Drink Water and Live!

Proverbs 8:1  Listen as Wisdom calls out!  Hear as understanding raises her voice!

I used to seriously be anti-water.  I didn’t like it, didn’t want it, and would drink pretty much any other kind of beverage and only drank water if absolutely necessary (like to take my blood pressure pill – the irony!).  I had several  reasons to support my dislike of water; I didn’t like the way it tasted, it would make me feel nauseous if I drank it on an empty stomach, I couldn’t drink it with food; and on and on.  Instead I was a connoisseur of sweetened beverages; anything from soda, to sweet tea, apple juice, fruit punch, or one of my favorites, Peach Orchard Punch.  I mean really, I LOVED sweetened beverages.  I would guzzle down juice to the point of getting a stomach ache…don’t let it be ice cold, I could probably drink a half gallon by myself!

Several years ago while I was attending a women’s conference, the speaker preached a message called “Drink Water and Live.”  During the message the speaker talked about how she had been having a number of health issues, but the one that drove her to the doctor was her loss of memory.  In the past she had been known for her ability to memorize and quote scripture, and generally recite information off the top of her head almost effortlessly.  She had noticed lately that it was getting more and more difficult to remember things.  She went to the doctor and learned that she was severely dehydrated.  She was shocked to learn from her doctor that her lack of water was causing her fatigue, constipation, and yes, her memory loss.  She immediately began drinking more water and noticed a dramatic improvement in her health.  At that conference I had a revelation about the importance of drinking water.  The single thought that drove me to start drinking water was this:  If I were diagnosed with something that required me to daily take medicine (like high blood pressure or diabetes), I would without hesitation, get that prescription and take the medication faithfully.  Why in the world then wouldn’t I do something so simple, so inexpensive that is so good for my overall health like drink water?  My doctor once told me there are three things that will literally add years on to your life:  1.  Not smoking  2.  Exercising   3.  DRINKING WATER.  

 Now I didn’t strap a gallon jug of water on my hip and start guzzling 24/7.  I started by simply changing my confession, and stopped saying that I didn’t like water.  Then I started replacing 1-2 sweetened beverages a day with water.  I prefer purified water, but found that I could tolerate tap water as long as it had some lemon in it.  I pretty much stopped drinking soda, and once I made the change to healthy living I drank only one 100% fruit juice drink a day and all the rest of the day at least 64-82 ounces of water a day.  I have to tell you, several changes happened over time once I began drinking more water:  I didn’t feel so tired all the time; I had more bowel movements (I didn’t even realize that it wasn’t normal to not have a bowel movement only once or twice a week, now I go once or twice a day!); my skin wasn’t nearly as dry; and my stylist even asked me if I was drinking more water because my hair wasn’t as dry.

I did some research online (yes, I Googled it) and here are some hard to ignore benefits of drinking water (these are just a few):
The biggest trigger for daytime fatigue is lack of water.
-Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water per day could significantly ease  back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers.
-A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on a computer screen or printed page. (I have enough trouble with math, I don’t need a lack of water to contribute to my struggle)
-Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of Colon Cancer by 45%, Breast Cancer by 79%, and Bladder Cancer by 50%
-Drinking enough water can also play a big role in weight loss. In fact all the time, people complain
about always wanting to “snack” on foods. Most people confuse HUNGER with DEHYDRATION!!
The body is actually dehydrated and literally BEGGING for water and then you go and eat some
M&M’s!

Once while I was in the room waiting to see the doctor (you know how they put you in the room by yourself with the gown on and then have you wait another 30+ minutes) I began leafing through some pamphlets about different health issues like gout, constipation, acid reflux, diabetes and hypertension…all of them had a common theme in that they listed drinking water (at least 64 ounces a day) as a way to help prevent, manage or control the condition.  Hummmmm…..

Water is vital for:
Joints
Body
Temperature
Constipation
Skin
Preventing Cancer (YES PREVENTING Colon, bladder and even breast cancer!!)
Appetite control
Metabolism

Some facts about water and the human body:
Our Body is made up 69% of water!
The Brain is 85% water–Drinking water=mental clarity!!!
Bones are 35% water (bones? Really? Who knew!!)
Blood is 83% water
Liver is 90% water.
By drinking that important H2O, you are basically allowing your body to hydrate everywhere it
NEEDS it!

Ok, just in case you still need convincing; here’s some info on how bad soda and sugary drinks are for you:

Soda is full of empty calories…there is no nutritional value in soda, just sugar, acids, preservatives and other harmful ingredients.  Soda causes more damage to your body than just expanding the waistline.
You can significantly reduce your daily caloric intake by drinking water instead of soda or some other sugary drink (yes even 100% fruit drinks).  Let me put it in perspective for you:
Number of calories in a 24 oz glass of:   Water 0, Soda 250, Apple juice 320
I was easily drinking more than 72 ounces of soda or juice a day.  That’s 960 calories if I drink three 24 ounce drinks of apple juice!   No wonder I had gained so much weight!  I was consuming 960 calories…and that didn’t include one morsel of food! Yikes! That fact alone helped me to get over myself and drink at least 64 ounces of water a day, and even more than that once I started exercising.
I’m not saying I don’t ever drink sweetened beverages, but I don’t drink anywhere near what I used to.  I encourage you today, don’t ignore wisdom, drink water and live!
P.S.  A shout out of thanks to my awesome son, D’lon who designed the new logo for my blog.  My
college investment at work!  I love you son!