How Drinking Enough Water can Impact Your Writing Life

Edie here. Today I'm super excited to introduce you to a woman who inspires me. Not only is she inspiring me to move into a healthier lifestyle, she's an incredible writer. Her latest book,
7 Steps to Get Off Sugar and Carbohydrates, is already dog-eared and well-loved. I asked her to come on The Write Conversation and give us some tips to write healthy. So give her a warm welcome (and check out her book).

How Drinking Enough Water can Impact Your Writing Life

by Susan Neal @SusanNealYoga 

It is hot this summer, so it is essential to stay hydrated. However, we shouldn’t appease our thirst with sugar-sweetened beverages because they fog up the clarity of a writer’s mind. Instead, we should drink the fluid God gave us—water. Our bodies desperately need water to flush out the toxins and prevent dehydration. Also, you will have more energy to write when you consume an adequate amount of water. 

The human body is comprised of 75 percent water, and we can’t survive for more than a few days without it. Some people think drinking tea, juice, soda, or other drinks will hydrate their body, but they don’t. In fact, caffeinated beverages are a diuretic, which causes you to urinate more frequently and lose fluid. Most people do not nourish and cleanse their bodies with enough water on a daily basis. Instead of fueling your writing with caffeine, fill up with the liquid God intended for us to drink. 

How Much Water Do You Need?

Your body loses water through urination and perspiration, so we need to replace it. How much water does an individual need to ingest? Water requirements depend upon your size. Various sources recommend: “Drink half your weight in ounces every day.” Using this formula, a 130-pound person should drink eight glasses of water. (130/2 = 65 ounces; 65/8 ounces (1 cup) = 8 glasses.)

Schedule Your Fluid Intake

Scheduling when to drink water throughout the day can be tricky because it is best to drink on an empty stomach. You shouldn’t dilute your digestive enzymes with water when your body is trying to digest a meal. Therefore, try to drink in between meals and not at mealtime. 

Drink two glasses of water early in the morning before breakfast. Drink two more before lunch. In the afternoon, when you desire an afternoon snack, drink two glasses of water, which will help curb your appetite. Consume your last two glasses before dinner. Yes, you will need to get up from your writing tasks to go to the bathroom more often; don’t think of it as a burden but as a process whereby toxins expel from your body. Maybe you could use water as your reward for meeting your word count or time goal. Be creative.

Don’t forget about drinking all day long and then drink a lot of water after dinner. Getting up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom disrupts sleep. Plan when you will consume the appropriate number of glasses of water during the day.

Consequences of Dehydration

If you do not consume an adequate amount of water, your body suffers the consequences. Some common symptoms of dehydration include constipation, fatigue, dry skin and mouth, bladder and kidney problems, and high blood pressure since the blood is thicker. Our blood is 90 percent water.

My mother and aunt did not like the flavor of water. They preferred sweet tea and coffee. My aunt contracted bladder cancer, and my mother experienced frequent urinary tract infections (UTI). Water helps cleanse the body of toxins. If we don’t drink enough water to flush the toxins out of our kidneys and bladder, the toxins accumulate in these organs and cause infection and disease. We need to be our healthiest to fulfill God’s mission.

Tips to Increase Your Water Consumption

Consider these additional tips to improve your water intake each day:

• Do not drink with meals because the fluid dilutes digestive enzymes, which secrete to break down the food. Instead, drink between meals, usually three hours after a meal, which gives time for food digestion. You may drink up to ten minutes before you eat.
• Drink an average of eight glasses of water every day or the recommended amount for your weight. Other than coffee or tea, water should be the only beverage consumed. Do not count coffee and tea toward the number of glasses of water.
• Avoid sugar-sweetened beverages—like soda, fruit juice, and Gatorade.
• If you do not like the flavor of water, squeeze a slice of lemon and a few drops of liquid stevia into a glass of water. It is like drinking fresh lemonade.
• If you feel hungry, drink water. Scientists reported that two 8-ounce glasses of water is an effective weight loss strategy because many times when a person feels hungry, they are actually thirsty.¹So drink water and see if that fills you up before eating. You may be pleasantly surprised. This is a link to the article: http://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/pressroom/newsreleases/2010/august/clinical-trial-confirms-effectiveness-of-simple-appetite-control-method.html.

This summer enjoy a renewed sense of energy and clarity of mind to fuel your writing by adequately hydrating the body God gave you. We only have one body, and it needs to carry us through this life gracefully, so we can fulfill God’s mission that he has called us to perform through our prose.

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Susan Neal RN, MBA, MHS inspires others to be healthy, so they can serve God better. She has a Master’s of Health Science as well as Business Administration from the University of Florida. She is a Registered Nurse and worked at Shands Hospital (RN), Mayo Clinic Jacksonville (Assistant Administrator), and Blue Cross Blue Shield (Quality Assurance Nurse). Susan practiced yoga since 1983 and began teaching in 1994. Susan began teaching Scripture Yoga in 2004. She is a certified Sports Yoga instructor with the National Endurance & Sports Training Association (NESTA).

Connect with Susan further on her website, Facebook, and Twitter.

7 Steps to Get Off Sugar and Carbohydrates: Healthy Eating for Healthy Living with a Low-Carbohydrate, Anti-Inflammatory Diet (Healthy Living Series) (Volume 1)

by Susan Neal

Over half of Americans live with a chronic illness, primarily due to the overconsumption of sugar and refined carbohydrates. The award winning book, 7 Steps to Get Off Sugar and Carbohydrates, provides a day-by-day plan to wean your body off of these addictive products and regain your health. These changes in your eating habits will start your lifestyle journey to the abundant life Jesus wants you to experience. Not a life filled with disease and poor health. 

You will learn: 

* how to eliminate brain fog, cure diseases, and lose weight 

* foods that damage versus foods that are beneficial--the ones God gave us to eat, not the food industry 

* healthy food alternatives and menu planning 

* the science behind food addiction, Candida, and emotional reasons we overeat 

* to identify food triggers and use God's Word to fight impulsive eating 

* resources--educational videos and books, meal planning, support organizations, recipes Jesus said in John 10:10, "The thief's purpose is to steal, kill and destroy. My purpose is to give life in all its fullness" (TLB). 

Are you living life in its fullness? Is your health or weight impeding you from embracing a healthy, bountiful life? Take these simple seven steps and regain the life you were created for. You will love the new you!

Notes

Brenda Davy, “Clinical Trial Confirms effectiveness of Simple Appetite Control Method,” American Chemical Society, August 23, 2010, http://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/pressroom/newsreleases/2010/august/clinical-trial-confirms-effectiveness-of-simple-appetite-control-method.html.