Health Priority for Maximum Productivity

The quality of how you show up in the workplace is directly related to the quality of your health.

So it’s a simple message this week about just one thing you can do to improve energy, increase productivity and creativity, reduce pain, and improve your thinking processes.

Drink Water Because . . .

Drinking water at a certain time maximizes its effectiveness on the body:

• 2 glasses of water after waking up helps activate internal organs.
• 1 glass of water 30 minutes before a meal helps digestion.
• 1 glass of water before taking a bath helps lower blood pressure.
• 1 glass of water before going to bed helps avoid stroke or heart attack.

You are Water:

The human body is 55% – 78% water, depending on your body size. Two thirds of your body is water, and water is the main component of the human body. Your tissues are made up of the following:

• Muscle consists of 75% water
• Brain consists of 90% of water
• Bone consists of 22% of water
• Blood consists of 83% water

Functions of Water:

• Transports Nutrition: Water moves nutrients and oxygen into cells.  Water helps with functions of bodily fluids which include digestion, absorption, circulation, creation of saliva.
• Dextoxifies: Water moves toxicity out of your body.
• Helps Ideal Weight Maintenance:: Drinking water helps you lose weight because it flushes down the by-products of fat breakdown. Drinking water reduces hunger, it’s an effective appetite suppressant so you’ll eat less. Plus, water has zero calories.
• Natural Remedy for Headache: Helps to relieve headaches due to dehydration. Although many reasons contribute to headache, dehydration is a common cause.
• Improves Skin Tone: Skin looks younger when hydrated. . Water replenishes skin tissues, moisturizes skin, and increases skin elasticity.
• Improves Productivity: Your brain is mostly made up of water, thus drinking water helps you think better, be more alert and more concentrated.
• Improves Exercise: Drinking water regulates your body temperature. That means you’ll feel more energetic when doing exercises. Water also helps to fuel your muscle.
• Help Digestion and Elimination: Drinking water raises metabolism because it helps in digestion. Fiber and water goes hand in hand so that you can have your daily bowel movement.
• Reduce Cramps and Sprains: Proper hydration helps keep your joints and muscles lubricated, so you’ll less likely get cramps and sprains.
• Strengthen Your Immune System: Drinking water aids against flu and other ailments like kidney stones and heart attack. Water, with lemon, is used for ailments like respiratory disease, intestinal problems, rheumatism and arthritis. It helps with calming inflammation.
• Maintain Brain Function: Hydration of all organs includes the health of your brain.
• Relieves Fatigue: Water helps flush out toxins and waste products from the body. Dehydration can stress the heart and cause it to work harder to oxygenate blood to cells.
• Improves Mood: Hydration soothes the body and the brain.
• Reduces the Risk of Cancer: Related to the digestive system, some studies show that drinking a healthy amount of water may reduce the risks of bladder cancer and colon cancer. Water dilutes the concentration of cancer-causing agents in the urine and shortens the time in which they are in contact with bladder lining.
• Maintains PH Balance: The human body maintains a pH range of 7.35-7.45 for proper physiological processes. An acidic shift may lead to sickness and an inability of the body to assimilate vitamins and minerals. Thus, it should be above the value of 7, which is favorable to the body’s oxygen uptake, higher energy levels, and a better immune response to diseases. Drinking water supports this balance.
• Regulates Body Temperature: Both hydration and perspiration dissipate excess heat in order to lower body temperature.
• Protects Against Osteoporosis and Hip Fractures: According to the research conducted by the Linus Pauling Institute, individuals drinking adequate amounts of water have reduced risks of osteoporosis and hip fractures.
• Protects and Moisturizes Joints: Water supports flexibility and mobility.
• Enhances Breathing: Water moisturizes the air in lungs and distributes oxygen all over the human body while collecting the carbon dioxide from all these parts and dissolving these gases.
• Improves Metabolism: Water is the carrier of oxygen, nutrients, and hormones to the body’s parts and also provides a medium for the removal of toxins, dead cells, and waste material. The proteins and enzymes involved in various fundamental processes also require water for their proper functioning.
• Reduces Backaches: The back of our body rests on the spinal cord. The spinal disc core is made up of a large volume of water and dehydration, which leads to back pain in many individuals.
• Minimizes Constipation, Heartburn, Migraine, Gastritis and Ulcers: A number of disorders are related to water deficiency. Constipation, heartburn, migraine, gastritis and ulcers can all be prevented by drinking modest amounts of water routinely.
• Prevents Kidney Stones: 2 liters or 10 glasses must be consumed each day to prevent the formation of kidney stones. Water is the best solvent because it does not allow salts and minerals to accumulate, to form stones. Salts that reach the kidney get diluted and eliminated in the urine.
• Prevents Cardiovascular Disease: Water maintains proper viscosity of blood and plasma and fibrinogen distribution.
• Maintains Kidney Functions: The excretory material in the form of urea is highly toxic to body tissues and must be diluted before their passage. This is again done by the ‘universal solvent’ – water.Nourishes Pregnant Women and Nursing Mothers: A pregnant woman carries a new life in her womb that develops from her body’s resources. The nutrients and other factors needed for its growth can be carried from mother to the fetus via blood, which in turn needs water. Constipation, bladder infections, and hemorrhoids are common during pregnancy and these can be avoided by drinking more water during these periods.

Symptoms of Dehydration:

• Dark Urine – Dark Yellow or Orange in Color: Urine is generally pale yellow to clear when you have sufficient water intake. Dark color or strong smell indicates that you need to drink more water.
• Dry Skin: Skin is the largest body organ and requires its share of water.
• Thirst: Thirst is the most obvious sign that you’re already dehydrated. It is always a good practice to drink more water when your are not thirsty, don’t wait until you’re thirsty.
• Hunger: Most people mistake hunger for the indication to eat more, whereas in actual fact, they may be dehydrated. So before you have your meal, grab a glass of water.
• Fatigue: Water is a source of energy and gives you a boost in energy.

Additional References:

http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/6-reasons-to-drink-water

http://www.mangosteen-natural-remedies.com/benefits-of-drinking-water.html#Benefits-Water