Even an outstanding l publication like the Seashore News occasionally makes a mistake. If you looked at the Wellness article written by Sharon Stewart in the August issue of the SSN, you might have thought at first, this title sounds familiar; after reading on a bit, you probably wondered, “What do the benefits of water have to do with our Founding Fathers?”. Well, we messed up. The title of the August article, written by Sharon, should have been Cool Clear Water. So please, pour yourself a glass and enjoy Sharon’s wonderfully written article below.
Wellness – Cool Clear Water
Cool Clear Water: The Dog Days of summer are upon us…those days in July and August which are hot and sometimes sticky and muggy…time to make sure we drink enough water. But first, I was curious why they were called “Dog Days”…it’s a negative comment about the weather and why should the poor dogs in this world carry such a burden anyway? Well, I checked it out, and they’re called the Dog Days…many of you may know this already…because of an ancient belief that Sirius, also called the Dog Star, is very, very, very close to the sun and was thought to be to blamed for all of the hot, humid weather! Why didn’t I think of that? It gets worse…back in the day, poor canines of the color brown were sacrificed by the Romans in an effort to make peace with Sirius as they thought that his anger caused the sultry weather. Now, don’t you think that if any of this story were EVEN true, common sense would dictate that the Dog Star Sirius would get even angrier when the Romans sacrificed a fellow pup and turn up the thermostat on the sun to scorching hot? In light of this trivia, I would scratch Sirius off your list of names for man’s best friend and instead fill his water dish.
So, summer is Sirius business…hot, sticky weather; hot, sticky dogs; hot, sticky people…all making me really thirsty for some cool clear water! We all hear how important it is to drink 64 ounces of water each day and more if you’re perspiring heavily (workouts, yard work, long walks, physical jobs, etc) but just how important is it?
Well, water is a very critical component of our bodies, making up between 55 and 60 percent of our weight. Since we can’t store water in a bodily reservoir, we are constantly in need of replenishing it which is why it is such an important habit. Water removes toxins and other unhealthy substances stored in our fat cells. It also keeps our organs and systems functioning properly. It also makes the job of our kidneys’ a whole lot easier…that would be to filter and eliminate metabolic byproducts and toxins. If you don’t drink enough, your body is forced to recycle dirty water…YUCK…diminishing the efficiency of every metabolic function!
That being said, did you know that we lose nearly twelve cups of water every day?
■■ Two cups through perspiration
■■ Six cups through urine
■■ Two to four through breathing
■■ One, approximately, through the soles of our feet
Water helps us feel full, prevents dehydration, removes toxins, minimizes fatigue, headaches and fuzzy thinking, and ramps up our metabolism, to mention just a few of its attributes. Studies have shown that when we feel hungry, 30 percent of the time our bodies are actually signaling for water!
So keep on drinking water…plain, filtered water…throughout your Dog Days this summer. We are all susceptible to dehydration too…kids and the elderly are at a greater risk so as you pour yourself a glass of cool clear water, be sure to make sure those around you are doing the same. Oh, and during these Dog Days, keep your Dog Star’s water dish full too…and I mean that…Siriusly. To Your Health!
If you would like to make a comment or suggest a topic please send an email to . . .Sharon Stewart RN, Certified Health Coach — sharonstewart@cox.net.
-Sharon Stewart
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