Water is the essence of life. Every cell in our body requires water to survive and thrive.
It doesn’t take a genius to see that our earth’s water is constantly being contaminated by human convenience. We flush our drugs and contraceptives, we spray our grass to make it greener, and our gardens with toxic pesticides. We wash paints & plastics down our sinks without even thinking twice about it.
My goal today is to give you insight and knowledge on how to get high-quality water without also giving you anxiety or developing a water phobia. DEAL?!?
When I teach women how to lose weight for good and gain the body of their dreams I teach them my “Pillars of Health.”
Over the years I’ve identified 6 habits that must shift into alignment if we’re going to live lean, strong, and hormonally balanced jaw-dropping, head-turning lives.
On the very top of that list is WATER.
When we start to understand more about types of water, our local water supplies, and dangers of plastics, it can be stressful and overwhelming to know how to best hydrate and protect our bodies. In today’s blog, I am taking years of knowledge and research and sharing with you exactly what I do in my home to stay hydrated with high-quality water.
Fun Fact: Did you know that most humans can survive up to 6 weeks without food, but you can only live 3 days without water!
An adult body is 65% water! Making sure that you’re replacing this water each day will optimize all body functions!
We should all know the quality of our local water. You can find that information at the Environmental Working Group Tap Water Database here: https://www.ewg.org/tapwater/
The top 3 contaminants in unfiltered tap water are:
- Endocrine- Disrupting Chemicals
- Pharmaceutical Drugs
- Radionuclides
- Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals like PFAS are known as “forever chemicals”. Once these chemicals are released into the environment they do not break down. They build up in our blood and organs. [cue the movie Erin Brockovich in your head] Exposure to PFAS increases the risk of cancer, harms developing fetuses in pregnant women, and interferes with our hormonal systems.
- It is now noted that all over our world there are measurable amounts of pharmaceutical drugs in our water supply. We can measure trace amounts of antibiotics, antipsychotics, birth control, and painkillers running out of our kitchen sinks. Wild to think about isn’t it?!?
- The third most harmful contaminant is radionuclides like radium and uranium. While some of these elements naturally occur, the presence of radioactive molecules increases our risk for many cancers.
My intent in this blog is NOT to orchestrate a new anxiety into your life. However, if I shared all of my water knowledge it most likely would. To filter that info and best protect and increase your health, follow my ‘things that actually matter’ suggestions:
- Drink filtered water (Berkey)
- Avoid drinking out of plastics (glass is best)
- Add minerals to your water when consuming RO, distilled, or purified.
- Drink 3-4 liters of water each day.
Things That Actually Matter #1
I’ve searched for months to find a water system that met MY standards. Then finally found Berkey.® Berkey is a line of gravity-fed water purification systems, the industry gold standard for performance and value. Berkey® systems are high quality, powerful, and most rigorously tested gravity-fed water purification products available anywhere. Costing only 2 cents a gallon for the most pure water, transformed from the crap that comes right out of your kitchen sink! CLICK HERE to see exactly what I use in my home.
If you’re looking to convert the tap water that comes right out of your sink then my next best option for you is the 3-stage water purification system from Clearly Filtered. You can check that out HERE.
Things That Actually Matter #2
Ditch the plastics. Yes, even the BPA-free. If you don’t use plastics then you don’t have to worry about them leaching into our tissues. Cancer biopsies are coming back with higher rates of plastics in them than ever. I know that my water bottle will sit in the sun. I also know that I will scrub the inside of it vigorously when I wash it. Therefore, plastic isn’t an option for me.
I use silicone-wrapped (bcuz I will surely drop it) glass most often. I also prefer a water bottle with a flip-top. I DO NOT want to unscrew the lid 75634 times a day. And, who wants to have to clean a straw? If you’ve ever had one of these and seen all the sludge that hides in your straw connection… Ewwww, gross. Plus, you will never have to worry about any harmful chemicals or contaminants from glass.
Here is my favorite 24oz bottle: https://amzn.to/3XiCVK3
If you’re feeling too reckless and clumsy for glass, I do use and love Yeti products as well.
Things That Actually Matter #3
Minerals. Minerals are chemical messengers for our entire body. Seriously, here is a short list just so you get a quick picture of the importance.
- Controls metabolism and thyroid function
- Regulates your heartbeat
- Sends oxygen to the brain
- Aids in digestion
- Makes strong bones
- Stabilizes brain chemicals
- Aids in detoxification of the body
- Creates and maintains strong bones and muscles
- Manages sugar metabolism
- Monitors brain functions like sleep and wake cycles
- And soooooo much more…
I have 2 favorite minerals and I love both companies and use one packet of each of these daily.
The first one has 7+ essential minerals & trace minerals including fulvic acid from shilajit sourced right at the Himalayan mountains. This helps to increase the bioavailability so your body absorbs more of the minerals you consume. I use this each day to supercharge my workouts: https://modere.co/3kjkDYt
The other mineral favorite of mine is a really healthy form of Gatorade (meaning the essential minerals of hydration) Sodium, potassium, and magnesium. I add the Chocolate salts to my black coffee every single morning… without fail. Check them out HERE.
Both of these links provide product info and a discount at checkout for my tribe.
Things That Actually Matter #4
Drink at least half of your body weight in water daily. From Dr. Mark Hymen to Webmed to medical journals, to my 10+ years of competitive athletics, the question is always asked…
“How much water should I drink each day?”
Answer: If you’re an active adult under 100lbs – 3 liters
If you’re an active adult over 100lbs – 4 liters
If you’re an adult and NOT active, well then you need to get active!!!
Your entire body, from your brain to your bones, benefits from being hydrated. Hope this blog helped shed some light on the things that matter most when it comes to drinking health-promoting water. Drink responsibly, my friends.
*Disclosure: If you have followed me for even half a second, you know that I would rather chew on a cactus than sell my soul to make money off of you on a product I don’t even like. And I know you are an intelligent woman (because you’re reading my blog) but the FTC doesn‘t trust your intelligence. So here I am letting you know that when I suggest a product and provide a link that it may be an affiliate link…and I may receive a small commission at zero additional cost to you.
Sources
- https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/02/pharmaceutical-pollution-health-drugs-rivers/
- https://www.epa.gov/dwreginfo/radionuclides-rule
- https://www.epa.gov/radtown/natural-radionuclides-public-drinking-water