Psalm 42:1 – As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God.
My Friends,
Let’s again revisit our friend who has lost 50 pounds and needs a boost to lose some more. Already, he has given up sugar (pop and chips) and has added fruit to his diet. In previous blogs, we have already discussed the need for good sleep and for eliminating seeds oils due to a sundry of reasons including detoxifying the body, resting and repairing, decreasing stress and inflammation as well as promoting peace in his brain, body and beliefs. Now, we will encourage more hydration to promote more peace.
WHY DO WE NEED WATER?
We simply need water because we are made of water and daily lose water. This is a detoxification process in itself. It is a water cycle in our own multi-system body which is much like the water cycle of the earth. Cleansing, replenishment, freshness, drainage, transportation, flushing, facilitation of processes and increased energy occur with this infusion of water. It is so easy, yet so hard to ensure that we do this adequately not to mention with optimum effort. We can do things at a minimal level or at an optimum level, but remember, the diligent man prospers.
Yes, we need water. In order to flush out toxins, we must hydrate ourselves. (Remember, we deal with many types of toxins. The last blog I wrote discussed the omega 6 rich seed oils and how these take a long time to leave the body. Water will help this, also.) In order for optimum digestion, we must drink plenty of water, not coffee, not energy drinks, not sodas…but water. This is to our benefit. Believe it or not, but by drinking adequate water we are helping to improve the level of stomach acid we secrete. For healthy digestion of food, stomach acid production should be about 1.5 to 2 liters per day. In order for this to occur, we must drink plenty of water. If we do not drink enough water, chances are that we will have inadequate stomach acid for optimum digestion, and this is very important for the breakdown of our food, especially protein – more about this later.
If we drink too many caffeinated drinks, we are not only dehydrating our system, but we are depriving our bodies of this need for water to flush out toxins and to produce stomach acid, not to mention the hydration for normal bodily functions. In fact, many people think that they have indigestion and proceed to seek out a doctor to prescribe an antacid. In reality, these people could be low on stomach acid due to an inadequate water intake. Not only do they suffer from poor digestion, but they also suffer from indigestion (or GERD) due to this poor digestion which is due to low stomach acid. Thus, the problem is really never addressed and further complications could arise. Namely, other health issues and challenges due to poor nutrient absorption.
Drinking plenty of water not only helps to detoxify our bodies and to promote stomach acid secretion, but it also aids in the movement of digested food through the intestinal tract. If we have slow transit time of food through our gastrointestinal tract, we will not only experience less absorption of nutrients, but also the increased level of toxins. Furthermore, by drinking adequate water we are promoting daily bowel movements which is the very minimal frequency of elimination. If you are not having a bowel movement daily, you are not eliminating enough for proper toxic removal. This “stool” stuck in the GI tract not only makes one feel bloated, uncomfortable, lethargic, and less nourished, but it also contributes to bacterial overgrowth in the wrong places. In addition, it poses a potential threat for other problems such as an obstruction or infection to occur. We do not want the GI tract to invade other parts of our body. It is not a sterile environment, and we want to keep it from leaking over into our other tissues via a break in the system or a backward flow in the system from the large intestine to the small intestine. Sounds pretty ugly, doesn’t it? Yes, it is not a pretty picture. So, drink water.
By drinking water, we are assisting our bodies to keep a proper electrolyte balance. This balance is especially important with sodium, potassium and magnesium not to mention many electrolytes. The pH and the electrolyte levels of our blood and tissues are maintained in a very small window. One small change could bring on fatigue, confusion, water retention, blood sugar issues and nourishment issues. In fact, low potassium is related to cardiac issues as well as fluid retention. High sodium levels could really be indicative of low water levels. Urinary tract infections, fatigue, increased stress and even cravings are related to dehydration. Truly, sometimes we think we are hungry, when in reality we are only thirsty, and our bodies will ingest food just because it really needs water, but WE do not interpret the need correctly.
Yes, our brains and bodies might be seeming to shout, “Feed me some sugar or bread or salty treat,” when in reality the real cry is, “I’m thirsty. Please bring me to the rock that is higher than I. I pant after you, O God, and I pant after streams of living water.” Do you see the connection? We also do this in our emotional lives. We think we need to talk to someone or complain to someone or listen to someone on a podcast about our problem when in reality we need to talk to God or lament to Him or listen to HIM and what HE HAS TO SAY ABOUT OUR PROBLEM.
We are so easily fooled. How do I know? Because daily, I am fooled over and over again. Daily, I eat when I should drink water. Daily, I sip on coffee when I should drink water. Daily, I seek a person to hear my complaint when I instead should lament to my Lord. Daily, I listen to podcasts when I should listen to HIM…HIS STILL, QUIET VOICE; HIS UNFLAVORED yet SWEET WATER; HIS SATISFACTION FOR MY SOUL; HIS HOLY HYDRATION; HIS WORD WHICH CLEANSES, STRENGTHENS and MAKE US WHOLE.
