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Water

When we were kids in school, we learned that each molecule of water is made up of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. We also learned that it was great fun to fill up our squirt guns with water, at least until the principal caught us. What we really didn't learn, however, was how much water we needed in order to be healthy human beings.

Why We Need Water

Our bodies are estimated to be about 60 to 70% water. Blood is mostly water, and our muscles, lungs, and brain all contain a lot of water. Water is needed to regulate body temperature and to provide the means for nutrients to travel to all our organs. Water also transports oxygen to our cells, removes waste, and protects our joints and organs.

Signs of Dehydration

We lose water through urination, respiration, and by sweating. If you are very active, you lose more water than if you are sedentary. Diuretics such as caffeine and alcohol cause us to lose water by tricking our bodies into thinking we have more water than we need.
Symptoms of mild dehydration include chronic pains in joints and muscles,lower back pain, headaches, and constipation. A strong odor to your urine, along with a yellow or amber color indicates that you are not getting enough water. (Note that riboflavin, a B Vitamin, will make your urine bright yellow.) Thirst is an obvious sign of dehydration and in fact, you need water long before you feel thirsty.

How Much Water To Drink

A good rule of thumb is to take your body weight in pounds and divide that number in half. That gives you the number of ounces of water per day that you need to drink. For example, if you weigh 160 pounds, you should drink at least 80 ounces of water per day. If you exercise you should drink another 8 ounce glass of water for every 20 minutes you are active. If you drink coffee or alcohol, you should drink at least an equal amount of water. When you are traveling on an airplane, it is good to drink 8 ounces of water for every hour you are on board the plane. If you live in an arid climate, you should add another 2 servings per day. As you can see, your daily need for water can add up to quite a lot.
The best source for water is plain, pure drinking water. Juices and sodas have a lot of sugar in them and aren't a good source, so if you drink them, they don't count towards your daily amount. Diet sodas aren't a good choice either. Herbal teas that aren't diuretic are fine. Sports drinks contain electrolytes and may be beneficial, just look out for added sugar and calories that you don't need.

Carry A Water Bottle

It may be difficult to drink enough water on a busy day. Be sure you have water handy at all times by keeping a bottle for water with you when you are working, traveling, or exercising. If you get bored with plain water, add a bit of lemon or lime for a touch of flavor. There are some brands of flavored water available, but some of them have sugar or artificial sweeteners which you don't need.

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10 Reasons why drinking water is good for you

1. Get healthy skin. Drinking water moisturizes your skin from the inside out. Water is essential to maintaining elasticity and suppleness and helps prevent dryness.

2. Lose weight. Increased water consumption can help you control weight by preventing you from confusing hunger with thirst. Water will also keep your body systems working properly, including metabolism and digestion, and give you the energy (and hydration) necessary for exercise.

3. Flush toxins. By helping to flush toxins, appropriate water intake lessens the burden on your kidneys and liver.

4. Reduce your risk of a heart attack. Researchers at Loma Linda University in California studied more than 20,000 healthy men and women and found that people who drink more than five glasses of water a day were less likely to die from a heart attack or heart disease than those who drank fewer than two glasses a day.

5. Cushion and lube your joints and muscles. Water makes up a large part of the fluid that lubricates and cushions your joints and muscles. Drinking water before, during, and after exercise can also help reduce muscle cramping and premature fatigue.

6. Stay regular. Water helps prevent constipation by adding fluid to the colon and bulk to stools, making bowel movements softer and easier to pass.

7. Stay hydrated, get energized, and be alert. On average, most adults lose about 10 cups of fluid a day through sweating, exhaling, urinating, and bowel movements. Even minor dehydration can cause impaired concentration, headaches, irritability, and fatigue.

8. Regulate your body temperature. Perspiration is your body's natural mechanism to control body temperature. And to sweat, you need plenty of water.

9. Reduce your risk of disease and infection Water can help prevent kidney stones and reduce your chances of getting bladder, kidney, and urinary tract infections. One study found that women who drank more than five glasses of water a day had a risk of colon cancer that was 45 percent less than those who drank two or fewer glasses a day.

10. Get well. The traditional prescription to "drink plenty of fluids" when you're sick still holds strong. Water can help control a fever, replace lost fluids, and thin out mucus.

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If you're thirsty, your body is already dehydrated, and thus the damage is being done. When a baby is born, its body is on average 86% water, but when a man dies at around age of 70-80, his body is on average only 45% water.

Lack of hydration is synonymous with cell damage and therefore the aging process.

Cells replicate as exact copies of the existing cell state, and not from an original blueprint. Therefore, less than ideal cell conditions means that with every generation of cell replication, there is a continual degradation of cell integrity - much like taking endless photocopies of photocopies. Keeping the body superhydrated gives the cells of the body a better environment to replicate more accurately. Hence why people say their skin feels more smooth etc.

Simply put, drinking lots of water slows your aging process.

This imformation was pullled from the web, I have no idea who wrote it though.

Food for thought my dears!

As Always thanks for the blog!

