The 2015 Great NEWS posts are dedicated to sharing easy to implement super Healthy Habits.  Today’s post discusses the vital importance of proper hydration with pure water for vital health.  One of the greatest self imposed health risks billions of people are facing is chronic dehydration and contaminated water. This healthy habit post is dedicated to explaining the benefits of proper hydration and sharing easy tips to help prevent and even reverse common contributing factors for disease.

One of the common missteps people make maintaining their day to day health is the lack of awareness regarding hydration.  It may be one of most misunderstood concepts for staying healthy.  We must consume adequate clean water while avoiding contaminated water that may pose a potential health hazard.  Contaminated water and dehydration are major causes and contributors to many health challenges and diseases people are facing on a regular basis.

Drinking Water

One of the greatest self imposed health risks billions of people are facing is chronic dehydration and contaminated water.

When you dive deeper into water to understand the underlying causes of many diseases and health issues you find dehydration is a major contributor. Over the years I have personally heard about and observed the devastating effects of dehydration which results in various levels of brain fog, confusion, constipation, cramps, discomfort, disorientation, fainting, fever, headaches, higher blood pressure, kidney stones, over heating, urinary tract infections, weakness and much more.

There are many factors associated with dehydration.  Dehydration can be caused by or result from factors like alcohol, air conditioning, central heaters, coffee, colas, cold climates, diarrhea, caffeinated energy drinks (Red Bull, Monster), excess salt or sugar, exercise, fast foods, high altitude, processed foods, salty foods and sodas.  It can also be caused by problems with bacteria, parasites and viruses.

While on an international trip I met three backpackers that became very dehydrated from serious diarrhea and vomiting.  They were planning to go to an urgent care facility because they felt so disoriented, miserable, sick and weak.  It is not uncommon for people to end up in an ambulance or emergency room on Intravenous saline solution (IV with salts in water) due to dehydration.  This can cost several hundreds to many thousands of dollars depending on various circumstances.  Prevention is the key to dehydration problems.

Luckily dehydration can be easily prevented and reversed with a little common sense, dedication and education.  All it takes is making hydration a priority and learning important information to become better aware about the causes and symptoms.

You now know many of the causes and contributors of dehydration.  The key is learning to be constantly aware and vigilant to maintain your habits and hydration level.

One of the easiest and most accurate ways to determine and monitor your level of dehydration is the frequency of defecation and urination. For people with infrequent bowel movements (less than 1 or 2 per day) there is a good chance they are chronically dehydrated.  Many people do not know that we need sufficient water in our body for regular bowel movements.  Most constipation results from dehydration and over consumption of processed and refined foods.

Water and Wellness

After waking in the morning we are typically dehydrated from six to eight hours without liquids.  In spite of this we should feel a need to urinate.  It is then time to start hydrating throughout the day.  If we remain well hydrated we typically need to urinate again about every two hours.  The less frequently one has the need to go the greater the chance of dehydration.

The frequency and color during urination is a definite indicator of our level of hydration. The less frequent our urination and the darker our urine the more dehydrated we are. Be aware that minerals, supplements and vitamins can alter the color of urine.

Many people have a combination of dehydration combined with other factors that play a role in their health.    Bladder issues, blood sugar issues, high blood pressure, kidney stones, medications, prostate problems and urinary tract infections are complicated by dehydration and further contribute to urination issues.

Smiling Man

When we combine common sense and smart choices we set our self up for vibrant health and wellness.

Can you remember a time when you ran a fever or had a headache?  There is an excellent chance that you were feeling the effects and warning signs of dehydration on your dashboard and did not connect the dots, message and signals.

The great news about proper hydration is that for basic first aid, prevention and protection strategies it may be one of the best and easiest self treatment strategies that yields rapid results.  You may find the results offer fast relief and prevent thousands of dollars being spent for doctors, emergency rooms and hospital visits.

To better maintain our health and well being we must learn the basic signs of dehydration and prevent it with proper hydration.  We must make intelligent choices about what beverages and foods we consume in order to properly maintain our hydration.

