The Powerful Impact of Water On Your Health
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Ever since I can remember I have been passionate about health and wellness. I have become certified and have studied many things: from food and detox to strength training and supplementation. The one area that I never considered, and is completely obvious to me now, is WATER.
Water may seem like a silly thing to study. What’s the big deal? We get thirsty, we drink water. End of story, right? Not so fast.
Our bodies consist of more than 70% water and our brains are made up of approximately 80%. I would argue that how much and the type of water that we are putting in our bodies may be the most important component of our health, vitality and longevity.
Why is hydration important and how much water should we be drinking?
Being hydrated (or dehydrated) can affect our lymph, our blood and every aspect of our body. It can also affect our blood pressure, diabetes, headaches, digestion, joints, energy, skin, hormones, our organs and our body temperature.
Here are some tips for adding more water into your daily routine:
-Drink a glass of water first thing in the morning (I try to to do this before my feet hit the floor).
-Add berries, lemon, mint or cucumber slices to spruce it up.
-Have a marked, glass, water bottle that you want to finish by the end of the day.
-Eat hydrating foods: cucumber, watermelon, soups, smoothies, decaf tea (sorry friends, coffee does not count!)
Women should be drinking 80 ounces/per day at a minimum for basic functions.
Once I started researching about the importance of water, I started thinking about the negative effects that it could possibly be having on us as well. That is when I went down the rabbit hole of what is in our water, how it could be hurting our health and what the solution could be.
What is lurking in our water and how could it be harming our health?!
I could write an entire blog on the hidden things in our water (and maybe I will in the future) but here is a quick list:
-PFAS (Forever Chemicals)
-Pharmaceuticals
-Pesticides/Herbicides/Glyphosate
-Arsenic
-Bacteria and Viruses
-Lead
-Disinfectant Products
-Trihalomethanes
-Haloacetic Acids
…and more!
These things have not only been linked to cancer (testicular, kidney, prostate, childhood leukemia, and ovarian) but also to thyroid & hormonal imbalances, decreased immune function, liver damage, reproductive issues, increased cholesterol levels, increased uric acid, allergies, digestive issues and more.
So, what do we do? What is the solution?
The best solution that I could find is to get a good water filter.
If you do not have a filter, you are the filter!
That seems easy enough, until you discover that the filter market itself is very dubious.
Here are some things to consider when researching a filter:
First of all, you want your filter to be NSF Certified True NSF testing and certification involves multiple stages and criteria for drinking water treatment systems. Please note that “certified to NSF Standards” is not the same thing! Also, how many gallons of water is your filter certified for?
Another trick to be on the lookout for it that some filters are certified in the aesthetic of something but they don’t actually remove the harmful chemical. For example, one can be certified in removing the taste and smell of chlorine without actually removing the chlorine.
Something else to consider is the housing material (what is your filter being held in?). Is your filter being surrounded by plastic?! Seems like it kind of defeats the purpose. (And what about those refrigerator filters that have no testing, are cased in plastic and are most likely harboring mold…eeek!)
And of course, we want to consider the cost. How often do you have to change your filter? Do you have to replace the housing? Do you have to pay someone to come and install it?
Here is the one filter company that I found that checked off every box. Be sure to message me for my discount code.
What are your thoughts?
Alright friends, I think that is more than enough information for now. I feel like this can be an overwhelming topic when you start thinking about it (we didn’t even talk about plastic bottles. Next time!). Just remember that with knowledge comes power. Once you know, you can make informed choices to protect your health and the health of your kiddos (fur babies!).
Now tell me, is all of this water information something that you were already aware of? What surprises you the most?
Please share in the comments and have a beautiful & healthy day.
