Mni Wičoni—Water is life!

With nearly 60% of the body being made of water, it’s surprising and unfortunate that water takes a back seat to carbonated soda as the most popular beverage in the United States.

It’s a scary statistic, not only because of the dangerous impact sugary drinks have on the body, but also because the body requires ample amounts of water to help balance all of its fluids, digest food, transport nutrients, and regulate its temperature.

So basically, water is your body’s superpower.

Here are some of the other benefits of keeping your body adequately hydrated:

Flushes Toxins
Drinking enough water allows the body to release toxins through sweat and urination.

Maintains Regularity
Water is necessary for the digestion of food and to prevent constipation.

Promotes Weight Loss
Choosing water over a soda saves on calories since water has none! It also works to remove the by-products of fat and reduces hunger. When you drink a full glass of water prior to a meal, water can help to keep you from overeating.

Increases Energy
Your brain is over 70% water! Drinking water helps you with focus, concentration, and energy.

Improves Complexion 
Water is the number one anti-aging treatment there is. It moisturizes your skin and keeps it soft and smooth. If that isn’t enough, it also decreases wrinkles!

Here are some ways to make sure you are adding more water to your daily routine:  (read more)

Add Flavor
Adding lemon, lime, mint, fresh berries, cucumber slices or essential oils (remember, quality counts) to water is a good way to switch it up so that you can be sure to get the ounces in!

Bathroom Break
Making a practice of having a glass of water whenever you take a bathroom break is a great ways to remember to drink up.

Drink Before You Eat
Having a glass of water between every meal helps with hydration, and can also help to curb your appetite.

Use an App
Use a water tracking app to keep track of how many glasses you drink. A simple Google search will reveal plenty to choose from, many of which are free or very inexpensive.

Eat Water-Rich Foods
My favorite way to stay hydrated is to enjoy plenty of water-packed foods. Fresh fruit and veggies are the best sources, especially cucumber, celery, citrus, grapes, lettuce, melon, tomatoes and zucchini.

Coconut water is a superior way to increase hydration and I strongly recommend choosing it over Gatorade, which is loaded with GMO sugar, “natural flavors,” (whatever that means) and, in some cases, coloring and brominated vegetable oil.

So, how much water should you be drinking? The answer varies. Some suggest at least 8 (8-oz.) glasses a day, and some suggest that the best way to determine how much is to take your body weight, divide it in half and that amount in ounces. It’s a little different for everyone, but one way to increase your intake is to choose water over other beverage options.

Important
Always choose purified water, minus the chlorine and fluoride, a known neurotoxin. Fluoride has a tendency to accumulate on the pineal gland, which among other negative side effects, can interfere with sleep and cause weight gain. From an energetic perspective, the pineal gland is also believed to be our spiritual antenna. Got Interference?

Water is a complex topic, with lots of filtration options, including but not limited to ionizers like the Kangen machine, whole house point of entry systems, reverse osmosis filters that replace the minerals lost with that type of filtration, and more. I should know. We use them all. As the Native Americans say, “Mni Wičoni.” Water is life!

What do you do to stay hydrated? I’d love to hear about it.