In the first article of this series, I
mentioned that drinking more water can help you shed fat. How? There
are several ways, but the main way that drinking more water can help you
lose weight is by taking up space in the stomach, where you would
otherwise pack higher calorie liquids and food. Of course, water is
naturally calorie-free (no need to purchase “Diet Water”), so you
consume fewer calories, and losing fat is mainly about taking in fewer
calories than you burn in a day.
One man was in the news after he lost more than 100 pounds by drinking 3
large glasses of water with every meal: one before eating, one during
the meal, and one after the meal.
Another way that water helps with weight loss is by increasing your
metabolism. A German study from Berlin's Franz-Volhard Clinical
Research Center, showed that healthy men and women saw a 30% increase in
metabolism after drinking 17 ounces of water. The increases started 10
minutes after drinking the water and topped off after about 30 to 40
minutes, before fading. While this is only a minor difference, more
studies are needed to determine whether being constantly well hydrated
would result in a consistently faster metabolism than being in a
constant state of minor dehydration, though it seems logical. Either
way, if you’re drinking a lot of water, you’ll be burning more calories
just running to the bathroom more. ;)
Yet another way that more water can help you lose weight is by helping
your body to eliminate waste and toxins that keep you feeling sluggish.
Being well hydrated softens your stool and helps to move waste out of
the intestines, allowing your digestive system to function more
efficiently.
This reminds me of another reason to drink more water: Research also
shows that keeping well hydrated can your reduce risk of colon cancer by
45 percent (probably by not leaving a lot of waste behind to rot and
fester), bladder cancer by 50 percent, and possibly reduce breast cancer
risk as well. Then there’s the study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology finding that people who drank more than five glasses of water a day were 41% less likely to die from a heart attack during the 6-year study period than those who drank less than two glasses.
Can it get any better? Yes! In one study, migraine sufferers who drank
1.5 liters of water (about six cups) in addition to their usual daily
intake, experienced 21 fewer hours of pain, in a two week period than
those in the placebo group, as well as a decrease in pain intensity.
But wait! There’s more! Research shows that a dehydration level of
just 1% of your body weight reduces thinking functions and just a 2%
dehydration level can trigger short-term memory problems and difficulty
focusing on a computer screen or printed page. On the other hand,
drinking 8 to 10 cups of water per day can improve your levels of
cognitive performance by as much as 30%. So you could say that it would be smart to drink more water!
Nutritional experts agree that the average person needs to drink, at
least, 2 liters (8 cups) of water per day. But what about all those
plastic bottles going into landfills and making their way into the
ocean? For starters, most bottled water comes from the same sources
that municipal water systems use, but they don’t have the added chlorine
and fluoride. Here in South Florida, we’re blessed with some of the
best tasting, highest rated tap water in the country. In fact, Miami
means “sweet water” in the language of the Native Americans who used to
live around here. Coming from Dallas, I can testify that Miami water
has a far less chemical taste. If, however, you don’t like the taste of
tap water, I recommend getting a Britta filter water pitcher or a Pur
filter on your sink. Neither costs much and you’ll save a bundle over
bottled water or any less healthy beverage options. Then get yourself a
few BPA-Free, large, plastic or steel water bottles to carry with you
wherever you go, so you can keep drinking throughout the day.
Some people have actually told me, “I hate water!” How can you hate
water?! It’s not like it tastes bad; it has no flavor! To which they
reply “That’s why I can’t stand it! It’s so boring!” Okay, so which
tastes better: water, or bitter pills, chemo, and surgery? Again,
Health Care always comes down to this simple choice: either you take
Care of your own Health, or you leave it up to the doctors to provide
you with Sick Care later. I’m not judging which is right or wrong for
you, but I know which one I’m choosing!
- Michael Raphael, LMT, CPT
Sunday, April 13, 2014
Wellness Key #2 - The REAL Fountain of Youth (Part 1)
Even before the time of Ponce De Leone, as
far back as ancient Greece, mankind has been regaled with legends of
natural pools or springs with water that healed and restored youth.
While there is some anecdotal evidence suggesting that some mineral
springs may indeed assist in healing a variety of ailments, most of us
now understand that these ancient stories, of water that magically and
instantaneously restores youth to the aged, are mere myths. This raises
the question, why was water thought to be the vehicle for such magic?
Why not a magical stone or tree? I believe this is because of the very
nature of water. No other element maintains its appearance and
qualities throughout the ages the way water does. Water is the essence
of flexibility; by ceaselessly surrendering, it forever bends without
breaking. While the stone may initially appear stronger because the
water surrenders to it, over time, water will eventually erode the stone
to nothing. By easily flowing through change without resistance, water
remains… relatively un-changed.
Water is understood to be an essential ingredient for sustaining life. Water is the body’s second most important fuel source, without which you’ll die in a few days. It comprises 45 to 70 percent of your body weight (fat contains no water, so the higher your percentage of body fat, the lower your percentage of water). In our bodies, water serves as a vehicle for transporting nutrients and waste, acts as a lubricant for all of the movements going on all over our body, provides the moisture for tears, and regulates heat loss.
