Water: The Elixir of Life

There are trillions of planets in the universe. What makes the Earth so special? The presence of water! It is the single most important substance to life on earth. Not one life form exists without utilizing water as a main part of its body. Yet many of us in America take it for granted. We have an unlimited supply at our fingertips, but find ourselves chrinically dehydrated as a society. Generations of desert nomads are turning over in their graves at the thought of our ambivalence to water! They would have walked hours just for a sip. We complain when it isn't flavored and fizzing.

We can only live without oxygen for a few minutes and without water for a few days. Since I don’t recommend walking around with an oxygen tank strapped to your back, water is the next most important subject to discuss to improve your health and wellness. Our bodies are made up of about 70% water, unless you are Rush Limbaugh, then it’s more like 99% hot air. Being just 5% dehydrated can make you sick and being 15% dehydrated will turn you into buzzard meat.

Drinking plenty of water is essential! It may be the single most important thing you do to change your life.

Water is water - not juice, certainly not soda, sports drinks or "flavored" water, and definitely not coffee or alcohol. Those beverages don't count! Most of that junk actually dehydrates you and causes a number of disturbing health conditions that you should avoid like the plague. I'm only talking about the clear stuff and nothing else.

The first routine I recommend is to drink more water. I'm sure you've heard this before, but now is the time to start!

TIM'S WATER ROUTINE

For the next 1-2 weeks concentrate on just this simple change in your life. The following routine describes how I created a habit of drinking more water. See what works for you and your life.

Amount

Sip constantly throughout the day in between meals. Think of your water bottle like another limb, it should be attached to you the whole day. Don't worry about drinking "8 cups a day" or "1 ounce for every pound of body weight", it's too difficult to keep track of. Having water available at all times and sipping whenever you think of it should be plenty.

Bottle

On the road use either glass or stainless steel (it will probably show 10/100 steel on the label). As a last resort use a BPA free plastic bottle. Stay away from regular plastic and aluminum bottles like they are your friend's creepy uncle. Those materials leech chemicals into the water. Note that nearly all plastic bottled water at stores are the bad kind of plastic. It's best not to buy them, but if you're in a jam I'd rather see you do it rather than go without drinking any water. You can pick up a safe bottle at most large stores for only a few dollars, even Walmart now carries BPA free plastic bottles.

Source

Drinking clean water is a pet peeve of mine because tap water has been proven to be laced with over 300 cancer causing pollutants. I'll talk more about this in future steps, but if it is plausible consider investing in a water filter. By comparison it is much cheaper to purchase an in-home filter and occasional replacement cartridges than it is for any other option. Lugging bottles back from the store was a nuisance, buying individual bottles at convenience stores got expensive and dealing with water delivery was a headache. The convenience of an in-home filter is unbeatable and buying one was a turning point in the amount of water I drank.

Routine (for a 12 oz bottle):

• Drink 1 large glass upon waking (most important). Put a full bottle on your bathroom sink the night before and finish it before a shower.
• Fill 2-3 bottles and take to work, or refill your bottle 3 times at the water cooler.
• Drink 1-2 extra bottles during workout.
• Finish 2-3 bottles before bed.
• Keep 1 bottle next to bed and guzzle some if you get up to pee.

Tips:

• Take small sips consistently, not large gulps all at once.
• You should pee every hour or so.
• Urine should be clear or slightly yellow.
• Add lemon, mint leaves or decaffeinated herbal tea for taste as desired. Don't add anything else besides this, like Crystal Light.

When I leave the house I have my mental checklist, “Wallet, keys, phone.” Now I’ve added a fourth, “Water.” Get in the habit of grabbing a bottle every time you leave the house. Fill 2-3 bottles after work and make sure you finish them by bedtime. I keep them on the counter to remind me.  

That’s it! Make it your mission for the next few weeks to add this one simple change into your life. I recommend focusing on creating a hydration routine that becomes second nature to you before you continue on to Step 2 Nutrition.

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