Water

I've been thinking about writing this post for a while. I know we've all heard ad nauseum that we should drink water for health. Blah, blah, blah. For years I ignored it and did my own thing: "I teach- I don't have time to go to the bathroom whenever I please." or "I'm fine- that's all nonsense, anyway." Then one day last summer I realized that what made me feel like I was halfway through labour all weekend was a kidney stone. NOT FUN! Back when I started wearing contact lenses at 18 I learned that my body "spilled" calcium (Strike One); after about three months, my lenses were spotted with irritating calcium deposits and had to be replaced. So, I started wearing monthlies. "Problem solved", I thought. Then a family member struggled with kidney stones more than once. (Strike Two) "Oh shoot, that's too bad. I hear you should drink a lot of water for that." Yeah.

One of the things I learned from research after that weekend in summer is that a lot of people suffer needlessly from "CUD"- Chronic Unintentional Dehydration- when a person always drinks less than his/her body needs, and becomes used to being that way. (Like me. Strike Three.) I also learned that a certain body fluid should be nearly colourless, not...um... angry neon. (Oh....who knew?) Without the extra fluid to flush out my kidneys, I was likely spilling calcium into my kidneys where it started amassing into bigger stones- a couple of them alarmingly large. Happily, I have reason to believe that most of them are gone now, but I now have to be careful not to let any more build up- as far as it depends on my choices.

Since then I've followed this rule: Drink roughly half your body weight in ounces each day. (250 ml is roughly 8 ounces.) The photo above is roughly what I drink in a day, most of it in water, some in soups, hot chocolate and tea, and I limit myself to about 2 alcoholic drinks a week, often less. What you see in the photo above (78 oz) is more than half my weight in ounces, but that's because I want to make sure that I avoid future problems.

Now, you say, thanks for sharing, but what's that got to do with me? Good question. Here are some other benefits I've discovered after five months of this discipline:

• My skin is great and needs very little makeup- I let the glow show through now.
• My headaches have virtually disappeared- I used to get nasty sinus headaches several times a month, and could always feel it when the barometric pressure changed.
• Less irritability and dragging myself around. I can work a lot harder and get more done in a day because I have the energy and improved mood to do it.
  
• I used to take a 24-hour loratidine pill for my allergies every day, year round. I take maybe one a week now.
• I have so far skipped colds and flus that are going around.
• At the risk of Too Much Info, let's just say I don't need Activia to keep all systems go.

(Keep in mind that the above also means $$ saved, because I'm not using as many health care products, and my increased energy means that I am cooking and baking more from scratch, and can better resist impulse buys in the stores.)

• However, my favourite benefit is that several inches of what I call "body clutter" that was hanging around between my ribs and knees are gone. About 6 pounds worth. Granted, I don't know if I can claim it was solely the water as I am experiencing a lot less stress than I was six months ago, and we have also made some changes towards eating more plant-based foods. However, I still eat as much as I want, including desserts, and haven't really changed my exercise routine that much since then. Now, I didn't mind the number I saw on the scale six months ago, but I didn't feel that there was any need for those extra pounds to come together to set up a tent city and Occupy Thighs, and then inspire its neighbours to the North to Occupy Midriff. REALLY! The water must have sent out eviction notices and they peacefully dispersed. No pepper spray or violence needed.
  

I didn't decide one day, "Okay, I'm going to start drinking half my weight in ounces of water NOW." It took time to train my body to accept that much, and many annoying trips to the bathroom the first month or two. (It was a good I started in summer when I was home!) Over time, my body starting adjusting; it became easier to drink one of those glasses in a couple of minutes, and it also reduced my need for bathroom trips.

Even if you don't have the genetic predisposition that brought about the first two strikes against me, you still could be at risk for CUD, or maybe you might like to see if some extra water helps bring about some of those benefits I am experiencing. Start slowly- add an extra 4 to 8 ounces a day for a week at a time, and see what it does for you. Then tell your body, "You're welcome".