A IS FOR AQUA - AEROBICS! - an exercise-to-music class performed in water. This takes the stresses and strains off the joints as the water holds your body weight and acts as resistance to your movements.
B IS FOR BODY COMPOSITION - The human body is made up of between 40-60% water. Without food, we can last a fair while; but without water, we will almost certainly perish within days.
C IS FOR CLEANSING - The most natural cleanser known to us. Water will cleanse the body of toxins both inside and out.
D IS FOR DEHYDRATION - This is the loss of water from the various body fluid areas, including blood plasma. This reduction (of water in blood plasma) decreases the total volume of blood in the body, thus making the heart work harder to pump the decreased volume of blood throughout the body. This means that the efficiency of the cardiovascular system is decreased, leading to decrease human performance.
When exercising, the loss of water through various bodily functions will be naturally increased. Dehydration may occur for a number of reasons. Athletes trying to "make weight" for a particular competition may result in fluid loss treatments. Sweating will also promote dehydration if adequate quantities of water are not used to replace the loss.
Alcohol and caffeine will also increase the risk of dehydration as they are diuretics. This means they increase the excretion of water from the body.
E IS FOR ELECTROLYTES - carried around the body by water, electrolytes are essential to life. Sodium, Potassium, Magnesium and Hydrogen are all electrolytes, and can be found in lots of different foods. So if your diet is well-rounded and healthy, there is no need for supplementation.
Electrolytes need to be continuously replaced as they are being excreted from the body all the time via functions such as sweat (hence the salty taste). It should be noted that the average western diet typically contains too much sodium, and this can cause an electrolyte imbalance. Sodium can draw water out of cells, and this will decrease physical performance because of the prevention of fluid going into muscle cells. Again, when you sweat, the concentration of salt/sodium in the water loss is Hypotonic. This means it is less concentrated than fluids inside the body. Contrary to popular belief, sweat contains relatively low amounts of electrolytes and a much greater amount of water. This leads to more concentrated electrolytes in the body which will have the similar effect on performance as does too much sodium in the diet.
F IS FOR FRESH FRUIT AND VEGETABLES - which are packed with water, electrolytes, vitamins and minerals. The water is needed to provide carriage of the others nutrients into the body. Without it, they will not be efficiently absorbed into the body, and the body will be deprived of these essential nutrients. Meat, dairy produce, sweets, and biscuits have a low water content.
G IS FOR GASTRIC EMPTYING - Cold fluid is emptied from the stomach faster than fluid of body temperature or above. 'Gastric emptying' is slowed down when simple sugars are present in any form (glucose, sucrose or fructose). Plain water empties much quicker. A salt solution will also depress fluid absorption.
H IS FOR HYDROTHERAPY - This is a natural health and/or beauty process using water to treat people. Warm water is used to support the body and to provide protection for the movement of damaged joints and muscles. Exercise is performed against the resistance of the water to help strengthen the body without undue stress. The warmth of the water aids in relaxing the muscles and pain reduction, and this will improve joint range of motion. The movement will also promote circulation. Physiotherapists use hydrotherapy to treat arthritis, bone and joint injuries, and improving overall mobilization.
I IS FOR ICE! (CRYOTHERAPY) - used to treat soft tissue injuries in the acute stage. By applying frozen water to the injured body part, cryotherapy can help prevent swelling & inflammation, and reduce pain. By applying ice to an injury, you are making that body area colder, and this leads to constriction of blood vessels and pain receptors. This is the natural external pain killer.
J IS FOR ........Just being near flowing waters of rivers or lakes, or the lapping of waves upon the shore, helps an individual to soothe & calm turbulent emotions. The sound of the water gives a sense of clarity and relaxation.
K IS FOR KIDNEYS - The kidneys filter blood plasma (which is predominantly water) all the time. This cleans out liquid waste and regulates electrolyte levels. For the kidneys to remain healthy, they need to do this job efficiently. The kidneys will produce between 1-1 1/2 liters of urine per day, and it is advised that this level should never fall below 1200 ml in one day for proper waste elimination. If a person is dehydrated, the kidneys will attempt to conserve water, and the urine produced within the body will be strong smelling and dark-yellow in color, and this can be damaging to the kidneys.
L IS FOR LEAN TISSUE - Your body is made up of lean tissue, water and fat. The lean tissue is muscle, bone, blood, and anything that is not fat or water. Muscle cells contain more water than do fat cells, and therefore the individual with more body fat will have less water than the well-conditioned person. 65-75% of muscle weight is made up of water, as opposed to less than 25% of fat weight. Thus, the leaner a person is, the more water they contain, which allows for a better functioning body.
M IS FOR MOVEMENT - Movement or exercise promotes water loss through a number or mechanisms (e.g. sweating). A sedentary adult in a normal environment should take in approximately 2.5 liters of fluid per day. During exercise, to prevent dehydration, fluid intake should be increased to 5-6 times the norm.
