Water – For Life and Anti-Aging!
By Donna Gates, as seen on:
I’ve been busy doing interviews (my new book on anti-aging comes out next week!) and I find that I’m commonly being asked, “What’s one simple thing I can do to look younger?”
It’s been hard for me to answer, since I’ve spent the last 5 years putting this program together, but one thing people don’t seem to understand the importance of is cellular health.
All health, beauty, stamina, strength and youthfulness, is intimately tied to how well your body is hydrated. In ancient Greek mythology, ambrosia was a substance that granted immortality to anyone who consumed it. Although it was never quite clear what this liquid “nectar” might actually be, it was very cleansing and purifying to all those who drank it or bathed in it. Hera (Juno in Roman mythology) used ambrosia to “cleanse all dirt from her fair body,” and it was believed to undo the cumulative toll of years. Its restorative attributes could turn back the hands of time.
There is really only one liquid on the planet that has the purifying reverse-the-clock qualities of ambrosia . . . and it’s water—literally, the elixir of the gods.
There are extensive health benefits that can be accomplished solely by restoring sufficient hydration levels. Many diseases have been shown to be reversed with just ordinary water, minerals and sea salt.
Most hydration cures are related to the fact that water is the primary transport system in our bodies. It carries nutrients and oxygen into the cells and waste products out. When hydration is not at an optimal level, blood turns acidic, so it thickens and becomes more condensed. As it does so, circulation decreases, there is poor oxygenation of tissue and inefficient removal of CO2 and toxins. All this creates a low-grade state of metabolic acidosis. Remember, when we’re too acidic, our bodies become dis-eased.
What’s this mean for your outer-beauty?
When toxins and waste products accumulate in our cells, the cells then deteriorate or even die. As these tissue cells die, aging results. Skin sags, hair falls out, energy drops, memory fails, hormone levels plummet, libido wanes and heart attacks and aneurysms can occur.
Further, dehydration prevents accumulations from being washed out of the cells and tissues. These accumulations, such as cholesterol, lactic-acid wastes, pyruvic crystals, or calcium, muck up the cell membranes, clog the efficient pathways of arteries and inhibit the smooth motion of the joint capsules; and thus contribute to such chronic degenerative diseases as arteriosclerosis, arthritis, gout, kidney stones and gallstones, to name a few.
Water is the substance that takes the toxins and carbon dioxide out and carries vital nutrients in. That is why it can and should be considered an anti-aging remedy!
Hydration does more than you may think:
• Water makes the skin smoother.
• Water helps reduce fatigue.
• Water makes the immune system function more efficiently.
• Water helps with weight management.
• Water helps prevent the loss of memory as we age; and reduces the risk of Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Lou Gehrig’s disease.
• Water can help offset the progression and symptoms of hormone-related health issues such as hot flashes and osteoporosis.
• Water is the main lubricant in the joint spaces and helps prevent arthritis.
• Water rids the body of toxins.
Tips to Stay Hydrated:
Staying properly hydrated is one of the best—and easiest to implement—anti-aging strategies around, but it is one we must be vigilant about.
Tip 1:
It’s important to drink regularly, not just when you “feel” thirsty. Most likely, as you grow older, your thirst sensation will completely disappear and you will not be able to recognize that your body is dehydrated. In other words, don’t depend on the symptom of a “dry mouth” to alert you to the need to drink water again. Keep a glass or bottle beside you at all times.
Tip 2:
To keep your body well hydrated, drink at least half your body weight in ounces. If you weigh 200 pounds, drink ten or more 12-ounce glasses of water per day. If you weigh 100 pounds, you need at least four or more 12-ounce glasses per day. If you are physically active or live in a warm climate, drink even more.
Tip 3:
When you wake up in the morning, immediately drink two glasses of water to rehydrate after loss of fluids during the night. You wake up dehydrated, toxic and in need of energy to start the day. It’s best to then wait at least 30 minutes before consuming other foods. Water early in the morning gets your circulation going and herds those toxins out of the body.