When we combine common sense and smart choices we set our self up for vibrant health and wellness.  Water has been proven to be vital to our health and well being while the lack of water is well documented to contribute to minor issues easily escalating into more serious conditions over time.

When we learn to identify the signals, signs and situations that provide us clues to dehydration we can take appropriate actions to prevent minor health challenges from becoming more serious ones.  Water has been known for thousands of years to be the elixir of life and we must maintain our body with clean water every day.

Water Warnings and Wasted Water

Unfortunately because water has become so polluted with chemicals, pathogens and toxins it is harder these days to provide the body with adequate clean water every day.  Even though clean water is a vital component and fuel people are settling on contaminated water that then has even more chemicals added.

Some of the most detrimental things that have occurred are the pumping and wasting of pure aquifer, spring and well water for use in agriculture to grow crops or sustain livestock.  Massive irrigation systems waste much of the water used and the runoff is heavily contaminated by chemicals.   Most of the most pure fossil water has been wasted while people are drinking lake, river and recycled sewage treatment plant water contaminated by human abuse and misuse.

Significant amounts of synthetic agriculture antibiotics, chemicals, fertilizers, fungicides, herbicides, insecticides, pesticides and radioactive pollution are ending up in our drinking water.  Many municipalities then add chlorine and fluoride to the water in addition to the other chemicals to supply the water we humans desperately need to survive.  It seems like the system is backwards when cattle and crops get the best water and humans get the contaminated surface water.

Today’s world is vastly different from 100 years ago when people were able to access water from sources that had been protected for hundreds if not thousands of years.  Today it is very difficult to find clean and pure water sources from below ground where it has been protected from contamination

While the US and many developed countries claim to have an abundance of approved public water the truth is much of this available water is not in our best interest to drink unless it is filtered and purified first.  We must learn strategies to remain hydrated as we also minimize the damage caused by long term consumption of water that may contain chemicals, pathogens and toxins.

Dehydration Dangers

Every year people die from dehydration as well as consuming contaminated water. We must walk a fine line between not enough water and water from harmful sources.  There are simple things we can do to insure the water we need is available by protecting our water resources.

That blog is dedicated to first protecting our air, land and water resources and then helping people deal with health challenges like preventing dehydration.  Our goal, mission and passion is helping people invest in their education and empowerment for holistic health and well being.   With a mastery action plan in place it is possible to find clean water and develop healthy hydration habits.  This will help with peak performance and preventing potential medical issues.

Health and Hydration

Girl and Water

To be healthy we must maintain our body with a regular supply of clean water.

Our body is approximately 75% water.  To be healthy we must maintain our body with a regular supply of clean water.  While 70% of the earths surface is made of water most of it is not safe for drinking.  We depend on very limited supplies of clean water from aquifers, lakes, rivers, springs and wells. Humans should get the clean sources and the other sources be used for business and industrial use.

  • Most people do not think of water as a fuel but it is.
  • Water is also a solvent that helps the body eliminate waste products.  Defecation and urination require an ongoing daily supply of water.
  • Water keeps us cool by the process of sweat evaporation.
  • Water also keeps our lungs and nasal passages able to function by being moist.  We loose significant moisture while breathing.
  • We need water for digestion.
  • Adequate water in our blood keeps it flowing easily and our blood pressure in a normal range.
  • We need adequate amounts of clean hydrogen and oxygen to create water. Oxygen comes from algae, green plants and sea weeds which in turn require water to live.
  • Water is needed by plants to produce the food we eat.
  • Water keeps algae, plants and trees alive. This helps to protect the soil and shield the earth from excessive sunlight while keeping the cycles of life going.
  • Waters cool and warm the earth while also circulating currents and nutrients.
  • Water provides a multitude of intricate ecosystems that help maintain life on earth.

Water Risks

For many generations now we have been conditioned to drink and trust water from a public source like fountains, hoses, sinks or water faucets.  This has led us to develop certain misaligned and misguided behaviors and beliefs.  We act and thinks as if we have an over abundance and limitless supply of clean water.  In reality very little clean fossil water remains and much of it is being drained and tapped for unsustainable agriculture and industrial uses.

