There are a lot of commercial health drinks being flogged on the market these days, each claiming to provide the cure for a myriad of illnesses, but amidst these countless choices and hype we may be forgetting the most important, natural health drink – water.
We in our sixties are beginning to see some loss of endurance and energy and therefore fall prey to the health drink marketers. A major contributer to our loss of energy is dehydration. Many of us are do not even aware that we are dehydrated. We enjoy downing coffee, tea and sodas all of which contain caffeine. Caffeine is a diuretic that elevate the rate of urination, thus eliminating the fluids that keeps us hydrated and healthy.
Why is water so important? About 83 percent of our blood is water. Muscles are 75 percent water, while bone is 22 percent that natural fluid. Actually, a person who weighs around 150 lbs., contains 40 to 50 quarts of water. That amounts to 2/3 of our body weight being water. So we have to have water maintain our health and energy.
Aside from being completely necessary for biological processes, drinking the recommended 6 to 8 glasses of water a day will result in significant health improvements. It will not only improve our energy. It will increase our mental and physical performance, remove toxins and other waste products from our bodies.
We are at an age that, due to all the jokes and TV commercials, we are concerned about the loss of memory. It is a fact that the lack of sufficient water intake effects on our memory and ability to concentrate. It effects our short-term memory resulting in trouble with basic math and difficulty focusing on what we have in front of us – our computer screen.
There are some added bonuses in this natural elixir. Drinking sufficient water helps us get that glowing and healthy-looking skin we desire. Water also acts as a natural body purifier disposing the toxins out of your body. There are even studies citing water intake as an important factor in weight loss. When a body does not have enough water, the fat cells cannot be easily metabolized. This “rubber-like” fat cell is harder to lose. Water can also suppress hunger. There is some research to show that drinking the recommended 6 to 8 glasses of water a day can also bring relief from back and joint pain.
To keep the body hydrated, we do not have to drink from our bottle of water bottle every time. Many foods, especially fruits can a source of as much as 20 percent of our total water intake. Oranges are 87 percent water and are, when eaten, a great source of fiber.
We people of the 60s, even though we are now in our 60s, are back to basics folk. Water has been the natural health drink of our ancient ancestors, and it ought to be ours as well. Here’s to your health – I am downing a cool glass of water.