Water, water everywhere and a lot of it to drink!

This summer's first heat wave is upon us, which brings me to blog about one of my favorite subjects...water! I love to swim in it, I feel privileged to be able to shower in it and to get it from the tap or the store to drink (privileged by living in this part of the country and the world, that is). As equally important, everyday, and especially when it is this hot, we need to remember to hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.  How much is dependent upon each person's "bio-individuality", age and medical status. The 6-8 glasses a day benchmark is good, but may not apply to everyone. Some need more, some need less. On hot days where we are perspiring or when we are just more active overall, we will need more to replace what we are losing. What is indisputable however, is water's importance in our bodies alike. Our human bodies are made of mostly of water. Our brains are primarily made of water. Our bones, our tissues need this vital element. Without it, we may feel lethargic, get headaches or migraines, have higher blood pressure, poor digestion, our voices may get hoarse, we have more breakouts or wrinkles on our skin, have sluggish thinking or even worse, become chronically or acutely dehydrated. We also accumulate too many toxins if we are not able to flush our kidneys and bladders with enough water. Don't believe me? Try a small experiment and see how you feel when you do not drink it. Take note of the differences. Most likely, we can all use the simple tip to drink MORE of it, no matter where we are in our intake.  Many of us also drink things which are actually dehydrating or astringent, like teas, coffees, caffeinated sodas, alcohol, and other beverages. Some foods will also dehydrate our bodies. If you do, than drink more water than you do after you have these types of drinks (such as 2 cups of water for each cup of coffee). Another tip is to not think of water as a secondary beverage, but make it the first thing you reach for before these other ones. Keep a glass by your bed, and drink it upon waking (plain or with fresh lemon is even better for a nice detox!). Whether you prefer it cool or warm is up to your own body, and the health reasons behind that may differ. If you are hungry during the day first try drinking a glass of water as it may deter your hunger if you are trying to lose or maintain weight, but more importantly, it may just be that your body is thirsty, but you are mistaking it for hunger. This is quite common. Feel tired? Drink some water for a pick-me-up, before going for the Starbucks run. Keep some with you wherever you go! Do you think of water as "not as cool" to drink, or not as "sexy" as some of the advertised, packaged beverages out there? Oh, but it is! Remember that water and fresh juices were made  perfectly for your body. Your body does not recognize soda or sugary flavor waters as a nutritional need to keep you healthy. In fact, on the contrary, those do quite a bit of harm. That is not cool or sexy at all. An easy recommendation is to drink the best quality water you can find, and one that reacts well with your own body (as we all react differently or feel differently with different types). I prefer glass containers to plastic or metal. Looking for a way to imbibe more of this precious commodity? Maybe you say you do not even like the taste of water...Well, try this...Add a squeeze or some organic lemon, lime, orange slices to your water. I found a recipe a few years back called "Sassy Water." (Unfortunately I cannot give credit because I cannot recall who it was, my apologies!). It is now our summer favorite. Make it by adding slices of organic lemon, cucumber, a piece of ginger root and some mint leaves to a large glass jug of water and let it sit for a while. The taste is refreshing and charged with nutrients! Other things you can add to water for flavor are fresh juices, parlsey or other herbs, fruits, berries and balls of melons, or  some "Pom" pomegranate juice (we like to make "Fizzy water" at home as well with this, and some slightly carbonated, non-sodium, water, and slices of lime. Yum!). Water is cooling, as are these additions. Eating water-loaded fresh fruits and vegetables that agree with your own body is another excellent way to get extra water, but do not rely on that alone. You still need to drink the good old H2O. Try new recipes of your own. Drink it plain if you'd like. Have fun with it. Think like a child when you played in the bath, in a river or beach, water park, and splashed in it. Whatever you do, wherever you are--just drink it and enjoy it and have a happy summer kick off!