All adults and children need to learn basic hydration strategies to prevent dehydration and be responsible for their own health and well being.  We must be our own first line of defense to prevent and protect against dehydration and disease.

Simple Strategies to Hydrate

Providing our body with the water we need is easy to do when you know the simple strategies and suggestions listed here.  These ideas are so easy to implement and offer big dividends for our long term happiness, health and harmony.

  • Drink a glass of room temperature or warm water soon after waking.
  • Carry a glass water bottle in your car to stay hydrated while commuting.  Avoid plastic water bottles in your car because the heat and sun can cause chemicals to leach into the water.
  • Many people find drinking herbal teas during the day to be very helpful with avoiding coffee, colas, energy drinks, fruit flavored drinks, juices and sports drinks which tend to dehydrate us.
  • Water is well known to help release excess fats and toxins from the body.
  • Choose water that is room temperature over ice water.  Making the ice requires massive amounts of electricity which comes from power plants that require massive amounts of water.  Iced beverages and water must be warmed up to body temperature so you ware wasting a lot of calories to reheat the water to body temperature.  Cold water also slows down the digestive process.
  • Many experts, researchers and professionals in the health and medical field believe that we should drink at least one ounce of water for every two pounds of body weight.  This will vary based on our activities, age, beverages consumed, body composition, climate, exercise, food intake, health and temperature conditions.
  • Clean water may be one of the best resources we have to treat a wide variety of health challenges and issues that many people are plagued with.   As our health care costs continue to soar we may be surprised to find something as simple as proper hydration reversing chronic health issues. Imagine how beneficial it would be to  improve our level of health and wellness by simply drinking adequate amounts of clean water on a consistent basis.
  • It is imperative we help adults and children understand the benefits of drinking enough water as a prevention, protection and protocol for our long term health and peak performance.

Water Wellness

Sprinkler Kids

Adults and children are more likely to be happy, healthy and holistic when they have access to adequate amounts of clean water for their health and well being.

Adults and children are more likely to be happy, healthy and holistic when they have access to adequate amounts of clean water for their health and well being.  Our cities, communities, companies and counties and countries must do everything within their power to preserve and protect our precious water resources.

Investing in the steps to insure our citizens are happy, healthy and holistic will yield big dividends in our quality of life. A positive psychology of eating will produce positive long term results for our selves and future generations.

Protect Our Water Resources

  • Avoid dumping chemicals or toxic products into water sources.
  • Ask questions and research the water in your community to find the source.  Investigate what is being done to reduce and protect water resources.  Calcium bentonite clay can be used to help clean up contaminated water.
  • Find ways to recycle the water from the faucet lost when waiting for hot water.
  • Be sure business, industrial companies and others are ot polluting yur surface or underground water resources.
  • Have calcium bentonite clay on hand to help remove chemical, fungicides, herbicides, insecticides, pesticides and other toxins from fruits and veggies.
  • Turn off faucets while brushing teeth, cleaning dishes and shaving
  • Catch and save rainwater to water your plants and yards.

Healthy Habits

The Healthy Habits 2015 series offers simple suggestions to help create more happiness and harmony. This Great NEWS post on Healthy Habits shared some simple suggestions for using common sense health and hydration strategies.  We must do our part to maintain our hydration as a prevention, protection and protocol for our happiness and health.

What is your current Gap?

What does your urination frequency and coloration tell you about your state of dehydration or hydration?  What can you do to eliminate the unhealthy beverages and foods that contribute to dehydration?

Mastery Action Plan (MAP)

What daily mastery action plans and steps will you implement to reprogram and restore your optimal level of hydration?  What research, resources and role models will help you find and implement great hydration strategies?  Why not invest a few minutes to find several glass or stainless steel bottles with screw on lids to strategically place water bottles around your environment as visual reminders? Learn more about Your Body’s Many Cries for Water by F Batmanghelidj MD

Call to Action

What comments, commitments or concerns come to mind regarding dehydration and hydration for our health and wellness?  What other ideas and inspiration will help motivate us towards better behaviors, beliefs and biology for a great 2015 and beyond?

Next week the Great NEWS blog will share:

Healthy Earth Day Habits

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