Water - Step 1 To Hydration

So, if it literally is us, let’s focus on how to drink the best water we can. The phrase ‘You are what you eat should be extended to you are what you drink’ as we are made up of 68% good old water. The biggest and simplest health change we can make is to ensure we’re drinking enough good quality water. This often means improving the quality and increasing the quantity.

You are approximately 68% water. Just a 2% drop in hydration will cause symptoms of early dehydration, such a brain fog, headache, a drop in energy, anxiety, irritability and fatigue. Further dehydration may lead to reduced metabolism, digestive issues, mood changes, constipation, anginal pain, and further dehydration can contribute to further health issues.

Approximately 35ml per kilo of body weight. However this varies according to many factors. If the weather is hot, if you naturally sweat lots, your ayurvedic constitution, your amount of exercise, the time of the month etc… we are all individual.

Preventing dehydration is essential for health. It prevents the body becoming acidic which is often the starting point for many diseases. There are hundreds of reasons to ensure you’re adequately hydrated, including:

• Water For Skin: Without enough water the skin will be dehydrated. Hydrated skin looks younger and filtered, alkaline water has anti-ageing benefits for the skin. Skin hydration is especially important to achieve healthy, glowing skin, as well as for all skin conditions, including acne and eczema.
• Water for Waste Removal/Detoxification: Regular bowel movements are essential for good health, otherwise the colon can become toxic and these toxins may be re-absorbed into the body, making the body more acidic. Organs of elimination become challenged, eg. The skin may not sweat due to a lack of water, the kidneys may not adequately eliminate acids and waste. The inner lining of the bladder may become damaged causing feelings of needing to urinate when not necessary. The lymphatic system (our bodys internal filter system) may become overloaded and struggle to work efficiently.
• Water for Pain: Hydration is key to maintain and protect the bodys internal cushioning between joints. The cartilage and tissue between joints needs hydration to maintain function. This in turn may help reduce pain and keep joints healthy. Fascia provides connection throughout the body and these tissues should ‘glide’ over each other. Fascia is made up of collagen, elastin and ground substance. The collagen fibres have loose ends with binding sites. These binding sites can either stick to water and allow easy movement, or to other ‘ends’ which can be experienced as stiffness. Limited movement and dehydration encourages fascia to ‘stick’ together and this can result in restricted movement, stiffness and pain if the body is not sufficiently hydrated.
• Water to Work: Enzymes are responsible for many of the bodys chemical reactions. Their biochemical functions are less efficient if the body is dehydrated or not at the ideal PH. Enzymes are involved in digestion, growth, tissue repair, elimination, energy production, assimilation and more.
• Water For Metabolism: If you’re looking to lose weight, ensure adequate water. Adequate hydration can increase metabolism by up to 30%.
• Water for Electrolytes: Electrolytes are charged minerals, which are responsible for the movement of fluids in the body. This requires the electrolytes to be in balance, ie. with a neutral charge. The body seeks to regulate this but requires adequate hydration to do so, in order to maintain normal function of cells and organs, and regulate the transportation of nutrients and hormones in the body. A healthy balance is essential for bone, muscle, heart, kidney, energy, DNA and much more. Plus hydration is improved through a healthy electrolyte balance.

Clean your water to be free from contaminants and chemicals. Filter your water using one of the filtration methods below. If your water isn’t filtered you become the filter for your water.

PH is a measurement of electrically charged particles in a substance, that indicates how acidic or alkaline that substance is. Pure water has a PH of 7 and is considered neutral as this is neither acidic or alkaline. For health and hydration there are many benefits to drinking water which is slightly alkaline.

Structured water mimics water in nature, where the molecules in water don’t clump but move freely, thus are more easily absorbed by the body and hydration is increased. The water can then cross cell membranes and mucus membranes (eg. digestive tract) to provide better hydration. The presence of trace elements in water enables this.

Healthy plants make healthy people. We can use all the fancy filtration systems we can want to, but most importantly for health and hydration are fruit and vegetables. Ensure your diet is high in both of these, not only for the water content, but also for the extra nutrients.

Fruit and vegetables contain between 75-90% water, and have their own sophisticated filtration systems. These count towards your daily water intake. Water obtained from eating fruit and veg is both filtered and structured.

Choose organic if possible. You may pay approximately 10-20% more, however the nutrient benefit far outweighs the extra cost. If you’ve space, time and are willing definitely grow your own. The benefits extend beyond your health, to caring for the planet.

Tap water contains chemicals we’d ideally remove from water. These chemicals are added to clean water before it reaches our homes. The permitted levels are based on what is deemed safe over the lifetime of a human. It’s better to remove these rather than risk them.

Many of the water treatment machines on the market aim to improve water for health and hydration reasons. The science behind these often tries to mimic what happens to water in nature, for example:

• Filtration: In nature water is filtered through the ground and rocks, cleaning the water and adding minerals. This occurs naturally in spring water.
• Distillation: The repeated cycle of water falling to earth, evaporating and then condensing again. This process separates pure, fresh water from it’s contaminants. Distillation takes place constantly in nature and is called the hydrologic cycle.
• Alkaline Water: Again the process of water passing over different rocks adds various minerals to water which naturally alkalises the water. Spring water is often naturally alkaline.
• Structured Water: The movement of water in nature breaks the bonds in water to reduce molecule size. This allows for improved hydration when consumed.
• Ionisation: After lightening the ground is charged and water in nature picks up these charged ions. Ionised water is typically more alkaline, and more hydrating. It can also have a higher ORP (Oxidation Reduction Potential) which means the water has higher antioxidant properties and is therefore anti-ageing.
• Ozonated: During rain ozone is produced and cleans the air. Ozone in water also cleans the water.

Hence the equipment we look at for water often contains a mixture of all or some of these abilities. Understanding the health benefits of each can help inform your choice of water equipment.

For drinking water and health reasons we recommend that water is filtered, alkaline and structured. As above there are various ways to do this depending how much water you want to produce at once, how much you want to spend and how much maintenance you’d like. Below are some of our favourite water filtering options:

1. Jug Filter – Biocera – www.water-for-health.co.uk Prices from £60
2. Countertop Filter – Big Berkey www.waterfilterman.co.uk Prices from £350 to £460
3. Distillation Machines – See www.energiseyourlife.com for good options, prices vary from a few hundred pounds into the thousands.
4. Water Ionisers: www.energiseyourlife.com From approximately £1300 to £5000
5. Whole House Systems: www.osmiowater.co.uk Good quality whole house systems, approx. £700.

The above companies are all reputable suppliers and provide many options of water filter/treatment to fit your requirements and budget.