My Marathon Countdown: 13 Days!

I live in a semi-desert area with very little humidity or rainfall. It’s also at a pretty high altitude. The combination of the two means I need to drink a LOT of water to keep healthy.

I noticed shortly after we moved here that I was always tired. After doing some research I realized it was probably due to dehydration. Now I find that if I keep up with a minimum of 2 litres of water each day (with a little raw sea-salt added to keep me from getting hyponatremia) I feel a whole lot better.

Why Drink Water?

Here are some sites that talk about the benefits of water. Check them out:

• 10 Health Related Benefits of Water
• The Water Cure
• Health Benefits of Water

Here’s an interesting fact about Water vs. Pop or Soda from ediets.com:

A 12-ounce can of Coca-Cola packs 140 calories and 39 grams of carbs. If you have one can a day, as an afternoon pick-me-up, with dinner or any other time, over the course of the year that adds up to over 51,000 calories — that’s roughly 14 pounds!

How Much Water?

So, how much water SHOULD you drink? Well it varies from person to person. Here are a couple of sites that could help you figure it out for yourself – you’ll probably be surprised to find out how much water you really need to drink!

• Water Calculator

Do I Need More Water When I Exercise?

If you exercise, you’ll need to increase your water intake. Here’s a quick test that shows you how much you’ll need to drink:

• Self Hydration Test

How Should You Drink Water?

• Start with very cold water (it will burn more calories!)
• Take a mouthful, and swig it around in your mouth to warm it up (so it doesn’t “shock” your system and to mix it with saliva and enzymes)
• Swallow. Do this with 5-10 mouthfuls every hour (remember your timer!)

What Kind of Water?

There’s a big debate about what kind of water to drink. Most of it is somehow influenced by marketing – Bottled Water Companies, Water Filter Companies, etc. So, here’s the conclusion that I have come to: because of the high cost of bottled water, and the chance of contamination (and often gross taste) of tap water, I choose to boil my water, and then filter it through a standard filtering jug. I then use that water to fill up my own water bottles every day.

How to Drink More Water Every Day

Here’s a great article on helping yourself drink more water: How to Drink More Water Every Day

And that’s it for today. Go grab a glass of water and get started on your hydration!

Darlene