Drink up!

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Why drinking 3l of water a day is a good idea

How many times have you heard that you should be drinking more water?
I know I don’t tend to drink enough water, so this year as part of my Year of Self Care I’m going to be making much more of an effort to get this right.

Why?

It’s good for me and as such I should be trying, right?

Right!

I’ve been told all my life that drinking enough water is important, and I’ve always accepted this, but what difference will it make and how much is enough?

The amount recommended varies a bit, but from what I’ve read 3 litres or a little over 5 pints seems about right for me. So, why is it important? Obviously drinking water is super important to keep us alive – we can only go a few days without drinking before we die, but we don’t NEED 3 litres. However, by keeping ourselves properly hydrated (not just hydrated enough to function) we support our bodies in lots of different ways.

Skin is the largest organ in the human body and is also the part of ourselves that we show to the world. Properly hydrated skin looks (and is) healthier. It looks brighter and clearer because it’s more likely to be able to fight of the bacteria that cause infection and spots. It also looks plumper meaning that those fine lines and wrinkles are much less visible.

Digestion is improved. This has a number of benefits including helping our gut bacteria thrive and keeping our stools soft, stopping uncomfortable constipation. Flushing our bodies with plenty of clean water helps our kidneys and liver by moving toxins through and keeping things diluted so issues like kidney stones are less likely.

Immune systems work better when the body is balanced. Particularly at the moment, we are all thinking about how we can boost our immune systems to work as efficiently as possible. Keeping your body topped up with water means that it has the best chance to fight infections.

Pain reduction is supported by drinking enough. As well as relieving headaches and clearing cramps your body is sensitive to imbalances and the way it talks to you is often through pain and discomfort. Keep it happy by keeping your fluids up.

Drinking enough water makes you look better, be healthier and feel better – it’s a no brainer! So what’s stopping me from drinking enough?

Partly it’s drinking the wrong things. Caffeine and alcohol are dehydrating. I’m not saying that if all you drank was booze and coffee that you would turn into a desiccated husk, but they are not giving you the best levels of hydration. You know that awful headache that you get after a less than sober night – dehydration!

Partly it’s that water can be a bit boring. I’m always more tempted by a fizzy pop or a cup of coffee, but they often contain that pesky caffeine as well a containing sugars which also lead to messing up your body chemistry. Try swapping out these types of drinks with no added sugar squashes or herbal teas.

Partly it’s about being organised. If you struggle to drink enough, try setting an alarm for every hour to remind you to have a drink. It’s much better for you to keep regularly hydrated throughout the day than to neck several pints in one go. Make sure that whatever you are doing you have access to healthy fluids and drink them regularly.

This is literally one of the most basic elements of Self Care, and yet so many people are getting it wrong. I’m going to make much more of an effort to turn this into an every day habit to take care of my body and would love to know what you drink, how you keep yourself motivated to maintain your hydration and any tricks or tips you have….let raise a glass and help one another….Cheers!

Self Care Advent Calendar Day 2

On the second day of the advent calendar we will continue our steps of basic self care.

Having read day 1, you should already be up, clean and dressed. Now we need to make sure you are fed and watered!

I’m a firm believer in food as medicine. Your body is a machine – a beautiful, complex, wonderful machine. In order for it to work well, it needs the right fuel inside of it. It needs enough to work well, but not so much that it becomes overladen. If you give your body the right fuel it has a much better chance of working the way it should.

So start your day right. Have a scrumptious, healthy breakfast.

It’s not for me to tell you what is best for you – maybe it’s bacon and eggs, maybe avocado on toast, maybe it’s a bowl of porridge – what ever it is, make sure it’s something tasty which will give you the fuel you need to have a great day.

If you are overweight, self care involves changing that. I’m not suggesting that you suddenly go on a crash diet, but making healthy choices and reducing your portion size will gently reduce your weight and make you feel better. I’m not talking about feeling bad about being overweight – you should love and appreciate your body whatever size or shape it is – but you will help it to work at it’s best if you are not overweight.

