What time is it? It’s H2O:30 (read aloud as H-two-oh-thirdty)! It’s time to drink more water, hippy! 🙂
When I started my Lupron Depot injections this past August, I found myself thirstier than I’ve ever been. So I’ve taken to drinking a lot more water (I never really drank much water except when I was out hiking or camping…). Also, cutting out caffeine, processed sugars, soda, and a lot of alcohol for my Endometriosis Diet pretty much left me with only water to drink…And I’ve never felt better!
WHY DRINK WATER?
Our bodies are comprised of 60%-70% water. And dehydration may interfere with our perfect machine’s, well, perfection…
Staying hydrated (in NO particular order):
1. Keeps the digestive system healthy: that’s right, Ma! I can poop easier! TMI? Well, it’s true! Keeping your body well-lubed with water helps ease the digestive process and everything is…just a wee bit easier than when I don’t drink plenty of water. If you’re not getting enough water, the colon is sucking water out of your poo (ew!) in order to get enough water for your body – making you constipated! Drink more water and avoid having to eat delicious prunes…
2. Keeps your blood viscosity & volume at optimum levels: it keeps the highways and byways of our bodies well-lubed,allowing for oxygen to whiz on through our bodies to wherever it needs to go, helping keep arteries clear, and allows nutrients to travel to our organs and tissues. More oxygen whizzing through your system may mean LESS HEADACHES, too! I’ve notices a drastic (almost complete) reduction of headaches since I’ve begun to drink more water these past four months.
3. Flushes toxins through sweat & pee (that’s right…I said pee): Water helps keep our kidneys healthy and strong. And when we pee, the color of it can remind us to DRINK MORE WATER! Uber-healthy pee should be close to clear in color. If our pee is dark yellow, nearing an amber color, our kidneys are retaining fluids (and toxins)…drinking more water will aid in keeping our bodies clean and healthy. Sometimes certain foods, supplements, or medicines can alter the color of our pee. Want a fun test? Run a search for the color of your pee online…it’s kind of funny. I won’t ruin the scavenger hunt for you…
4. Makes you feel fuller: if you drink a glass 30 minutes before meals (for those of you wanting to lose a few pounds).
5. Rehydrates your skin: Dehydrated skin can “come back to life” with water. It won’t unwrinkle or suddenly become this glowing beacon you know you are; however, dehydrated skin may appear dull, flaky, or ashen. Once your body regains proper hydration, your skin may appear healthier. Moisturizers can help maintain that healthy glow we seek, too.
6. Maintains healthy muscles: muscles are comprised of fibers and tissues, and are also 70% water! When you don’t take enough water into your body daily, these muscles and the cells they’re made of, aren’t working at their optimum performance. Muscle fatigue and cramping may set in.
WHAT DOES IT HAVE TO DO WITH ENDOMETRIOSIS?
I couldn’t find any direct connections between drinking water and helping with Endometriosis symptoms, but if drinking water helps keep my body healthy, lubed, and clean THAT means I’m helping my body fight Endometriosis. Anything I can do for my overall health, especially something this easy, will be done.
HOW MUCH SHOULD I DRINK?
Well, that depends on how much you weigh, how much you eat, and how active you are. Typically, take your weight (in pounds) and divide it by two. The resulting number is how many ounces you should consume every day. Sources show that a healthy diet provides 20% of your daily required water, so the remaining 80% is how many ounces you should drink.
I hate math, but here we go:
I weigh 159 pounds. 159 divided by 2 is 79.5 So, I should be taking in 79.5 ounces of water daily. If my healthy diet provides 20% of my daily water intake (20% of 79.5 is 15.9), that means I should be drinking at least 64 ounces of water throughout the day.
SPORTS DRINKS?
Drinks such as Gatorade, Propel, VitaminWater, etc. may offer certain electrolytes that your active body may crave; however, be wary of the sugar or sodium, which may dehydrate you. The same goes for juices.
EASY WAYS TO DRINK MORE WATER:
1. Carry a water bottle with you. I have a 16-ounce water bottle that I fill up in the morning before I drive to work and typically finish drinking before I arrive at the office (15 miles, 20 minutes) later. I also fill it up when I leave the office and have usually emptied it by the time I get home. When I’m out running errands on the weekends, I fill it up before I get in the car.
2. Keep a water glass at your desk. I have a tumbler at my desk (a cute one that I don’t mind staring at throughout the day) that I sip on from time to time. I try to tackle 3 of those each day while at the office.
3. Drink less soda, juice, tea, and coffee. When you want a soda, try replacing it with a glass of water. Replace one soda, tea, juice, or coffee each day with a tall glass of water. See how you feel after the meal. Keep it up. Make it a habit.
4. Replace one bad habit. I have a horrible habit; have had it since I was a child. I chew the inside of my cheek, particularly when I’m bored…so I’ve started taking a sip of water whenever I catch myself gnawing on my cheek. And do you know what? It’s actually helping! I’m becoming aware of when I’m doing it, and am actually chewing it less! If you bite your nails, try it! We’ll probably still continue our bad habits, but at least this way we’re helping our bodies stay hydrated…
(Updated December 28, 2020)
Resources:
Buzzle.Com
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
MayoClinic.Com
~I am a layman. I do not hold any college degrees, nor mastery of knowledge. Please take what I say with a grain of salt. If curious, do your own research 😉 Validate my writings. Or challenge them. And ALWAYS feel free to consult with your physician. Always. Yours ~ Lisa
Bloomin' Uterus 
I’d always used the “half your body weight = number of oz \/day” but this formula cuts my water intake down to three tumblers instead of 4…which I do far more frequently. So now I feel MUCH better about my water intake progress. I’ll continue to strive for 4 tumblers (because I’m an overachiever) but that formula was very helpful. Thank you!!!
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You are SO welcome!! And FYI that formula was confirmed on several webpages 😀
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