7
Drink Up
Water, Weight Loss, and How Much You Need
Pure water is the world’s first and foremost medicine.
Slovakian proverb
The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.
Genesis 1:2
When you wake up in the morning and it is raining, do you thank God for the downpour, or do you think, Oh no. I have to drive the kids to school in this! Most of us lean toward the latter, but really we should be praising God for the incredible gift he is sending us—the gift of water.
Your brain and heart are 73 percent water. Your lungs are 83 percent water. Your skin is 64 percent water. Your muscles and kidneys are 79 percent water. Even your bones are 31 percent water. Because you are composed largely of water, water is necessary for all your bodily functions. Without enough of it, your health will, well . . . dry up.
Drinking like a Rock Star
Three-fourths of Americans walk around chronically dehydrated. Chances are, you are one of them. How often do you feel thirsty? When the feeling of thirst hits you, you are already dehydrated. Dehydration is a dangerous condition. Here are its most common symptoms:
- Dry skin. When your body is lacking water, it rations and prioritizes the little bit it does have. The brain and the heart are top priority, so the body makes sure to keep those two things hydrated. But other organs, including your skin (your body’s biggest organ), suffer as a result. Despite all the lotions and creams you slather on to try to stay moisturized, dry skin is an internal problem.
- High blood pressure. While high blood pressure is mainly a result of poor food choices and other lifestyle issues, dehydration compounds the problem. Your blood is 83 percent water. When you aren’t drinking enough water, your blood thickens and your heart has to work harder to circulate it. This complicates things for people with high blood pressure—and in some cases can even cause it.
- Vocal cord damage. A few months ago, I (Jennifer) went to a concert headlining one of today’s most popular singers. I won’t tell you his name, but if you keep your radio on all day, you will probably hear three or four of his songs. During the concert, every time he finished a song, he downed an entire bottle of water, practically in a single gulp. He is a smart guy. Water serves as a lubricant, like oil to a car. Especially if you sing or speak a lot, keeping your vocal cords hydrated is important. If you are having trouble sustaining your voice or have that dry-mouth feeling, start drinking (water) like a rock star.
The Well of Wellness
When there is enough of it, water accomplishes some amazing things in your body. Water
- gives you energy;
- regulates digestion by breaking down and flushing out waste;
- helps stabilize blood pressure;
- clears toxins from your body;
- reduces the chance of kidney stones;
- helps maintain your body’s proper acid and alkaline balance;
- improves focus and mental acuity; and
- hydrates your skin and slows down the appearance of aging.
This is a pretty impressive list, isn’t it? Sometimes we hear the objection, “I don’t like water.” Do you like being tired? Do you like having digestive problems? Do you like being constipated? Do you like high blood pressure? Do you like having an acid and alkaline imbalance? Do you like being overweight? Do you like having dried up, wrinkled skin? Do you like having problems with your kidneys and urinary tract? No? Time to drink some water!
Water and Weight Loss
If the above benefits aren’t enough, consider this: drinking more water will help you lose weight. Any healthy lifestyle plan is going to focus on diet and exercise, but it must also include an emphasis on drinking large amounts of water. Consider these facts about water and weight loss:
- Initial weight loss is largely water loss. You need to drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration as those pounds drop away.
- Efficient calorie burning requires an adequate supply of water. Dehydration slows down the fat-burning process.
- Burning calories creates toxins that must be flushed out. Water is essential to ridding your body of the toxic buildup that must be eliminated.
- Dehydration causes a reduction in blood volume. A reduction in blood volume causes a reduction in the supply of oxygen to your muscles, which in turn makes you feel tired. You don’t want to eat right and exercise when you are tired.
- Water helps maintain muscle tone and lubricates your joints. Proper hydration can help reduce muscle and joint soreness when you start becoming active.
- A healthy diet includes a great deal of fiber. Without adequate fluids, this necessary fiber can cause constipation.
- Drinking water with a meal helps you feel full and satisfied more quickly. If you are well hydrated, you will be more likely to eat only as much food as your body needs.
Since getting your weight under control is a major first step toward excellent health, you literally can’t afford to push water aside. Once you get used to drinking it in large quantities, you will be glad you did. You will feel cleaner, clearer, and more alert. Your body will actually begin craving more and more water every day, and you will quickly realize that water is fine.