If you are underweight, self care involves changing that. Again. I’m not suggesting you should start pigging out on junk food, but you should make sure that you are increasing the amount that you are eating to give your body all the energy and nutrients it needs in order to be at it’s best.

If your weight is perfect – brilliant, well done you! All you have to do is keep it in that range whilst giving your body all the fruits and vegetables it needs to function at it’s best. Whether your an omnivore, carnivore, vegetarian, fruitarian, vegan or a raw food fan your body needs a range of protein, vitamins, minerals, fibre and water. Make sure you are giving it what it needs.

So many health problems can be fixed or improved with diet. Changes can be made to skin conditions, dietary problems, joint pains, fibromyalgia, kidney stones, urinary infections, cramps and even epilepsy. Some things like Type 2 diabetes, IBS and coeliac disease are very treatable with managing food choices. What you fuel your body with is important – choose the things that are going to care for your body.

Part of what you eat is what you drink – or at least it should be. If you are trying to reduce your weight, make sure that you are not drinking your calories. Whether that comes in the form of fizzy drinks (about 140 calories in a can) sugary tea/ coffee or alcohol (about 600 calories in a bottle of wine), you need to keep those calories in mind. Those calories don’t really fill you up – so you still eat more. Also, the fact that most of them come from sugar means that you are creating a sugar high, which is followed by a sugar low. This is bad news for your body and what’s worse is the sugar low will make you crave more of the evil white stuff – have you ever noticed how hard it is to stop snacking once you’ve started?

December is the month to eat, drink and be merry – so eat well, hydrate and be happy with the choices you are making!

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So many people struggle with weight management, but it is so important to your health – both mental and physical. If you need some support to get your head in the right place to manage your weight effectively give a professional a call and get on the right path.

 

Hangover Help

Did we have a good night last night?

Alcohol is often part of a big night out or a celebration, but it can leave us feeling a little less than sparkly the next day.

Some people will tell you that it’s self inflicted, that it’s all your own fault, but that doesn’t change the fact that you feel sicker than a parrot that’s been lying on the bottom of it’s cage for three days.

So what can you do to try to reverse the effects of the poison that your body is suffering from.

1. Take aspirin or an aspirin derivative like Ibuprofen (If it is safe for you to do so). Avoid paracetamol as your liver is already under performing as it’s trying to process the alcohol you drank, and it needs a bit of a break

2.Get some fluid into you. Part of the reason for the headache you’ve probably got is dehydration. Despite drinking lots last night, the alcohol has a diuretic effect meaning that you’ve probably lost more water than you’ve taken in, so you need to replenish it. Avoid tea and coffee as they have caffeine in them which won’t improve your dehydration. Instead go for water or water mixed with fruit juice. The water will hydrate you and the fruit juice will boost your blood sugar and give you a dose of vitamin C which will help your liver out and potassium which will replace some of the electrolytes you have lost.

3.Eat something. Depending on how you are feeling this could be some dry toast or cereal which will help to boost your blood sugar, or a bacon sandwich which will not only boost your blood sugar but will also help to replace salt and brain neurotransmitters that were depleted by the alcohol. Eggs are a good choice as they contain an amino acid called cysteine which helps counter the effects of acetaldehyde, which is known to create worsened hangovers.If you feel sick it’s worth trying to eat some ginger as this is know to reduce the feelings of nausea and if you really can’t face anything else, try a packet of crisps.

4. Be Happy. A 1997 study in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) suggests that guilt about drinking, a neurotic personality, becoming angry or depressed while drinking, and having suffered “negative life events” in the past 12 months are better predictors of symptoms of hangover than how much or what you drink!

5. Do some gentle exercise. Going for a walk is a great idea. It might not seem it at first, but getting out in the fresh air and getting the blood circulating will help to alleviate your symptoms, just make sure you have had some water and food first.

6.If all else fails, go back to bed. Sleep is one of the most essential treatments for a hangover, as your body in most cases does not get a chance to go into the R.E.M. (rapid eye movement) state of sleep which provides proper restoration for your brain due to the rebound of glutamine in your body. If you have to be up, make sure you get to bed early tonight.

Wishing you a Happy, Healthy and Hangover free weekend 🙂