I had foot surgery about 10 years ago (I have not been blessed with perfect feet) and my mother came down to Florida to take care of me. The pain medication made me extremely thirsty so my mom was continuously going back and forth to the kitchen to get me water. She decided to drink a glass each time she brought me one.

My mom lost 7 pounds that week and swears the only change was an uptick in her water intake– that and the Japanese take-out we lived on. So, technically, she should have gained a few pounds.

The number one health tip I suggest for 2017 is to drink more water. If you do nothing else but increase your water intake, you will feel better, look better and be less prone to colds and diseases. 

In addition to health coach, I am a certified ‘water pusher’ on family, friends and even strangers. At my first session with a new client, increased water in take is my first and best recommendation to better health.

If water is so important, why are many of us walking around dehydrated? Why is it difficult for us to drink the recommended eight glasses (8 ounces each) per day? We forget, we crave other beverages like coffee, juice or soda and when we drink more water, we have to visit the loo more frequently which takes us away from our smartphones, our desks, our office jobs…an unwelcome annoyance to be sure. However, once you understand how miraculous pure water can be on your mind, body and health, I think you will join me in my water obsession.

My love affair with water began at least a decade ago. Water healed my sugar cravings, helped with headaches and cleared up my skin. Granted, water was not the only healing factor but I believe it was the most important one. Years later, when I started working in a busy law firm surrounded by processed foods like donuts, cakes (someone was always having a birthday), cookies, pizza, etc., water saved me from gaining the freshman fifteen. I initially did eat the crap and did gain weight but soon realized if I drank a glass of water and went back to my desk, in 15 minutes I would forget about the donuts. If not, they would be gone the next time I walked by the kitchen as sugary treats don’t last long in a law firm. Eventually, I starting bringing my own healthy, satisfying foods to the office to eat in place of the ‘crap’ but water was always the first line of defense.

Not only is the amount of water we drink, but also the quality of water we drink paramount to how we look on the outside and how we feel on the inside. I order Mountain Valley Spring Water in the 5 gallon glass jugs. It costs a fortune and the bottles weigh a ton but after copious amounts of research, it became apparent that Mountain Valley was worth the trouble and expense. As an important corporate wellness initiative, ask your HR department to install 5 gallon jugs of water in the break room. By walking to the water cooler to fill up your glass rather than loading up on bottles of water in one go, you will be closer to your suggested daily ten thousand steps! Equally, if not more, important is to install a shower filter to remove harmful chlorine and chloramine (chlorine plus ammonia). Click here for an enlightening (and frightening) post on the Critical Cactus blog. More chlorine enters your body through inhalation (in the shower) than from drinking tap water and studies have linked exposure to water treated with chlorine and chloramine to bladder cancer, asthma, lowered immune function and higher risk pregnancies. Check your local water company’s website to find out if they use chlorine or chloramine to disinfect municipal water. Miami-Dade County tap water contains both chemicals as noted on the www.miamidade.gov site.

Are you picking up what I’m putting down yet?

The best kept weight loss, health and beauty secret – increase your water intake. 

• Do you have headaches? Drink more water.
• Do you crave sugar and other foods? Drink more water.
• Are you hungry in between meals? Down a glass or two of water and notice your hunger pangs disappear in 20 minutes. You can shed 5 pounds effortlessly by consistently drinking more water.
• Do you have acne? Hydrate your largest organ – the skin – by drinking water. Water is beauty tip #1.
• Do you have trouble sleeping? Drink more water (but load up in the morning and early afternoon and just have sips after 3 pm).
• Are you bad-tempered and grouchy? Drink more water. A dehydrated person is often a grumpy person.
• Do you have brain fog? Your brain is dry. Drink more water.

Our bodies are made up of 60+% water and the percentages are even higher for infants. The earth consists of 70% water. Water is life. Without water, there would be no… us.

In his New York Times Bestselling book, The Hidden Messages in Water, Japanese author, researcher and doctor of alternative medicine, Masaru Emoto, asserts that water exposed to positive words and thoughts would result in the formation of ‘beautiful’ crystals when frozen and observed under a microscope and conversely, negative words or intentions would produce ‘ugly’ frozen crystal formations. Here’s a 3 minute YouTube clip on Dr. Emoto and pictures of some of the crystals he photographed.

The source from which water was taken also had an effect on the crystal formations, e.g. water taken from a mountain spring produced beautiful crystals and water taken from polluted water produced ugly crystals. “Moving, changing, flowing, this is what life is about,” wrote Emoto. This statement makes a lot of sense to me. Water and people that are in movement are more full of life and water and people that are trapped or stagnant are less vibrant.

I’ll drink to that! If you need help reaching your health goals, consider hiring a health coach who focuses on not just water but also nutrition and delicious homemade meals.

Wishing you a 2017 filled with more peace, more love, more good health and of course, more pure water.

Be well,

Susie

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