Water is water…or is it? I used to think so!

    It's common knowledge that our bodies are made of mostly water. We need it to survive. We can live weeks without food, but only a few days without water. Every day our bodies lose water (on an average, 2 quarts/day) through normal body functions like breathing, perspiration and urination. If you live a more active lifestyle, you lose more on a daily basis than those who are more sedentary. Our body needs water for so many reasons; most importantly, so our organs will function properly, our joints will move freely, and our immune system will continue to keep us healthy. So when we're properly hydrated, things go smoothly. We can even see better weight loss results. What happens when we don't replace the water we've lost? Our body is smart enough to hold on to what we have and ration it to the parts of the body that need it most. Still, that means there are parts of our body that suffer when we don't hydrate ourselves daily. That's why many of our ailments can be traced to dehydration.

I know I should drink more water. I've even done the calculations for the recommended amount of water I should be drinking daily. It's not a definite, but a suggested start is your body weight in pounds, divided by 2; that gives you the amount in ounces of water to drink per day. I already know I don't drink as much as I should. Now that it's winter time, it's more evident in how dry my skin and scalp feels, and in the mornings, I wake up with dry eyes and nasal passages. It drives me crazy! So…I should just drink more water, right? Well, yes, but not just any water. I know you're probably thinking water is water. I used to think the same thing until my eyes were opened. One of my coworkers lent me a book called "The Seven Pillars of Health" by Don Colbert, MD. The first pillar is water and the points he shared really stuck with me. I won't get into too many specifics, but I hope this information will lead you to search for more.

Most of us know that there are many harmful chemicals in regular tap water. How many times do you see some fancy filter at someone's home, either on their faucet or in the fridge as part of a pitcher? Because of this, bottled water has become a part of our lives. Everywhere you go, someone is carrying around a bottle of water they've bought at the local grocery store or gas station. I am one of them, but I found out all bottled water isn't created equal, and just because it's bottled doesn't mean it's good for you. Did you know that some famous brands of bottled water are simply filtered tap water? And most are very acidic, which hurts, more than helps your body. This is the part of water I never knew about until I started reading more. Not only do our bodies love water, but our internal organs function best in an alkaline environment. When our bodies are acidic, we are out of balance and this leads to the same issues we can have when we simply aren't hydrated. Too much acid in our bodies affects the calcium in our bones, our circulation, digestion, cell function, and overall quality of life. This means we need to keep our insides at a pH greater than 7. Our highly acidic diets and daily stresses usually help to keep us more acidic, which is why we have to do more to reverse that. There are full alkaline diets, which I may try in a later blog, but for now, I will stick with changing the water I drink.

When I first learned about the importance of alkaline water, I decided to search for water with a higher pH. I'd read somewhere else that it was best to look for a pH of 8 or greater. I was pleased to find that there are brands out there that list their pH right on the bottle. I realized this around October of last year and started incorporating the "better" water into my daily routine, but not consistently. I still kept my "go-to" brand simply because I could buy it from just about anywhere. Convenient is not always better, however. Anyhow, even with the slight change, I felt that I had more energy and even my skin looked better. Later, in late November, I decided to go back to strictly more acidic water to really note the changes, if any. Within a week, I felt more sluggish, my fingernails were splitting more often, and that's also when I noticed how dry I felt in the mornings. I knew overall I didn't consistently drink as much water as I should, but I always had at least a liter a day, so I think there was more to it than just the amount of my intake.

I went out a few weeks ago to search for alkaline brands of water to see if it's become more convenient to purchase. I was happy to see that most local grocery stores in my area carry at least one brand. I'm going to stick to 1-2 brands during these next few weeks. The two I've found to be high in pH and easy to find near me are Acqua Panna (pH 8.19) and Essentia (pH 9.5). I've listed links to more technical information on both brands at the end of this entry, if you're interested. Of course my goal is not only to drink more alkaline water, but also to just drink more, so this is like 2 challenges in one. Because of my calculations, I know I need at least 2 liters of water a day to stay properly hydrated. However, because I work out frequently, I need even more. I'll start slow and try to get to 2.5 liters by the end of the first week. I almost forgot to mention that our food does provide us with some water as well. Fruits and vegetables are the place to start, but you can do an internet search to find other water-rich foods.

