Category: Wellness

One of the goals I had this summer was to de-clutter my home. I went through all of my kitchen cupboards, closets, and medicine cabinet and removed everything that I no longer needed, hadn’t used in years, or had expired.

Taking everything out of my medicine cabinet, I looked for the expiry date (on the box or container) and if it was expired I put it in a ‘dispose of’ pile. If I couldn’t find the expiry date or remember buying it in the last few years, its fate was sealed and I added it to the pile. There was also a prescription medication I had just bought that unfortunately I had had a severe reaction to, so off it went into the ‘dispose of pile’ as well.

I was surprised to find a lot of expired over-the-counter and prescription creams, drops, liquids, and tablets dating back almost 10 years! I could have sworn that I had just bought that anti-nausea mediation for my trip to Mexico! How time flies!

I brought all the pharmaceuticals to my local pharmacy and they we’re happy to take it off my hands as they have a program to collect and safely dispose of these types of products. My pharmacist informed me that it’s important to not use expired drugs because drugs degrade over time and can become less potent, more potent, or can even change to a different chemical which may become toxic. As well, pharmaceuticals should not be flushed down the sink or the toilet as they may leach into the water table and contaminate nearby water supplies.

Rule of thumb – if you have any prescription or over-the-counter drugs that have expired or you’re no longer using, bring it to your local pharmacist for safe disposal.

The Water Formula – How Much Water Should you be Drinking?

If you’re not sure you’re drinking enough water, this blog will give you a formula to calculate how much water is ideal for you.

There is no clear-cut answer as to how much water to drink per day, because it depends upon a number of factors like your health condition, your activity status, the climatic conditions, physical size, your weight and your environment etc.

You lose quite a lot of water through sweating, exhaling and urinating. In hot weather, you tend to lose more water through sweating, in cold condition, you tend to urinate more. In the event of sickness like flu and diarrhoea, you tend to lose fluid. When you weigh more, your body needs more fluid for the muscle, organ, bone etc.

There are many recommendations advise that you drink 8 glasses (250ml/8 ounce per glass = total of approx 2 litre) of water a day.
Is drinking 8 glasses of water enough?

Remove the environmental, climatic factors and your activity level out of the equation, the amount of water intake varies according to your weight. A more accurate estimation is to drink at least half your body weight (in pounds) in ounces of water. Let’s illustrate with the following example:

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The Water Formula

You weigh 160 pounds.
160 ÷ 2 = 80 (amount of water to drink in ounce per day)
Answer: Drink 80 ounce of water per day.
(If you divide this further by 8 you will calculate the number of glasses per day.)

80 ounces ÷ 8 = 10 glasses / day
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If you are using kilograms, divide the kilograms by 30, this gives you the water to drink per day in litres. Let’s illustrate with the following example:

You weigh 75kg
75 ÷ 30 = 2.5 (amount of water to drink in litre per day)
Answer: Drink 2.5 litres of water per day.

 

Tips for Drinking Water

Spread the water out evenly throughout the day. If the amount of water is 80 ounces, spread the water out by drinking one 10-ounce glass every hour for eight hours, which is about drinking 8 glasses of water per day.
For exercise, drink 1-2 cup of water 30 minutes before exercise. It helps to replenish the fluid loss and fuel the muscle during the exercise.

Since other factors like your activity level and the environment conditions do affect your water intake, another way to know if you’re getting enough water, watch your urine. It should be light yellow colored or clear. If it is dark or strong smelling, it is time to drink more water. Also watch for other signs of dehydration such as fatigue, headaches, and difficulty concentrating. If you are thirsty, you are already dehydrated. So, “drinking 8 glasses of water” is not a fix rule for your daily water intake.

 

Read more about the benefits of drinking water here:

The functions of water in the body

Harmful effects of dehydration

The benefits of drinking water

How to calculate how much water is right for you

 

The original article can be found here.

11 Benefits of Drinking Water

Water is an amazing fluid – it helps you think better, perform better and even gives your skin and hair a healthy glow.

Here are some of benefits of drinking water.

