Water Energy and Life

Get More Energy
Water, Oxygen and Nutrients

Even with our fast-paced lifestyles, many people frequently complain of a lack of energy and vitality.  

Related symptoms include lethargy, poor concentration, moodiness, fatigue, and exhaustion. 

Three major factors that contribute to depleted energy reserves include (1) dehydration, (2) oxygen deprivation, and (3) malnutrition.


Drink Enough Water Daily

Water is the main source of energy in the body, and it produces electrical energy within every cell. In fact, every cell in our body is like a miniature hydroelectric generator.

Thus, the best way to get more energy is to drink enough water. with respective to your latest body weight. Every one kilogram of body weight needs 32.53 ml water per day.

Drinking enough water is also necessary for digesting food since water is the body’s main solvent. It also energizes the food we eat and increases nutrient assimilation.

One of the key reasons we experience fatigue is because of toxin accumulation in the body. 

Water is the main vehicle of transportation in the body and an abundance of water is essential for removing toxins from the blood as well as through the liver, kidneys, bowels, bladder, skin and lungs.

Hormone balance, for both men and women, is also essential for energy and vitality.

Water regulates the production of hormones in your body, and can help support the adrenal system and the body’s ability to deal with stress, which can be a major energy drain.

Even mild levels of dehydration can affect our nerves and emotions in subtle ways.

Drinking enough water daily can help provide better sleep and provide numerous mood-enhancing benefits, which affects energy levels.

Increase Oxygenation to Get More Energy

A key way the body produces energy is when carbohydrate foods react with oxygen from the air we breathe.

Thus, oxygen is one of the most vital nutrients and energy boosters! 

The problem is that many people are shallow breathers. Thus a great way to start your day is to practice deep breathing. Deep breathing will not only energize your body, it will clear your mind.

A simple exercise you can do as you are getting up is to exhale completely and allow your breath to fill your belly, your diaphragm and then chest. Do this for several breaths.

Another key way to oxygenate your cells and get more energy is to drink more water!

Water brings oxygen to the cells and removes toxins and metabolic waste. 

This is the main reason I believe drinking 12 to 16 ounces of clean, filtered water first thing in the morning (before breakfast) is an essential daily health habit.

Physical activity and exercise plays a vital role in optimizing energy and increasing oxygenation.

An ideal exercise program includes activities that build stamina (e.g., walking, running, or bicycling), strength (isometric exercises or weights), and suppleness (stretching).

However, if nothing else, try to at least get in a 15-minute daily walk. Even this small amount of activity can help flush the lymph system, improve immunity, and increase oxygenation.

Choose Nutrient Dense Foods

The nutrients in the food we eat are equally important because our bodies use them to repair, build, and heal tissue.

The most energy-promoting nutrients are found primarily in whole, fresh plant-based foods, including fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, sprouts, legumes and whole grains.
The abundance of minerals and trace elements found in sea vegetables make them particularly valuable.

Many people have fatigue issues related to a thyroid problem, which is often linked to iodine deficiency.
 
Sea vegetables such as dulse, kelp, arame, nori, wakame, kombu, or hiziki are good sources of iodine and numerous other trace elements. Dulse and kelp are available in powder form and make an excellent seasoning.

Animal-based foods lack fiber and require a considerable amount of bodily energy to digest, thus depleting energy reserves. 

I am not suggesting that the optimal diet for everyone is a completely plant-based diet, but it’s the quality and quantity of foods that matters, as well as each person’s metabolic type.

To get more energy from food, think fresh and colorful.
Avoid all processed foods, which usually deplete energy reserves because they provide low nutritional value and require high metabolic expenditure. 

Daily Plan to Get More Energy

Before breakfast:  Practice a few minutes of deep breathing while walking or sitting. Drink 12 to 16 ounces of filtered drinking water. (Continue drinking water throughout the day, at least 8 to 12 ounces before meals.)

Sample breakfast:  A bowl of gluten-free hot cereal with a handful of almonds, a protein shake, or a couple of eggs with a piece of toasted sprouted grain bread.

Mid-morning snack:  Eat a handful of almonds, walnuts or seeds; hummus or guacamole with high-fiber crackers; a protein shake.

Sample lunch:  A large raw vegetable salad with some type of protein (nuts or nut butters, fish, turkey, chicken, hard-boiled egg) and healthy fats (nuts or nut butters, olives, avocadoes).

Mid-afternoon snack:  An organic apple or half a cup of berries.

Before dinner:  Drink 8 to 12 ounces of water.  Minimum 15-minute daily walk. Ideally, include at least 10 minutes of cardio exercise, 10 minutes of strength exercises, followed by 5 to 10 minutes of stretching.

Sample dinner:  A large serving of raw or lightly-cooked fresh vegetables along with beans, legumes, fish, or lean meat.


Water and salt (along with potassium) regulate the water content of the body.

Drinking water without adequate salt and potassium intake will not correct dehydration!

Drinking water will temporarily treat the symptoms of dehydration, but the balance of salt intake is what makes the real difference in health and hydration. for every 1250 ml water intake per day, use at least 1/4 teaspoon of natural unrefined sea salt.

For some reason, the importance of salt intake took a long time for me to digest and comprehend.
I believe most of us have been programmed for years to believe that all salt is bad.

The fact is that refined white salt, such as commercial table salt, IS bad for our health. I consider it a toxic poison for the human body.

However, unrefined natural salt provides many health benefits. It is a vital element for all living things.

In some cultures, salt is literally worth its weight in gold. Unrefined sea salt, for example, has been used by healers throughout the ages as a powerful “medication.” And in desert countries, people know that their survival depends on a balanced intake of water and salt.

