About 18 months ago I started to notice dark circles around my eyes & frequent trips to the bathroom during the night, I would awake in the morning feeling lethargic from a disturbed nights sleep. During the day I would be reaching for the coffee to stimulate & give me the much needed energy to get me through the day. Then just like a light bulb moment I googled my issues & on the screen appeared “Dehydration” I surveyed my daily intake of water & was alarmed to notice that I was drinking less than a glassful a day! Of all people I should know that drinking water is highly beneficial to our bodies as I lived in Cyprus for over 2 years & drank water by the bucket load!
So I set myself a goal for 21 days to see if I would see any benefits, off I went to the supermarket & purchased bottled water as I prefer the taste rather than tap water. I made sure the water I purchased was the correct PH level & I began my 21 day challenge. I must admit it was pretty boring at first swapping my coffee for water especially in the winter time. I found that I preferred to drink the water at room temperature rather than chilled as I could guzzle it down quicker & by drinking the water from a bottle I could monitor the amount I drank through the day.
Within 7 days I noticed a considerable change in my sleep pattern, I was hydrating my body through the day so I didn’t need to reach for the Vimto in the middle of the night to quench my thirst, all this time I had deprived my body of this liquid gold!
14 days later I noticed that my skin had improved, the dark circles around my eyes were getting lighter, I had a spring in my step, my energy levels rose & for the added bonus I lost a few pounds in weight!!
Today 18 months later I cant even touch a glass of Vimto & I have limited my coffee intake to 1 cup a day. I now crave water!! I also add Lemons to my water as Citrus fruits like lemons are high in vitamin C, which is a primary antioxidant that helps protect cells from damaging free radicals.
Here are some of the benefits of drinking water, why not take up the 21 day challenge & see what it can do for you.
- Water is an essential component for the effective functioning of our body. Approximately 50 to 70% of our body mass is made up of water, including skin, tissues, cells and the organs.
- Water staves off dehydration. Dehydration is a condition in which the body doesn’t have enough water to support the vital functions.
- Water removes toxins and waste products from the body thereby cleansing it.
- Water is required to process all the nutrients from the food we eat and carry the assimilated nutrients to the cells by circulating through the lymphatic system.
- Lack of water in the body can cause constipation, asthma, allergy, hypertension, migraine and many other health problems.
- Every day we lose water through perspiration, urine, breath and bowel movements. Thus, it is important to replenish the body by drinking water and consuming beverages and foods that contain water.
- The Institute of Medicine has determined that the daily adequate intake of water for men is 3 liters and for women, it is 2.2 liters.
Harmony Holistic Therapy 