Maybe you’re like me. Maybe you hear a great presentation, and you decide you’re going to jump in 100% – no holding back. And maybe about day three into the new you (or sooner), you decide you can’t do 100%, so you drop the whole thing. Or, maybe you plan to jump in 100%, but because you can’t do it right now, you do nothing – you make absolutely no change. I’ve heard this referred to as the “paralysis of perfectionism”. In other words, “Someday, I’m going to do this perfectly, but because I can’t do it perfectly right now, I’m not going to do anything.” (This has been the sad story of the organization of my office… “Someday I am going to have enough time to really get this place organized: I’ll go through the files, organize the closet, categorize and distribute all of that paper. But I only have 30 minutes today, so I’ll just shove things to the side and work on the project that has to be done right now.”)
A while ago, my brother Rick introduced me to One Small Step Can Change Your Life: The Kaizen Way, a book by Robert Maurer, PhD. The basic premise is that the brain is resistant to change (new behavior), so the way to combat that is to take small steps that will eventually lead to big change.
I would like to apply this idea to creating a healthy lifestyle. When Breanna and I had the opportunity to attend one of the Trinity School of Natural Health’s events, we received SO MUCH great information on how to live a healthier life. I could feel myself moving into the perfectionism mode. “I’m going to go home and change everything that doesn’t promote a healthy lifestyle!” But for once, I pulled myself back and decided to focus on one simple change at a time.
Incidentally, some of the materials I ordered from Trinity came protected in “packing peanuts”. My 16-year-old son came into the room, saw the peanuts, and said, “Hey! Did you know those are edible?” I thought – well, there’s my first simple step: I need to teach my son not to eat packing peanuts. (I googled “Are packing peanuts edible?”, and it turns out they are not made of Styrofoam, so technically he’s right. Here’s what I found, “Biodegradable packing peanuts are edible and digestible. However, they have no nutritional value and are not manufactured under food-safe conditions. The manufacturers of the peanuts generally advise against eating them. They are made out of starches derived from various grains, chiefly corn.” https://www.reference.com/food/can-eat-packing-peanuts-5d3aa8568e529c0d) So, if you like eating packing peanuts – the biodegradable kind – I guess you can continue. It’s generally advised against, but you can use your discretion.
The first simple step I’d like to challenge you to take is this: DRINK MORE WATER.
This isn’t a new idea. But I’ll walk you through some of the information that convinced me enough to make me change my behavior.
Do you remember the Star Trek episode where one of the alien groups described humans as “ugly bags of mostly water”? That was the first time I had heard the fact that we truly are composed largely of water. For example, the brain is 80.5% water, the liver is 71.5% water, and our blood is 90.7% water. Even our teeth are 10% water. Water is used in every function and every cell of the body. Water helps regulate our body temperature, lubricates our tissues, joints, bones, and muscles, flushes wastes and toxins, and moisturizes our skin. It is an essential component in our cell creation.
Many American’s live in a state of continual dehydration. We struggle with constipation, fatigue, varicose veins, and headaches. The majority of these symptoms disappear when we simply drink enough water.
What kind of water?
The best options are free of toxins and inorganic minerals that the body cannot convert to useful minerals for our bodies. Steam distilled water (known as the “wettest” water) and water that has been purified via Reverse Osmosis are generally considered best. Personally, we purchased a reverse osmosis unit on Amazon that fits under the sink for less than $200. It covers our drinking water (one simple step toward having an all-house unit.) But – and this is an important but – ANY WATER IS BETTER THAN NO WATER. Don’t wait until you can get your hands on the best water to begin drinking enough water. There’s that paralysis again.
How much water?
Half your body weight (pounds) in ounces per day is the generally accepted amount. However, if you drink a caffeinated drink, you’ll need to drink that number of ounces on top of your daily amount. It’s best to spread it out through the day. So, for example, if you weigh 140 lbs, you would drink at least 70 ounces of water spread throughout the day. If you also drank 12 ounces of coffee, you would need to raise the amount of water to 82 ounces. I find that if I have a water bottle (glass is best) filled with the correct amount of water for the day, I am much more likely to drink enough. At the risk of getting overly personal, I thought I’d be running to the bathroom all day long. At first I was; but my body seemed to adjust and that evened out. I believe it is because hydrating the bladder makes that system work better, too.
This one simple step is really much too important and much too simple to ignore. If you need more convincing, I highly recommend Your Body’s Many Cries for Water, by F. Batmanghelidj, MD. He believes that simply adjusting your water intake can lead to a healthier life that is free of pain. I do not recommend you read this excellent book while you are taking care of your mom the first day after her knee surgery when she is not allowed to take more than a sip of water. When I get excited about something, I talk about it. At one point my incredibly patient mom said, “Pamela, are you seriously going to talk about water to me again?”
Water during supplementation.
As you know, we believe it is important to clean up the gut and make sure a child is getting the vitamins, minerals, and oils he needs to settle down his nervous system. It is crucial during this time of supplementation that enough water is consumed not only for good hydration, but also to flush any toxins.
So join me in this first simple step! Drink up!