Getting a good night's sleep is essential for feeling refreshed and alert during the day Did you know that the average adult needs eight hours of uninterrupted sleep every night in order to maintain optimal mental and physical health? Unfortunately, not everyone is able to get the restorative eight hours they need. According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, over 40 million Americans a year will suffer from some sort or sleep disorder - many whom will go undiagnosed, or turn to over-the-counter sleep aids for relief. However, ignoring the underlying causes, or covering the symptoms with drugs usually makes the problem worse. And untreated sleep disorders can even be hazardous to your health - a British study released in September 2007 found that people who do not get enough sleep are twice as likely to die of heart disease. Luckily, through proper testing, diagnosis and care, sleep disorders can be managed and overcome.

Sleep apnea is a common disorder that can be very serious, and even life-threatening. In sleep apnea, your breathing stops or gets very shallow while you are sleeping. Each pause in breathing typically lasts 10 to 20 seconds or more. These pauses can occur 20 to 30 times or more an hour.

The most common type of sleep apnea is obstructive sleep apnea. During sleep, enough air cannot flow into your lungs through your mouth and nose, even though you try to breathe. When this happens, the amount of oxygen in your blood may drop. Normal breaths then start again with a loud snort or choking sound.

Symptoms can be quite scary - frequent waking episodes at night, usually accompanied by a feeling of “choking” or gasping for air. Significant others or roommates of those with sleep apnea often report hearing gasping, gagging, or choking sounds from their partners. The severity of this disorder makes treatment essential. Treatment may include behavioral changes, physical and mechanical devices, and in some cases, surgery.

Insomnia is a significant lack of high-quality sleep. It can be short-term or chronic. Insomnia may be caused by stress, a change in time zones or sleep schedule, poor bedtime habits, or an underlying medical or psychiatric condition.

Symptoms include:

• Difficulty falling asleep despite being tired
• Requiring sleeping pills or alcohol to fall asleep
• Awakening frequently during the night or lying awake in the middle of the night
• Awakening too early in the morning despite not feeling refreshed
• Daytime drowsiness, fatigue, and irritability

In most cases, insomnia can be helped by improving bedtime habits, relieving stress, and relaxation exercises. However, certain medications may be prescribed by your doctor if these alternative treatments do not have the desired effect.

Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a sensory disorder causing an almost irresistible urge to move the legs. The urge to move the legs is usually due to uncomfortable, tingly, or creeping sensations that occur when at rest. Movement eases the feelings, but only for a while.
RLS is not necessarily confined to your sleep time. Symptoms most often occur when you are relaxed or lying down. You may also notice small, jerky movements of the toes, feet, and legs as you are trying to fall asleep.

To determine if you have a sleep disorder, first pay attention to your sleep habits and daily routine. Whether you are trying to help yourself or planning to visit a doctor, it is helpful to record your sleep habits. Your sleep history will help you and your doctor find the cause of your sleep problems.

Keeping a sleep diary can help you identify lifestyle factors related to sleep disorders, and make it easier to discuss your daily patterns if you do decide to see a doctor or sleep specialist. A sleep diary should record all sleep-related information, including:

• time you went to bed and woke up (total sleep hours)
• quality of your sleep - times that you were awake during the night and what you did (e.g., stayed in bed with eyes closed, or got up, had a glass of milk, and meditated)
• types and amount of food, liquids, caffeine, or alcohol you consumed before bed, and times of consumption
• feelings and moods before bed ­– happiness, sadness, stress, anxiety
• drugs or medications taken, amounts taken, and times of consumption

A sleep partner can add observations to your sleep diary as well. The details can be important, and a sleep diary might reveal that your pre-bedtime behavior is thwarting your chance for a good night’s sleep. For example, a two-week sleep diary might reveal that you don’t sleep well if you have had more than two alcoholic drinks before bedtime, or that you have more trouble falling asleep on days when you haven’t exercised.

You can address most common sleep problems through lifestyle changes and improved sleep hygiene but it is important to see your doctor or a sleep specialist for a diagnosis if your sleep does not improve. A doctor who specializes in sleep problems is most skilled in diagnosing and treating sleep disorders. Sometimes sleep specialists work out of a sleep center; others are independent.

Medical professionals diagnose sleep disorders based on a number of factors including your description of symptoms, your age and gender, and your psychological and medical history. Along with your sleep diary and the answers to a sleep questionnaire, your doctor should interview you to figure out the cause of your sleeping problems. The doctor will want to rule out possible medical conditions and may want you to make behavioral and environmental changes as first steps of your treatment. In addition, your doctor may recommend any number of common tests used to diagnose sleep disorders.

What has happened to our society today? Morals, honesty and responsibility seem to have gone down the toilet! Nobody is responsible for anything anymore, everything is someone else's fault!

Why has this happened?

What can we do to fix it?

Blog your thoughts here!

As always thanks for the blog! =)

Every time a tropical storm or hurricane comes along, there is always beach erosion. I simply do not understand why people are allowed to continue to build/rebuild on the beach, knowing that with each storm they are at risk of losing everything. Every time there is a storm you see the images on the news and in the newspaper of someone's swimming pool, garage or home teetering on the edge.

It really bothers me that the Federal Government, Insurance Companies and tax payers of this county are footing the bill to bail these people out every time the waves lap at their doors. I personally think that if you have a home that close to the beach, nobody should have to bail you out. Beach side is a barrier island, the purpose of that barrier island is to protect the mainland.

And if by chance the ocean happens to claim your house, you should not be able to rebuild on that property.  

Your thoughts on this topic please?

As always, thanks for the blog!