N IS NATURAL - Water is natural, clean, and essential to life.
O IS FOR OESTROGEN - What has oestrogen got to do with water, you may ask? Well, oestrogen is a female hormone, and in it's natural form it is harmless. But it can be chemically produced, and this creates a harmful substance that is not bio-degradable. Oestrogen, in it's man-made form, is used industrially in the manufacture of plastics, and most commonly - the contraceptive pill. When this oestrogen is flushed into the water system, it does not get broken down fully, and therefore (like so many other products) it goes into, and pollutes, our biological water system - so maybe our water is not as clean as it should be. But that is up to us to rectify?!
P IS FOR PSORIASIS - This, and other skin conditions such as dermatitis and eczema, can be improved if water consumption is high enough to alleviate the internal toxins and to keep the skin hydrated. Dead Sea salt baths have also been found to improve skin complaints such as Psoriasis.
Soaking in warm mineral salt baths is also said to soothe rheumatic and arthritic pains.
Q IS FOR QUANTITY - How much do we need, and are we getting enough? Water controls the body's temperature. It carries nutrients and gases around the body. It transports waste products out of the body. It lubricates joints. It keeps the blood "runny". It helps alleviate toxins through lymphatic drainage. It has a lot of functions - so we must need quite a lot. How many of us go out of our way to drink plenty of water each and every day?
Water is lost through sweat, breath, urine, and feces - in fact, 70% of normal fecal matter is water. Diarrhea or vomiting can cause water losses of 1500 to 5000 ml! In a normal day, your body will secrete about 500 to 700 ml of sweat - and this is before exercise! Prolonged exercise in a warm environment can produce a sweat loss of up to 1 liter per hour. In urination, it is estimated that, to eliminate 1 gram of waste solute, the body adds 15 ml of water. The waste product “urea” is the waste from protein breakdown. Urea needs the aforementioned quantity of water for proper elimination, and thus a person on a high protein diet (i.e. a body builder) will eliminate far more water than this requirement, and is more likely to suffer from dehydration during exercise. The vapor from our breath also expels droplets of water continuously - up to 250-350 ml per day, or during strenuous exercise 2-5 ml per minute. This depends on humidity levels in the environment. The more humid the atmosphere, the less vapor lost through breathing.
Looking at the above, it would seem that we are losing a lot of water each day through normal bodily functions, which should therefore be replaced frequently to prevent dehydrating. The amount to be consumed is an individual requirement, and should be based upon such factors as body type, activity level, and atmospheric conditions........among others.
R IS FOR RHEUMATIC PAIN - There are many water treatments available to relieve aches and pains. Thalassotherapy, Steam treatments, Turkish, Herbal and Aromatherapy baths are both warming and de-stressing.
S IS FOR SEWAGE - Addressing the world pollution problem once again, we have to face up to, and acknowledge, the fact that we dump far too much waste products into our inland and coastal waters. Considering this, and the Eco cycle - people would cringe at the thought of eating our own sewage.....but isn't that what are we doing at the moment?! Mankind cannot live without water.
T IS FOR THALASSOTHERAPY - (from the Greek word 'Thalassa', meaning sea) Sea water and sea products are used in a variety of ways to improve health and stabilize our vitamin and mineral imbalances. There are various treatments utilizing water from the sea for better health & well-being, including drinking sea water, inhaling sea water spray, sea water massages, sluicing and jet spraying with sea water, seaweed baths, sea water hot tubs and exercising in sea water pools. It is believed that the natural properties of the sea will de-stress, relieve tension, improve skin allergies, arthritis and rheumatism, detoxify the skin and improve circulation.
U IS FOR URINE - As stated earlier, your body will use 15 ml of water to flush out 5 ml of waste solute. If you are on a high protein diet, this amount will be even higher. Also, if your diet is high in caffeine or any other diuretic, your urine loss will be even greater. Make sure your water intake is adequate to replace these losses!!
V IS FOR VITAMINS - Apart from vitamins A, D, E and K, all other vitamins are water soluble. Having said this - overcooking of vegetables in water can cause vitamin loss in our food before eating it. Strenuous exercise will also produce a small vitamin loss from sweat.
W IS FOR WATER!! (what else) - The elixir of life itself. Life for all creatures is believed to have began in water. Babies are often times born in water. Without it, we are none.
X IS FOR........XYLOPHONE! - Sorry couldn't think of anything else!!!!
Y IS FOR YOUTH! - Water is the fountain of youth, and it keeps us feeling young and lively.
Z IS FOR ZEST!!! - Lemon zest is wonderful in water to rejuvenate the digestive system and cleanse the body. Zest is also the energetic wellness achieved from water - it uplifts the soul, body and mind. The planet we live on is predominantly made of oceans of water - all different......and all beautiful.
WATER IS LIFE !
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