Perfect Poise, Perfect Life
Bring your body into balance and revolutionise your life
By Noel Kingsley
Publisher Hodder Mobius
AVAILABLE HERE

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Supple, youthful skin

I've never considered myself as a dehydrated person; given the quantity of water I usually drink on a daily basis is probably around 2 litres a day. Whenever I feel tired during the day I have a glass of water and that usually puts me to rights unless I am lacking normal sleep. A glass of water also calms me down, clears my head and gives me energy.

But I have been experimenting with drinking larger amounts of water, around 3-4 litres a day and it's surprising how infrequently I need to visit a bathroom as my body absorbs more into the system. Just as when I discover a plant that I've forgotten to water for a couple of weeks and the soil is all dried up, by giving it just a small amount of water on the top soil it drains out the bottom instantly; but if I drip feed it with regular small amounts of water it soon be able to take a cup of water and retain it. It seems my body is similar; if I'm dehydrated water passes right through me, but with time more and more stays in the system.

increased hydration makes us heavier and given that our bodies are 80% water, it's important to keep topped up to the proper level. Indeed, I have been on a food diet to lose weight recently and can claim to be 8lb lighter than I was a month ago but I think my water level has probably increased too so the difference in 'fat weight' is not so evident.......Except that I look and feel better!!

As I mentioned, I have never considered myself as dehydrated but now with such changes I think that I must have been. My skin looks clearer and more lively and my complexion is more 'baby-like' ....oh yes it does! If I pinch the skin on the back of my hand and then let it go, it returns to normal instantly but if we're dehydrated the mark of the 'pinch' shows itself for more than a second. Try it.

There are dangers with drinking too much water. An athlete died after completing the London Marathon this year from sodium deficiency as a consequence of drinking too much water during the race. When we are exerting ourselves to such a degree we have a very great loss of salt in the body through sweating and to drink too much water without attending to our sodium needs is highly dangerous, so beware. But in normal living (when we are not exerting) we can still lose water through perspiration and by drinking tea, coffee, alcohol, soft drinks that act as diuretics that reduce our water absorption, even in winter.

Drinking more still water can help us in so many ways and can also reduce the symptoms of arthritis, stiffness in joints; we can feel even loser and freer. I find it helpful to have the water warmed so that it is tepid, particularly in this cold weather as to drink chilled still water can cause us to feel very cold inside; but warmed it is OK.

It is very pleasing to experience changes in my physique, mental health, energy and surprisingly in my complexion too. It is not my intention to try and pass myself off as younger than my years, but it's nice to feel that time and age is not getting its own way on me completely and even by using the Alexander Technique to help make the most of myself, it is still possible to do even more to help make the period I'm around on this spinning planet, a healthy and happy one!

Posted by Noël on December 17, 2007 9:51 AM | Permalink