Water was the original beverage, and is still the healthiest beverage you can drink, bar none. Water helps flush out toxins, sodium, urea, and other cellular wastes which the kidneys have filtered from the lymphatic system. So, how healthy do you think you’ll be if you don’t flush out all of those things your body wants to get rid of? Well, for starters, studies show that people who drink a lot of water have a 50% lower risk of kidney stones or kidney disease.
One of the main factors in physiological aging is dehydration, another is decreased flexibility, and there is a link between the two. When it comes to the effects of hydration on our muscles, the human body is a bit like a tree branch; a dry branch is brittle and inflexible, and will soon break off dead, while the branch that is green and moist on the inside is flexible and therefore nearly unbreakable. As previously mentioned, water in the body helps to lubricate the movements of muscles, tendons and joints, and without enough lubricant, these movements do not happen as easily.
As a massage therapist I’ve learned that I can tell a lot about a person’s health by the health of their skin. If someone has dry, rough, tight skin with wide open pores, and more obvious wrinkles than typical for a person of their age, I know that they are frequently dehydrated. If I ask questions, inevitably, I find out that the person either smokes (I can usually smell the cigarette toxins, like the smell of a smoker’s clothes, escaping through a smoker’s pores during the massage, so I don’t have to ask about that), drinks a good deal of alcohol (more than 1 drink per day on average), doesn’t eat enough fruits or vegetables, and/or doesn’t drink enough water. Fruits and vegetables contain 80-90% water, while cigarettes and alcohol dehydrate.
In contrast, people who have smooth and youthful skin, well past what most would consider youth, typically have the opposite behaviors. Meaning that they drink at least 2 quarts of water per day, are either vegetarians or get at least 3-4 servings of vegetables and fruits per day, haven't smoked much or at all, and drink alcohol in moderation, if at all. If you're not one of these people at present, I have good news for you: Water actually can be your "fountain of youth". While it can't restore your youth over night, not only can it help you hold on to what youth you have left, but can indeed help to restore some of your youth, by flushing out toxins, re-hydrating your skin, restoring some muscle tone and flexibility, and lubricating your joints.
In the next article, I'll tell you more about all of the wonderful health benefits of water, including weight loss.
- Michael Raphael, LMT, CPT
Water is understood to be an essential ingredient for sustaining life. Water is the body’s second most important fuel source, without which you’ll die in a few days. It comprises 45 to 70 percent of your body weight (fat contains no water, so the higher your percentage of body fat, the lower your percentage of water). In our bodies, water serves as a vehicle for transporting nutrients and waste, acts as a lubricant for all of the movements going on all over our body, provides the moisture for tears, and regulates heat loss.
Water was the original beverage, and is still the healthiest beverage you can drink, bar none. Water helps flush out toxins, sodium, urea, and other cellular wastes which the kidneys have filtered from the lymphatic system. So, how healthy do you think you’ll be if you don’t flush out all of those things your body wants to get rid of? Well, for starters, studies show that people who drink a lot of water have a 50% lower risk of kidney stones or kidney disease.
One of the main factors in physiological aging is dehydration, another is decreased flexibility, and there is a link between the two. When it comes to the effects of hydration on our muscles, the human body is a bit like a tree branch; a dry branch is brittle and inflexible, and will soon break off dead, while the branch that is green and moist on the inside is flexible and therefore nearly unbreakable. As previously mentioned, water in the body helps to lubricate the movements of muscles, tendons and joints, and without enough lubricant, these movements do not happen as easily.
As a massage therapist I’ve learned that I can tell a lot about a person’s health by the health of their skin. If someone has dry, rough, tight skin with wide open pores, and more obvious wrinkles than typical for a person of their age, I know that they are frequently dehydrated. If I ask questions, inevitably, I find out that the person either smokes (I can usually smell the cigarette toxins, like the smell of a smoker’s clothes, escaping through a smoker’s pores during the massage, so I don’t have to ask about that), drinks a good deal of alcohol (more than 1 drink per day on average), doesn’t eat enough fruits or vegetables, and/or doesn’t drink enough water. Fruits and vegetables contain 80-90% water, while cigarettes and alcohol dehydrate.
In contrast, people who have smooth and youthful skin, well past what most would consider youth, typically have the opposite behaviors. Meaning that they drink at least 2 quarts of water per day, are either vegetarians or get at least 3-4 servings of vegetables and fruits per day, haven't smoked much or at all, and drink alcohol in moderation, if at all. If you're not one of these people at present, I have good news for you: Water actually can be your "fountain of youth". While it can't restore your youth over night, not only can it help you hold on to what youth you have left, but can indeed help to restore some of your youth, by flushing out toxins, re-hydrating your skin, restoring some muscle tone and flexibility, and lubricating your joints.
In the next article, I'll tell you more about all of the wonderful health benefits of water, including weight loss.
- Michael Raphael, LMT, CPT
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