I talk with people seeking health insurance coverage every day, and it breaks my heart that so many of them cannot afford health coverage because they have priced themselves beyond “preferred” rates due to poor health. Im not referring to those clients with serious medical conditions which is certainly beyond their control, I’m referring to our own compromised health conditions brought on by poor diet and lack of exercise. One essential component to good diet and health I learned about years ago (from a Chiropractor friend of mine) is the importance of hydration. Thats’ right, plain old fashioned water. Not water with “stuff” in it, not water that costs any money, not water with fancy names, just plain old mother nature provided water that all Americans have access too. Here are some staggering, no nonsense water statistics.  ”75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated. In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is often mistaken for hunger.  Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%, plus it is capable of slashing the risk of breast cancer by 79%, and one is 50% less likely to develop bladder cancer.”    

How have we allowed such a simple, healthy, daily to do health benefit to get so out of sight? I was walking out of a home improvement store last week, and there was a van out front offering glasses of water to patrons. When I approached to get mine they asked “what flavor would you like added?”  What? Why would I intentionally add a chemical filler to one of the last surviving unaltered substances that exists on this planet? I don’t know, maybe it’s just me. Shoot, I actually make a game out of trying to drink enough water each day. My daily goal is 3 litres. I always have my water bottle with me. I make myself little hydration goals like trying to finish 1 litre while I run my errands. And I also make sure I have water by my bed side and try to drink an least half a litre during the night.

So, as you can see, I am passionate about hydration. It’s one of the easiest, healthy “to do’s” we can do for ourselves. Proper water intake each and every day. And with that, I leave you with this.  ”According to a survey, nearly three quarters of Americans are aware of the recommendation of drinking eight glasses of water a day, though only 34% actually drink this amount of water each day. Most humans consume only about 6 servings of water a day and nearly 10% declared they do not drink water at all.”