It seems like an odd thing to want to write a blog about, but today I’m going to write about water.
Yep, plain old water. How many people say things like, “I don’t like the taste of water,” or “its
boring”. Water is fundamental to life. No water = no life. It really is that simple. One of the reasons
why people don’t like the taste of water is because many chemicals are added to it during the
cleaning process (like liquified chlorine) so when the water from your tap resembles the smell of the
local swimming pool, it’s understandable why someone wouldn’t enjoy the taste. A few years ago, I
purchased a reverse osmosis filter for the main water supply into my house and that chlorine taste is
GONE. The PH balance of the water is perfect and I’m pretty sure I now have some of the best
tasting water around, so its far easier to drink now!
So where does that fit in with your health? Cleaner drinking water is also safer drinking water. All of
those chemicals add to the toxic load of your body, making it harder for your cells to do their job,
and potentially make your body more reactive to foods and environmental toxins.
An average adult should be drinking two litres of water a day, and that should be adjusted
depending on exercise, heat from the sun, and even your weight and height. If you’re tall, or if you
sweat, then you might need more. And the other drinks you consume might impact your
requirement for water further. Coffee, tea and energy drinks are all diuretics so they dehydrate you.
That also means they are dehydrating your veins, your arteries and your major organs including your
digestive system and your skin. Imagine the long-term implications of dehydration on your body?
So, how can you put this into practice?
Try to drink about half of a large glass of water every half hour, and away from meal times, making
up your water intake up to two litres a day. Drinking water with meals dilutes your stomach acid,
making it harder to digest your food. Drinking too much water in one go, will just get flushed out
with urine and not get to where it’s needed, so drinking half a glass at regular intervals is far more
beneficial. Also, drinking water late at night, is likely to keep you up all night, so starting earlier in the
day and not waiting until you’re dehydrated before you start to drink, is key. Really, it’s about
creating new, healthier habits, and this is one small change that could impact your digestive system
and your overall health in a positive way.
I’m not allowed to recommend specific companies on here, so do an internet search for “reverse
osmosis water filter” and find a very good plumber to fit it! Enjoy
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It’s my first blog!
I can’t quite believe that I’ve been working for so long and not had an online presence! I’ve always been quite old school, I still use a paper diary, and prefer music on vinyl to CD’s and MP3. I like being outdoors in the sunshine, but also in the snow because it brings fun and happiness to my children. And it’s a good excuse to sit in front of the fire and warm up with a hot drink.
With winter we always seem to think of the cold, and short days and long nights. But when I think of winter, I also think of the lack of Vitamin D that it brings. I have often been quoted as saying, “There’s no such thing as a flu season, it’s a lack of vitamin D season”. Here in the UK, I think we would all agree that we don’t get much sunlight. The sun doesn’t rise high enough in the sky for our bodies to synthesise the vitamin D from around October to April, meaning we only have a six-month window to obtain an entire years’ worth of Vitamin D. And then if you consider that a large proportion of those days have full cloud cover and rain (gotta love the British weather!) and that many of us do ‘indoor jobs’ – so even if its bikini weather outside, it might as well be December if you don’t get to see it!
There have been lots of scientific studies on the effects of lack of Vitamin D and, of course, its benefits. There are considerations on healthy teeth and bones, colds and flu, fatigue, mental health and skin health, to name but a few - so keeping your vitamin D levels topped up during the winter is important.
It doesn’t need to be difficult to stay in charge of your own health, so looking into the benefits of Vitamin D, is quite a quick and easy one.
Happy Winter everyone xx