“When the well is dry, we know the worth of water.”
~Benjamin Franklin
I am a firm believer that water is the answer to most things:
- Dealing with an afternoon slump – drink more water.
- Want to lose weight – drink more water.
- Constipated – drink more water.
- Food cravings – drink more water.
- Ever had kidney stones? If so, then you know … drink more water!!
While water is vital to our life, many people are not getting an adequate intake.
According to the CDC (1) :
- 7% of adults reported not drinking any water in a day and only
- 22% of adults reported drinking >8 cups/day
Many of us walk around chronically dehydrated, not recognizing that symptoms we mistake for something else are really just dehydration. Stop to think about waking up in the morning. If you are like most, you wake-up, brush your teeth and then head to the kitchen to make that first cup of coffee. You then go through your day, feeling all the blood sugar highs/lows, afternoon comes around and you reach for another cup of caffeine to get you through. I encourage you to examine your daily routine and with some perspective, observe your normal patterns.
Quantity Matters
If your morning routine is similar to the one mentioned above, I propose a new consideration – start your morning with water first, before you eat or drink anything else. Simple, right?! Start your day filling up the dehydration gap that occurred while you sleep. I like to start my day with the mental image of balance, not net zero (which is what happens if you do not start your day hydrated).
My first drink of the day is 24oz of LMNT salt to help rehydrate my body. I then follow with another 8oz of water as that is what feels right to me. With a liter on board I feel like I can tackle my day – knowing that I started off on the right foot. I am more balanced, making healthier food choices, and have a more honest relationship with caffeine. Most often I find I don’t need caffeine when I am well hydrated. Other suggestions for your morning water:
- Lemon chia seed water – mix 1TB of chia seeds + 1/2 lemon and let sit for ~10 minutes and enjoy. There are many benefits to chia seeds (future post to come!)
- Lemon water – my old standby. Prior to my LMNT packs I would add 1/2 a lemon to 16oz of warm water as a digestive way to start my day.
- Magnesium water – I like 2tsp of Calm Magnesium in 16oz of warm water. Magnesium has a weath of benefits, starting with managing your cortisol levels and decreasing your stress response. It makes for a nice way to start your morning!
Quality Matters
If within you budget: filter ANY water you drink. As a city dweller for 20+ years I have always used filters at home for my drinking water, but it was not until I did a deep home detox years ago that I switched to a whole house filtration system. It is intuitive, but also backed by science (2,3), that your skin absorbs the chemicals found in water. When you think about your total body exposure to toxic chemicals, it makes sense, if you are in a position to do so, to invest in a water filtration system. They usually range from 1K up, however when you average out the cost per water use/day it comes down to pennies.
Regarding drinking water, there are many products on the market, however the ONLY water filter I would consider using for drinking is Zero Water. To my knowledge, it is the only product on the market that completely eliminates PFAs, which in my opinion are the most dangerous contaminant.I have tested other reputable water filters and was shocked to see they did not effectively eliminate PFAs. However, when testing Zero Water, the readings were zero. We love our filter so much that we actually travel with it when visiting friends or family that do not have well water or water filtration systems. Affordable and effective!
Last Tips…
A final note, if a filtration system of any kind is not available to you, then I highly recommend reaching out to your local water company and ask them to test your water. Most cities and states have programs to do this, and it will give you a more clear picture of what you are drinking.
This is just a brief overview on my water philosophy. On future posts we will dive deeper into each section, but I hope you leave inspired to:
a.) re-examine your morning habits, and
b.) research your own water supply.
Addendum:
January 2025, Richmond City faced a water crisis that spanned over 5 days. Without warning, residents were told we had no water, and as this was the middle of winter, and during a week of snow the implications were far reaching. Stores ran out of water immediately, no showers, no sanitation. The laundry piled up, dishes ran out, and we resorted to melting ice to drink, and snow to flush toilets. Granted this crisis was short-lived and within the week we all had clean drinking water again. However, the lessons learned will stick with me.
I have traveled extensively to countries without running water, however this was the first time I had to face an inconvenience on this scale at home. Coupled with working in a hospital, facing the logistical complexity there, the “command station” meetings and decisions felt eerily similar to the outset of the COVID 19 pandemic.
Throughout this experience though I was reminded of the sense of community. As a city we were in this together. No amount of money could create more water. From that perspective, my family was living like kings – we had each other, we had a fridge full of food, and we had the resources to drive out of the city for necessary items. When our heat went out, we leaned on the warm clothes we already had in our closets. So much to be grateful for.
I endeavor to be more prepared – if/when – another water emergency occurs. To do so I will be purchasing these BPA free water containers. I plan to keep them in my basement and if there is even an inkling of a water issue, I will fill them up. I also plan to ensure we keep some paper items in our house (in the event of not having dishes) as well water stored in glass bottles.
Water is our most valuable resource. We cannot put a price on water – it is life giving, and life sustaining. This week reminded me that while filtered water is preferable, simply having drinking water is a luxury to not be taken for granted. We are so blessed in the US to have resources such as clean water and I endeavor maintain a posture of gratitude for this blessing.
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References:
1 Goodman, AB. et al. Behaviors and Attitudes Associated With Low Drinking Water Intake Among US Adults, Food Attitudes and Behaviors Survey, 2007. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5888/pcd10.120248
2 Brown, H., Bishop, D., Rowan, C. The role of skin absorption as a route of exposure for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in drinking water. Am Journal of Public Health, 1984. DOI: doi: 10.2105/ajph.74.5.479
3 Baken, K. et al. Toxicological risk assessment and prioritization of drinking water relevant contaminants of emerging concern. Environmental International, 2018. DOI: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412018302721?via%3Dihub
