Drink More Water And Lose Body Fat

One of the most important and perhaps least recognised aspects of good health is optimal hydration.  Understanding your own water requirements will help you achieve outstanding health, increase energy and lose excess body fat.

Dehydration has been linked to conditions such as asthma, allergies, depression, diabetes, obesity, high blood cholesterol and coronary heart disease, to name a few.

Here are just some of the reasons your body needs water...

•    Water prevents DNA damage.
•    Water greatly increases the efficiency of the immune system – including its efficiency against  cancer.
•    Water clears toxic waste from different parts of the body and takes it to the liver and kidneys for disposal.
•    Water is the main lubricant in the joint spaces and helps prevent arthritis and back pain.
•    Water is the best lubricating laxative and prevents constipation.
•    Water helps to reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
•    Water prevents the clogging of arteries in the heart and the
     brain.
•    Water is essential for the body’s cooling (sweat) and heating (electrical) systems.
•    Water is directly needed for the efficient manufacture of all neurotransmitters, including serotonin (our ‘feel good’ hormone).
•    Water is directly needed for the production of all hormones made by the brain, including melatonin (our ‘sleep’ hormone).
•    Water helps reduce stress, anxiety and depression.
•    Water restores normal sleep rhythms.
•    Water decreases premenstrual pains and hot flushes.
•    Dehydration prevents sex hormone production – one of the primary causes of impotence and loss of libido.
The above list is taken from Dr F Batmanghelidj’s best-selling book, Water & Salt, Your Healers from Within.

In addition, water is also a natural thermogenic compound, helping to mobilize excess body fat.

Unfortunately, the quality of our current tap water is highly questionable.  In order to destroy potentially harmful pathogens, chlorine is added to all municipal water.  Although in its pure form, chlorine is harmless to the body, when it comes into contact with organic matter (such as is found in water), it becomes very toxic and is a known carcinogen.  This means that every time you ingest any kind of tap water (whether through your bath, shower or drinking water), you’re exposing yourself to a very dangerous substance. 
In some overseas countries, the use of chlorine in municipal water has been banned, due to its detrimental effects on human health.  As an alternative, they use natural anti-pathogenic compounds.  

There are many other potentially harmful metals in tap water, so it would be better to look for clean water sources.  In terms of filtration systems, the benchmark for quality is a reverse-osmosis (RO) unit; second to this is commercially sold RO glass-bottled water.  Third choice is a counter-top or under-counter filter that takes out chlorine and pathogens.  Jug filters will do this in a less effective way, but the filter should be changed a minimum of twice monthly.  

Fast selling, well-known plastic-bottled water is last on the list, due to the inherent health issues that surround the use of plastics, as well as the extraordinary strain plastic places on the environment.  Always check the label for a low ‘TDS’ (Total Dissolved Solids) reading; aim for as close to zero as possible (RO water is somewhere between five and twenty, whereas municipal water can be upward of 200).

Also consider purchasing showerhead filters (including hand-held shower heads with which you can fill your bath), since you will absorb greater amounts of metals and chlorine when you expose the surface of your skin to heated water.  Alternatively, you could choose to fit a whole-house filter system…

In terms of water intake, tea, coffee and other caffeinated drinks can’t be included as part of your daily quota because they act as a diuretic.  This means that they stimulate water loss.  Ideally, you should consume an additional glass of water (outside of your optimal daily quota) BEFORE drinking one of these types of drinks.  Better yet, eliminate these from your diet as they do not provide you with any nutrients worth their negative effects on the body.  Fruit juices should not constitute part of your daily intake, as these are laden with sugar and it is pure water the body needs.  

To work out your ideal personal water requirements in litres, multiply 0.033 by your weight in kilograms. E.g. 0.033 X 58kg = 1.91 litres daily.