Listen to more. When we are thirsty, we have already deprived our body. We needed water long before we felt the thirst sensation. So, we must drink water just out of habit somewhat like brushing our teeth. We do this right away in the morning. Thus, the same with water, we seek this drink early in the morning. This is good for hydration, digestion, detoxifying, energy, clear thinking, reducing cravings and hunger, and furthermore, each cell in the human body needs water because our cells are made of water and use fluid to function. We have water inside our cells and outside our cells. Our blood is made of water. We are over 60% water. Just like the earth, water is a most powerful substance. H2O – Hydrate Over and Over!! Or Hydrate, Hydrate Optimally!
Don’t worry about retaining water. If you have a kidney concern, please talk to your doctor, but chances are your kidneys are just fine and would do well with more water. Your kidneys know exactly what to do if you have too much or too little water on board, too much or too little salt, and even too much or too little potassium. They regulate such things. Yes, we need the electrolytes for energy; we need salt for energy; we need potassium for energy, and also, we need all these things for proper cellular metabolism as well as muscle contraction. We need water to work, to compete, to perform our athletic maneuvers, to think, and most importantly as you know best by now to DO GOD’S WILL, our ultimate reason for good health.
HOW MUCH WATER SHOULD WE DRINK PER DAY?
This is a good question, and it is one that does not have an exact answer because it depends on YOU. Who are you? How old are you? How much do you sweat? Are you male or female? Are you a laborer or an office worker? It depends on you and your circumstances and daily needs which, of course, change from day to day. If you have a very high muscle percentage and sweat a lot, you need more water than an 80-year-old woman who is petite and who has less muscle mass. If you exercise vigorously, you probably need more than a person who does a light workout.
My simple suggestion to start is this: Take half of your body weight in pounds and drink that many ounces of water per day as a minimum. So, if you weigh 200 pounds. Take half of this weight which is 100 pounds; so, you would drink 100 ounces of water per day. From there, you add according to what you need through the day and according to your age, gender, exercise, perspiration and your other activities. Again, I suggest this as a minimum, and this minimum doesn’t include the water in coffee or other caffeinated drinks.
If you are going to error on the amount, please error on too much because your kidneys will filter the excess for you while at the same time regulate the sodium and potassium levels in your blood. It is pretty hard to drink too much water, and this is much preferable than too little water which will leave your body with more stress, more cravings, more problems with self-control and definitely more problems staying invigorated during the day. What better condition to do God’s will – to be invigorated.
WHEN SHOULD I DRINK WATER?
This question is more important than you think. I want you to focus on three times: 1) right away in the morning 2) NOT with meals and 3) NOT within 2-3 hours before bedtime.
Hydrating early in the morning jump starts your day off on the right foot for blood sugar control, bowel elimination, digestion and overall body function (including all systems – hormonal, cardiac, respiratory, etc.). By hydrating early, you are giving your muscles and the rest of your cells the fluid they need to replenish the fluid loss over night while your cells were busy with metabolism, your brain was sorting, your liver detoxifying and your lungs breathing. We lose water on a continuous basis due to our biological functions. This overnight clearance is good, but in the morning we must replenish.
Drinking water at meal times dilutes the gastric acid in our stomach. We do not want to dilute this gastric acid because our bodies need it to be powerful for the proper digestion of the food we eat. By chewing well and breaking the food into small bits, we increase the surface area of all pieces so that the stomach acid is able to break them down even further. This is especially important for protein which needs to be broken down to the individual amino acids for proper nutrient absorption which leads to muscle repair and repair and function of all body tissues and organs. So, drink between meals plenty but not right before, during or right after the meals.
Not too close to bedtime!!! Why? We do not want to awaken during the night due to a needed trip to the bathroom. Why? Because we need uninterrupted sleep for optimum health. DO NOT DESPISE THE SMALL THINGS! I am guilty, I admit it. I drink too close to bed. I awaken during the night. I am my own worst enemy at times. I pay the price. Who will deliver me from doing what I do NOT want to do? Yes, my Lord will, but even though something is permissible does not mean it is beneficial. Cause and effect is a principle of truth. BUT God has unfailing love and full redemption for all of us. What happened yesterday does not need to be our today. We have a chance to move forward with a wise action to effect change for the better.
Well, my friends, continue to seek peace and pursue it. Be blameless by omitting sugar, omitting seed oils, sleeping soundly and now drinking from the Water of Life, the Spring of Living WATER and hydrating your whole being with what HE provides. There is no better drink on earth.