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Glug...
Glug.... Ugh! Why So Much Water
From
eDiets - The online diet, fitness, and healthy living resource Water!
An essential element of life and a very important and critical component of any
serious weight-loss plan. The other day, I was responding to an
eDiets member, who was struggling with drinking her daily
allocation of water. I should add that this is not uncommon for those in the
process of weight loss.
For those who feel like dieting is a
punishment they must suffer for poor eating, this part of the program is often
viewed as water torture. Many people would much rather drink their soda or
juice than water, but if you are to succeed at weight loss, you must learn to
love water. That is a simple fact of weight-loss life. As I was preparing to
respond to this member, I thought I would do a little research on the topic.
Let me give you some water facts and then offer a suggestion for those of you
struggling to drink your daily water requirement.
So, join me as I offer you some ramblings
on the wonders of water...
By definition, water is a clear, odorless,
colorless and tasteless liquid. Chemically, it is a compound of hydrogen and
oxygen, and it is everywhere. As a matter of fact, according to the World
Book Encyclopedia, it is the only substance on earth that is naturally
present in three different forms -- as a liquid, a solid (ice) and as a gas
(water vapor).
Water is a common topic of conversation at
eDiets. Let me share with you an excerpt about water from our
HELP menu under the Frequently Asked Questions banner:
“How much water do I have to drink
every day, and what else can I drink? Is it possible to drink too much water?"
Because water makes up 80 percent of your
blood and brain -- and about 50 percent of the rest of your body's tissues,
water is vitally important to your good health! You can estimate how much water
you need by dividing your weight by two…the result is approximately the
amount of water you should drink each day.
Water regulates the body temperature and
aids the liver and kidneys in processing body toxins. Water is necessary for
nutrient and oxygen transport in your body, and for absorption and utilization
of vitamins and minerals. If you don't drink enough water, you can become
constipated, dehydrated and very, very ill! When you're exercising, make sure
you drink before, during and after your activity. Although you do get water
from foods and other fluids, we recommend drinking at least 8 glasses (8ozs.
each, or 64 ozs. total) of water daily. Some beverages, such as no sodium added
club soda and herbal tea may count towards your water intake, but coffee and
tea, which contain caffeine, are "dehydrating," and cannot be counted as water.
It's difficult to drink too much water,
although it is possible! Drinking too much water, or “overhydration,”
usually only occurs in an adult whose heart, kidneys and pituitary glands are
not functioning normally. A normal person would have to drink more than two
gallons of water in one day to develop “overhydration!”
Here are some other interesting facts about
water that I found on a government web page, called “Water Science For
Schools” (located at http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/earthhowmuch.html).
Just how much water is there on (and in)
the earth? Here are some numbers you can think about: The total water supply of
the world is 326 million cubic miles (a cubic mile is an imaginary cube, a
square box measuring one mile on each side). A cubic mile of water equals more
than one trillion gallons.
About 3,100 cubic miles of water, mostly in
the form of water vapor, is in the atmosphere at any one time. If it all fell
as precipitation at once, the earth would be covered with only about 1 inch of
water.
The 48 contiguous states in the U.S.
receive a total volume of about 4 cubic miles of precipitation each day.
Each day, 280 cubic miles of water
evaporate or transpire into the atmosphere. If all of the world's water was
poured on the United States, it would cover the land to a depth of 90 miles.
Of the freshwater on earth, much more is
stored in the ground than is available in lakes and rivers. More than 2,000,000
cubic miles of fresh water is stored in the earth, most within one-half mile of
the surface. Contrast that with the 60,000 cubic miles of water stored as fresh
water in lakes, inland seas, and rivers. But, if you really want to find fresh
water, the most is stored in the 7,000,000 cubic miles of water found in
glaciers and icecaps -- mainly in the polar regions and in Greenland.
The bottom line is that water is
everywhere, and it is the best friend a dieter can have. If you want to lose
weight and get healthy, you simply must escape the water torture mentality and
learn to embrace a water-drinking lifestyle. I mentioned above that I had a
suggestion for those of you struggling with drinking your daily allowance of
water. I offer it here for your consideration.
In my Monday morning meeting here at
eDiets, one of the members posted a very interesting comment about drinking
water. The moment I read it, I knew it could be helpful to others. She said
that, every time she takes a drink of water, she imagines that she is "watering
her internal seeds of change." What a great mental image to use to reinforce
the water drinking habit! So, I suggest, as you grab that vessel of water,
think of yourself as a health gardener -- watering your internal seeds of
change. I love it!! That calls for a drink -- of water that is!
Dr. John Sklare, director of the
eDiets Emotional Support Center, shares his expertise on "emotional eating"
with the eDiets community. Dr. Sklare is also the author of the eDiets Audio
Companion Program -- the powerful and innovative new offline support program
for your online eDiets program. With the current emphasis on Mind/Body medicine
and natural healing, Dr. Sklare stands firmly on the leading edge! |
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