1. Lose weight: Drinking water helps you lose weight because it flushes down the by-products of fat breakdown. Drinking water reduces hunger; it’s an effective appetite suppressant so you’ll eat less. Plus, water has zero calories.
2. Natural Remedy for Headache: Helps to relieve headache and back pains due to dehydration. Although many reasons contribute to headache, dehydration is the common one.
3. Look Younger with Healthier Skin: You’ll look younger when your skin is properly hydrated. Water helps to replenish skin tissues, moisturizes skin and increases skin elasticity.
4. Better Productivity at Work: Your brain is mostly made up of water, thus drinking water helps you think better, be more alert and more concentrated.
5. Better Exercise: Drinking water regulates your body temperature. That means you’ll feel more energetic when doing exercises. Water also helps to fuel your muscles.
6. Helps in Digestion and Constipation: Drinking water raises your metabolism because it helps in digestion. Fiber and water goes hand in hand so that you can have your daily bowel movement.
7. Less Cramps and Sprains: Proper hydration helps keep your joints and muscles lubricated, so you’ll less likely get cramps and sprains.
8. Less Likely to Get Sick and Feel Healthy: Drinking plenty of water helps fight against flu and other ailments like kidney stones and heart attack. Water infused with lemon is used for ailments like respiratory disease, intestinal problems, rheumatism and arthritis etc. In other words, one of the benefits of drinking water is that it can improve your immune system.
9. Relieves Fatigue: Water is used by the body to help flush out toxins and waste products from the body. If your body lacks water, your heart, for instance, needs to work harder to pump out the oxygenated blood to all cells. So are the rest of the vital organs, your organs will be exhausted and so will you.
10. Good Mood: Your body feels very good and that’s why you feel happy.
11. Reduce the Risk of Cancer: Related to the digestive system, some studies show that drinking a healthy amount of water may reduce the risks of bladder cancer and colon cancer. Water dilutes the concentration of cancer-causing agents in the urine and shortens the time in which they are in contact with bladder lining.

Can you see the importance of water to your body after understanding the above benefits of drinking water?

 

Read more about the benefits of drinking water here:

The functions of water in the body

Harmful effects of dehydration

The benefits of drinking water

How to calculate how much water is right for you

 

The original article can be found here.

The Harmful Effects of Dehydration

The Harmful Effects of Dehydration

Do you sometimes have headaches in the day? Do you ever feel a little fuzzy in the brain or feel fatigued? These may be signs of dehydration. So while enjoying a few glasses of water, read on to find out more about the harmful effects and symptoms of dehydration.

What does dehydration feel like?

• Tiredness

• Migraine

• Constipation

• Muscle cramps

• Irregular blood pressure

• Kidney problems

• Dry skin

• 20% dehydrated – Risk of death

 

Symptoms of Dehydration

If you are having any of the following symptoms of dehydration, it is a sign that you need more water:

• Dark Urine – Dark Yellow or Orange in Color: Urine is generally pale yellow to clear when you have sufficient water intake. Dark color or strong smell indicates that you need to drink more water.

 

• Dry Skin: Skin is the largest body organ and requires its share of water.

 

• Thirst: Thirst is the most obvious sign that you’re already dehydrated. It is always a good practice to drink more water when you are not thirsty. Don’t wait until you’re thirsty.

 

• Hunger: Most people mistake hunger for the indication to eat more, whereas in actual fact, they may be dehydrated. So before you have your meal, grab a glass of water.

 

• Fatigue: Water is a source of energy and can give you a boost!

 

Read more about the benefits of drinking water here:

The functions of water in the body

Harmful effects of dehydration

The benefits of drinking water

How to calculate how much water is right for you

 

The original article can be found here.

4 Major Functions of Water In the Body

1. Drinking a healthy amount of water is vital to your health.

By drinking a healthy amount of water, you gain tremendous health benefits, and sometimes you can even throw away your migraine medicine or pain killer.
Before we can appreciate the benefits of drinking water, let’s review the role of water in human body.

2. Functions of Water in the Body

The human body is anywhere from 55% to 78% water depending on body size. A rule of thumb, 2/3 of body is consists of water, and it is the main component of human body. Did you know that your tissues and organs are mainly made up of water? Here is the %:

• Muscle consists of 75% water
• Brain consists of 90% of water
• Bone consists of 22% of water
• Blood consists of 83% water

3. The functions of water in human body are vital.

There are several things that water does for your body:

• Transports nutrients and oxygen into cells
• Moisturizes the air in lungs
• Helps with metabolism
• Protects our vital organ
• Helps our organs to absorb nutrients better
• Regulates body temperature
• Detoxifies
• Protects and moisturizes our joints

4. Every Cell in Your Body NEEDS Water

Every cell in your body needs water from head to toe. That is why it is so important to drink enough fluid. Take for example, the brain consists of 90% water, if you do not supply enough water to your body, your brain cannot function well, and you will get a headache or a migraine. So the next time when you feel fatigue or have a headache, it may be the sign of dehydration.

 

Read more about the benefits of drinking water here:

The functions of water in the body

Harmful effects of dehydration

The benefits of drinking water

How to calculate how much water is right for you

 

The original article can be found here.

Is Drinking Water Really That Important?

Yes, Drinking enough water is vital to your health. If you want to feel well and perform to the best of your ability, your brain and body requires plenty of hydration.

I hadn’t realized just how important drinking water was for my health until I noticed the difference I felt when I started drinking enough water for me. I felt better overall: my digestion improved, I had fewer headaches, I didn’t wake up thirsty and I had a clearer mind. I now have a goal to drink between 2 – 2.5 litres of water a day.

There is a lot of good information about the importance of water for your health so I have created a four-part series. I will share information on the following topics.

Click the links below to read more!:

The functions of water in the body

Harmful effects of dehydration

The benefits of drinking water

How to calculate how much water is right for you

 

The original article can be found here.