips weren't chapped. I was drinking less water because it was cold out.
There is the old recommendation to drink 64 oz. water a day, but that has been debated both ways. There's nothing wrong with 64 oz.; some people need less, some more. Listen to your body. And it doesn't need to be all water - your other beverages count. However, the bulk of it should really be water. Do not hydrate mostly on juice or soda - the sugar and calories are bad for you. Even if you have diet soda, it is not natural! If you don't like water, put a slice of lemon or cucumber in it for flavor. I used to hate water. Break yourself in and you'll get used to it. I did.
If you are really Type A (or on ecstasy), you can drink too much water and potentially die from water intoxication. At this point your sodium levels will get disrupted, and you will feel light-headed and ill. This is highly unlikely, unless you are an endurance athlete - then read up on hyponatremia, and get to a medic immediately if you have symptoms. Or if you are purposely putting yourself through extreme discomfort like the woman who won a water-drinking contest in 2007, then died from water intoxication.
More likely, you are not drinking enough.
What to do: Drink more water
- Write down how much water you are drinking in your Mindful Log (how to fill out the log here). Notice your body. What's your urine like - is it clear or dark and cloudy? That's your baseline.
- Drink more water for the next few days. Write the amount down in your log and see if there is an impact on your urine. Does your skin look different? Does your energy level change? Observe yourself and make a connection with your water consumption. You will probably need to use the bathroom more frequently, but as your body adjusts, you will go back to your normal pattern. Continue to drink more water until you feel at your best. You don't need to drink 64 oz., but you can try it and adjust up or down from there.
- Choose bottled or tap. I recommend tap, but you should fiter it. It contains fluoride, which is important for keeping teeth cavity free. Bottled water also comes in plastic, and besides the environmental issues, the plastic may have leached into the water. You can attach a filter directly to your tap or you can use a pitcher filter. If you use a pitcher, transfer the water to a glass pitcher after filtering. Change the pitcher regularly as the plastic can degrade and start leaching - do not wash it in the dishwasher as the heat will break it down.
- Drink more water at home. The key is to have it in front of you. If you work at home, keep a pitcher and large glass in front of you. If you don't have a pitcher, reuse an empty glass bottle (juice bottles work well).
- Drink at work. If you work in an office, get a large glass container, leave it on your desk, and drink from that. I use the glass cora carafe from CB2 (you can see it above), and people constantly comment on it. It adds a touch of elegance to my desk (a good deal for $9.95).
- Drink on the go, when you are out for the day. Use a metal water bottle, and put only water in it. It may seem strange to drink from metal, but remember, you cook in a metal pan. See this post for a comparison of aluminum vs. steel water bottles.
What I ate today: 12 oz. green juice, 2 clementines, 2 cups coffee, roasted vegetables + pasta (resavored), 4 squares of dark chocolate, 2 dried apricots, 1 banana, 1 apple, 1 handful of Mindful Mix, 1 c. brown rice + ground flaxseed, steamed broccoli + tofu + mushrooms, plain yogurt + strawberry jam + ground flaxseed, 2 hot chocolates, 62 oz. water
Exercise: Ran 4.75 miles
