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Okay, we all agree. We need to stay hydrated! But for some reason, 70% of Americans still don't drink their 2-3 liters of water each day. Why is that? The most common reasons I hear from patients are that "doesn't taste good", "I'm just not that thirsty", or "I forget to drink." Sound familiar?
Let's start off with an analogy that might interest you. You've had beef jerky before, right? Jerky is dehydrated beef. It's hard, it's wrinkly and it's shriveled. If you fail to drink enough water each day, you start turning YOURSELF into jerky. Wrinkly skin and all. Not a pleasant image. And that's not all. Here are the top 7 reasons you should be "topping off your tank" regularly:
1. Boost your performance. In one hour of exercise (like tennis), you can lose 1 - 2.5 liters of water through sweat. That's a half gallon! If you weigh 150 lbs, that works out to be 4.5 lbs of fluid loss, which is 3% of your body weight! A 3% loss of body weight increases the risk of heat cramps, heat exhaustion & heat stroke, as well as drastically reducing performance.
2. Give yourself a face-lift! Drinking water replenishes sagging skin cells, which firms & hydrates the skin, smoothes wrinkles and keeps pores clear.
3. Lubricate your joints. Cartilage is the "teflon" coating in joints that prevents wear & tear. Both articular cartilage (knees, shoulders, fingers...) and fibrocartilage (meniscus, spinal discs...) are mostly water. Synovial fluid is the liquid lubricant in your joints, and is almost completely water. Skipping a couple glasses a day can cause your joints to wear out early.
4. Allergies? Just add water. Nasal & sinus congestion happens when mucus becomes too thick to drain properly. It clogs the airways, makes breathing difficult & provides an ideal breeding ground for bacteria. Drinking plenty of water during allergy season helps thin out the mucus & allows it to drain normally.
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5. Make your heart happy. Dehydration reduces blood volume, creating thicker, more concentrated blood, which stresses the heart. This also decreases the blood's ability to carry oxygen & nutrients to your cells. Staying hydrated helps keep your heart from overworking, and can reduce blood pressure.
6. Overweight? Hydrate! This one is good for several reasons. First of all, if your body doesn't get enough water, its reaction is to store the water it does have. Drinking more water stops this cycle of water retention. Also, thirst is often mistaken for hunger. Next time you have a snack attack, try drinking 8 oz of water instead. And finally, fat cells are harder to burn off when you're dehydrated.
7. Avoid brain drain. Your brain is 75% water, and even a slight dehydration can impair coordination, concentration & thinking. Missing out on water is actually draining your brain.
This list goes on and on, but the point is, getting plenty of the wet stuff each day is a ridiculously easy way to help yourself look, feel & move better. And if you're having trouble increasing your fluid intake, here are some tips that may help.
• Keeping track. Keep a 1-liter bottle with you at home & work. If you're female, drain it twice a day. Males, three times.
• Test your hydration. Your urine should be straw-colored to clear. If it's a dark yellow, you're dehydrated. NOTE: pigments in certain B vitamins can cause your urine to turn a neon yellow color. This does not necessarily mean you're dehydrated.
• Don't like the taste of water? Try juice, milk, sugar-free Kool Aid or sparkling water throughout the day. NOTE: caffeine and alcohol are both diuretics (they cause you to excrete water). If you consume either of these, make sure to drink at least twice as much water as coffee/alcohol.
Now that you know some of the wonderful benefits of Hydrogen Hydroxide (H2O), it's time to start taking advantage of them. Try drinking a little extra water, several times a day to start. It'll be easier, and you won't feel like you're forcing yourself to drink. After just one week, you'll probably see a difference!
Dr. Dan Bockmann practices at Austin Spine & Sport, a chiropractic and sports medicine clinic in Austin, TX. He can be contacted at http://www.austinspineandsport.com/. When he's not helping patients, he enjoys playing competitive beach volleyball, climbing rocks at the Greenbelt and sampling unfiltered sake on the patio.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dan_Bockmann,_D.C.
http://EzineArticles.com/?Water---Is-it-in-You?-7-Reasons-Why-it-Should-Be&id=3309944
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Making Smart and Healthy Food Shopping Decisions
By Henry Foolcap
Eating healthy starts before you sit down at the dinner table. It even starts before your cook your meal. The very first, and perhaps the most important stage of healthy eating is when you are at the grocery store or market, trying to decide which ingredients to buy for your weekly menu.
When shopping for food, it's important to keep healthy thoughts in your mind. Remember that fresh fruits, vegetables and meats are always the best choice as compared to canned and preserved varieties. In the supermarket, you can find these healthier ingredients along the sides of the store, while the center aisles are usually reserved for the canned goods.
Each type of food comes in good and bad varieties in terms of nutritional content, and it is up to you as the consumer to determine which of these products are most nutritious.
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For example, cartons of full cream milk and skim milk are lined up side by side on the shelves, and the decision as to which kind to buy relies solely on you. Of course, the answer here is obvious but for other products, you will need to closely examine the nutritional information printed on the label in order to determine which product is the better choice.
The government requires all food manufacturers to print this nutritional information at the back or sides of the food package. This information includes calorie counts, serving size, and amounts of vitamins and minerals contained in the food product. The data is very simple to read, which makes it very easy for the average consumer to compare different products.
You do have to keep in mind that the fat, sodium, calorie and cholesterol contents listed are for one serving only, which is usually just a fraction of the contents of the whole package. Never mistake those values to be reflective of the entire carton. If you expect to eat more than the recommended serving size, make the necessary computations in order to determine just how much of these not-so-healthy ingredients you will be putting into your body.
One rule of thumb for smart and healthy shopping is that foods that undergo less processing have more nutrients. If you are buying fruit juices, always choose the 100% fresh variety instead of the juice concentrates or blends. No matter how fortified with vitamins these juices may claim to be, they will still have less vitamins and minerals than the all-natural products.
Fresh meats from your local butcher are also much better than the frozen ones in the grocery store, which usually have a lot of preservatives that lessen its nutritional value.
When buying milk for adults, make sure to choose the fat-free or low-fat products, from which the unnecessary fats and calories have already been eliminated. However, whole milk is still the best choice for growing children because those fats and calories that are so hated by grownups are actually necessary for the children's growing bodies.
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When it comes to soups, the homemade variety is still the best option, but in case you do need to buy the ones in a can, select those that have the lowest sodium and fat content. You can also bring it up a notch and buy those that are high in protein as well, such as lentil or black bean soup.
Most regional cuisine is very nutritious for the body because they make use of all-natural ingredients. If you want to recreate these ethnic dishes right in your own home, make sure you follow the original recipes as much as possible by using 100% natural ingredients in your preparation.
Many people have the false notion that natural or healthy dishes have a bland taste and are quite unappetizing. However, this is not always the case. In fact, you can use a wide variety of herbs and natural flavorings to spice up your meals while also adding to the nutritional value of the dish.
You can buy these herbal seasonings in the grocery store, but make sure you keep to the ones that are low in sodium. The best way to ensure that your herbs are natural is to start your own little herbal garden. Not only will this guarantee the freshness of your seasonings, but it can save you a few dollars as well.
Article written by Henry Foolcap sub-editor of http://www.Diets-Special.com a website about Special Diets. Visit his website on a regular basis for up-to-date news and help.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Henry_Foolcap
http://EzineArticles.com/?Making-Smart-and-Healthy-Food-Shopping-Decisions&id=3413670
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