Optimize Your Drinking Water For Better Health and Energy
Hello my friends. Welcome to the first in a series of blogs on 'How to Optimize Your Energy' aka 'How Not To Feel Like The Pinata After The Party'! There's no better place to start than with water which makes up 90% of your body.
Leonardo da Vinci said it best, "Water is the driving force of all nature."
A mere 5% drop in dehydration brings brain fog, fatigue and severely damages cells. Water is used for maintenance of DNA, building blood, building lymphatic fluid, building digestive secretions and synovial fluids of joints. Water acts as a pathway to send neurotransmitters throughout the body. Cells, organs and tissues all work in a water medium. The more murky, the more fatigue. Within minutes, water becomes blood and extracellular fluid which pushes out fluid carrying metabolic waste.
Let's take a look at the water coming out of our taps today. In 2008 The Associated Press reported on our tainted water supply containing everything from anti-depressants to muscle relaxants. Antibiotics, pain relievers, mental health prescriptions, lead, arsenic were all found in the water supply. The culprit is the big boom of pharmaceuticals. It came on so quickly, that The World Health Organization admits there is a knowledge gap.
A BIG culprit is chlorine.
Strong enough to kill dangerous pathogens, it also kills beneficial microbes in our bodies. The body's handling of all these contaminants is a drain of our energy.
So is bottled water the answer? Hardly, as the bottled water only has to meet the standards of tap water.
Some water such as Aquafina by Pepsi, is simply water out of the tap which is relabelled as 'Public Water Source'.
Bottled water in plastic bottles has an additional issue as they contain bisphenol A or as we may have heard BPA. BPA mimics estrogen and attaches to estrogen receptor sites in the body resulting in estrogen dominance. This can lead to cancer, obesity and even brain damage.
The problem is, water is a universal solvent and plastics are photodegradable; breaking down when exposed to light. So in effect, you have plastic tea. Would you like some BPA with your plastic tea?
So what are the solutions?
Well, the best source is natural spring water you collect yourself in glass containers. This water source has never been exposed to pollution or contaminants and contains healthy minerals and trace elements. It is not the most convenient, however. There is a website, findaspring.com which guides you to pure sources of spring water, which I believe there may be a few on Vancouver Island.
The more practical solution is Reverse Osmosis Water.
Reverse Osmosis systems remove pathogens, chemicals and pharmaceuticals in effect leaving blank water. From there, we put life back into the water. You can add some lemon to make it more hydrating, a pinch of sea salt or Himalayan salts. Adding some silica or Ionic Minerals to the water will affect the Zeta potential of the blood which allows the blood to carry more nutrients to places that need them and remove more waste from your system. You can get any of these from a local health food store. Or perhaps a little fresh fruit which can boost metabolism, flush toxins and help with muscle fatigue. Some great choices are berries, cucumber or fresh mint.
I have a great countertop system that adds "life to the water" made by Aquatru. Dr Hyman who is a leading expert in this field is currently offering a discount on the Aquatru water filter on his website.
Some final things to note.
Don't even think about drinking "Vitamin Water". It has all the negatives of bottle water and typically over 20 grams of sugar! Stay away from Brita style filters. They remove chlorine taste but do little to improve the quality of the water.
You might like to consider getting a filter for your shower as a 10-minute hot shower without a filter causes the release of gasses in the chlorinated water which is the equivalent of drinking a gallon of untreated water.
I hope you have learned something, take action, and improve your energy!
Next up in my 'Improve Your Energy Series' will be, 'Nutrition For Optimal Energy'.
Till then, "Stay Fit my Friends!"