I checked my body's pH over the past couple of days and I average around 6.3, so I'm slightly acidic. Let's see how these waters will help. I'm excited about the possibilities! Feel better, AND lose weight? WOW! J

Thanks again for sharing my journey. Have a great week!

 

Acqua Panna Quality Report- http://www.nestle-watersna.com/pdf/AP_BWQR.pdf

Essentia Water Technical Information- http://www.essentiawater.com/techletter3-01-03.pdf

Welcome to My Journey!

Hello! First, let me introduce myself. I am not much different than the majority of you reading this blog right now. I am a working individual on a quest to live healthier and incorporate as many natural products and ingredients into my life as I possibly can. I've started this blog because I've spoken to many others who are also curious about this lifestyle change. I want to share my experience in the hopes that it will help someone get there quicker.

Why did I start in the first place? That's a longer story that I will cover in more detail in a later post, but here's a little info. Since maybe 4^th or 5^th grade, I have had my hair chemically straightened. I don't know why my mother started, but it became the norm for me. Last year in June, I decided I no longer wanted to use harsh chemicals on my hair. July 1, 2009, I went to the salon and got my hair cut very short, removing the hair that was still treated with chemicals. Since then, I've experimented with various products and techniques to style my hair and found that natural is simply easier and healthier. I've also recently become more consistent with my diet and exercise in an effort to lose weight and live an overall healthy lifestyle. This, along with my hair has piqued my interest in living naturally in all or most areas of my life. So here we are now.

The Current Me

I realize that since you don't know me from a can of paint, you have no idea what benefit I will gain from transitioning to a natural lifestyle, or if my journey is even worth it. So I need to tell you a little more about me in my current state. I am a single, never been married, healthcare professional who lives in the Northern Virginia area. I keep myself pretty busy between my occupation, my church, and my social life. Typically 4 of 5 weekday evenings, I have set activities that are not easily changed.

I would describe myself as a "fairly healthy" individual. Since I work in healthcare, I know what's right, but I can't say I always adhere to it. I have a sweet tooth that just won't quit! All of that sugar landed me with a few extra pounds that I finally decided had to go earlier last year. Since May 2010, I have been working with a personal trainer and I am really pleased. I am not at my final goal, but I have improved in so many ways. My energy level has increased, as did my strength. I am much more consistent in my diet and exercise routine. I have also lost most of the pounds my sweet tooth added. I typically plan my menu for the week on Saturday or Sunday so that I can be more conscious of what I am putting into my body. I try not to go to the grocery store hungry because that just helps me pick up extra items I do not need. I don't eat fruits and veggies every day, but I am doing better about reducing the number of processed foods I eat on a daily basis. My coworkers order out for lunch often, so I cook my meals on Sunday evening. This helps me have something to bring to work for lunch and I'll be less tempted to look at the mostly unhealthy, unnatural options on the menu. I take a multivitamin everyday; omega-3 capsules, and supplemental magnesium at the suggestion of my trainer. I get asked often about what vitamins are best to take. It really does depend on the individual, but for a general overview, I found Vitamins and You by Dr Oz, to be very helpful. As my journey continues, I may tweak my vitamin intake as well. I drink 40-60 ounces of water a day. It is recommended for someone of my weight to drink about 65 ounces per day, so I'm just about there.

As for other areas of my life, I usually don't consider natural products. Not because I don't want to, but I just never took the time to think about it, until I stopped using a relaxer on my hair. I have increased the number of natural products I use on my hair, but I'm still experimenting to find out what will work best for me. Until then, my hair and skin regimen consists of many well-known items that use chemicals I probably want to stay away from. Any other categories, like household cleaning products, I haven't even given it a thought to use natural products, until now.

So that's me in a nutshell as it pertains to my "natural life" so far. I'm excited to see what will come of this quest. What should you expect from me? Every 2-4 weeks I will explore a new natural product or technique and update you on how it's affected me. I will attempt to blog every week on my progress as well as my research on new things to try. I do this in a quest to live a life that's natural at least 75% of the time. Will I strive for more? YES! However, I don't want to make too lofty of a goal. I want this blog to be interactive as well, so please feel free to offer suggestions and if possible, I will try it. Results will vary, so please be mindful of this if you choose to try any of the same products. This blog is about me and my personal quest to live natural; please consider your current health status before engaging in any of these products.

Remember, with my experimentation, I want to help you, so please tell me if you do so and how it's influenced you. Again, welcome to my journey, enjoy the ride! Have a great week!