The Water Cure

What is the difference between a plum and a prune? Water! A plum is firm, juicy and smooth. But take that same plum, remove its juice and it becomes a shriveled, dry, wrinkled up prune. A similar thing happens to you if you don't drink enough water. Think about the difference between the young and the elderly. Many elderly people are dehydrated, which accounts for dry, wrinkling skin and flat, shapeless muscles. In contrast, younger people are flexible, their skin is dewy, and they have firm muscles. Unless you keep yourself well hydrated, you will eventually "prune up". You lose up to 10 cups of water every day through urination, sweating, and even breathing! You need water to help you think clearly and to remember (your brain is approximately 80% water). You also need it to cushion your joints and protect them against injury. In fact, in the book "The Body's Many Cries for Water" by Dr. F. Batmanghelidj, the doctor said that a primary cause of joint diseases, arthritic pain, and back pain is chronic dehydration - because the fluid between your joints is decreased, bone begins to rub again bone, causing the joint or disc to wear out faster. Or it causes the bone to grind against nerves, causing pain. In addition to cushioning your joints, water is needed to convert food into energy, eliminate waste, and maintain a healthy weight. Drinking adequate water ensures that your liver supports your fat burning process because it produces bile, which is needed for fat digestion. Your liver is a backup organ for the kidneys, and the kidneys must have water to filter your blood. If they don't get it, the liver must assist - which means it has less time to help with fat breakdown. Give the kidneys plenty of water to do their job, so the liver can concentrate on doing its task. So what is the ideal amount of water to drink? The following are some recommendations, but please get advice from your personal physician if you have any existing kidney, heart, or other disease before increasing your water intake. According to Dr. Batmanghelidj, it is recommended that you "drink one ounce of water for every two pounds of body weight." So if you weigh 160 pounds, you need 80 ounces of water, or 10 eight-ounce cups of water each day. Drink it regularly throughout the day. In addition, Dr. Batmanghelidj recommends that you drink one and one half additional ounces of water for every ounce of beverage you consume containing caffeine, carbonation or alcohol. Drinking extra water after caffeine-containing beverages and alcohol is recommended because they dehydrate your body. Also, eating sugar makes your blood syrupy and eating excess salt makes your blood like the Dead Sea. Both of these make your heart have to pump harder to get the blood flowing, which contributes to high blood pressure and joint pain. If you do eat food high in salt and sugar, be sure to drink a glass of water 1/2 hour before and 1/2 hour after to help dilute your blood to help it flow more freely. If you currently do not drink the recommended amount of water, then simply add an extra cup each day until you reach your recommended amount - then stay there each day. Over 50 years ago, Dr. Olaf Michelsen wrote, "It is more important to get adequate water every day than getting enough calories."  This makes sense when you consider that you can live only about 3 days without water, but over 30 days without food! Drinking water is a great discipline that also reminds you of your constant need for God. You can't say, "Well I drank water yesterday so I should be fine today." You need a constant supply of fresh water to function at your best. And so you need God in the same way: John 7:38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." Jeremiah 2:13 "For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, And hewn themselves cisterns--broken cisterns that can hold no water." So make a commitment to refresh yourself with spiritual and physical water and your life will overflow with benefits! Be blessed with health, healing, and wholeness, Kimberly Taylor Author/Christian Life Coach of the Take Back Your Temple program P.S. When it comes to weight loss, do you often know what you should do but have a hard time doing it? I struggled with this issue on my own weight loss journey, but I discovered that “Nothing is different until you think differently.” The value of the Take Back Your Temple program is that you will learn how to think differently through using Biblical keys to overcome obstacles. You’ll discover how to win the Spiritual and mental battle that often causes us to become inconsistent and get off-track on our weight loss journey. Join a community of like-minded Christians losing weight and keep it off. Click here to learn more about the Take Back Your Temple program