Water and Salt Balance in the Body

Water itself regulates the water content inside our cells. Water delivers nutrients to the cells and helps remove toxins and metabolic wastes from the cells.

Once water gets into the cells, potassium is what holds it there. Where does potassium come from? It is found in abundance in fruits and vegetables—another important reason to eat 5 to 10 servings of fresh fruits and vegetables daily!

Salt’s main role in the regulation of water is to keep some water outside the cells. This happens because of salt’s natural osmotic retention of water.

Dr. Batmanghelidj, author of "Your Body’s Many Cries for Water," offered a good analogy when he wrote: “Basically, there are two oceans of water in the body: One ocean is held inside the cells of the body and the other ocean is held outside the cells. Good health depends on a delicate balance between the volumes of these two oceans.”

The balance of the two oceans in our body is achieved by (1) drinking enough water daily, (2) adding a moderate amount of natural salt to our diet, and (3) eating a variety of potassium-rich fruits and vegetables.

Some of the best sources of potassium include apricots, avocados, bananas, dates, figs, garlic, nuts, potatoes, raisins, spinach, winter squash, yams, and brown rice.

Editor's Note: I do not recommend taking potassium supplements unless your potassium levels are being checked by a health practitioner.

How Much Salt to Take with Water

The quality of drinking water is always important. I recommend drinking filtered water that is free of contaminants but still contains the natural minerals in the water.

Dr.Batmanghelidj recommends drinking half your body weight(pounds) in ounces of clean water each day and dissolving about 1/8 teaspoon of unrefined natural salt on your tongue before each 16 ounces of water that you drink. In metric,


However, please note that the addition of natural salt is ONLY recommended if you are actually drinking half your body weight in ounces of water. If you are not drinking enough water daily to be fully hydrated, adding the natural salt may not be beneficial.

Some people don't like the taste of salt on the tongue and thus prefer to just add the natural salt to food or to water. This may be sufficient for some people, some of the time.
However, more salt is needed during hot weather and after exercising since we lose excess electrolytes through sweating.

After exercise, I highly recommend dissolving a pinch of natural salt on your tongue, followed by 12 to 16 ounces of filtered water, not only for hydration purposes but to replenish electrolytes in the body.

In fact, this is a much better way to replenish electrolytes in the body than by drinking sport drinks, which tend to be full of sugar and are highly acidifying.

With a little self-awareness, you will begin to intuitively know how to maintain the water and salt balance in your body.

Caution: These salt intake recommendations are for unrefined natural salt only, not refined salt. See definitions below. If you have been told to restrict your salt intake or if you have a serious health condition, consult with your health practitioner before increasing your water or salt intake.

The Problem with Refined Salt

The biggest problem with refined table salt is that it is devoid of minerals and contains harmful additives. Refined table salt is typically 99.9% NaCl (sodium-chloride), a chemical that is as processed and denatured as white sugar.

Refined white table salt is unhealthy.

Refined salt contains additives, such as 0.01% of potassium-iodide (added to help prevent thyroid disease), sugar (added to stabilize iodine and prevent clumping), and aluminum silicate.
Other harmful chemicals, such as inorganic iodine, dextrose, and bleaching agents, are often added during processing.

People who eat refined salt often develop a craving for salt because their bodies are not getting the type of natural salt that it needs. They then tend to consume more and more refined salt, burdening the kidneys and adrenal glands and blocking the absorption of calcium.

Medical studies have shown that an excess intake of refined salt interferes with the absorption of nutrients and depletes calcium.

Many functions in the body are dependent upon calcium uptake. Calcium is critical for the health of the nerves and the heart, as well as the muscles and bones.

Refined salt also creates a major imbalance in water regulation inside and outside the cells, especially when the body is dehydrated.

Inadequate water intake along with refined salt intake leads to many serious health issues, most notably high blood pressure and water retention. This is partly how salt got such a bad rap.

The bottom line is, if you value your health, do not take any form of refined white salt.

Unrefined Natural Salt Is Best Choice

Unrefined natural salt, which contains sodium as well as many other minerals the body needs, is the best type of salt to take. It must be labeled “Unrefined” with “No Additives.”

There are two basic types of unrefined natural salt to consider: (1) mineral salt, and (2) sea salt.

Mineral salts are mined from thousands of feet below the ground surface in areas where there is a deep layer of mineral salts. Sea salt is harvested by different methods, but it basically involves sunlight and the evaporation of ocean water.

The most notable mineral salt many health advocates recommend is Himalayan crystal salt.

Natural Celtic sea salt is considered by many to be the healthiest sea salt available.

Beware of products in grocery stores, as well as health food stores, that are labeled “sea salt,” but are still highly refined and devoid of the key elements of natural sea salt.

Natural sea salt is not white and it is not dry. It is a little gray in color due to the mineral content and it retains some of its moisture even when stored in the refrigerator for long periods of time.

Both the Celtic sea salt and the Himalayan crystal salt contain many health promoting minerals and trace elements that are utilized in the human body.

My salt preference at this time is Celtic sea salt, but I believe Himalayan crystal salt is just as beneficial (although usually more expensive).  

The method I have found to be the most accurate for the average healthy adult living in a moderate climate is this:
Drink Half Your Body Weight in Ounces of Water Daily
In other words, if you weigh 180 lbs., you would want to drink about 90 ounces of water (roughly 3 quarts or 3 liters) to start to re-hydrate your body.
I know that sounds like a lot of water. In fact, it took me several months to get to where I could comfortably drink half my body weight in ounces of water daily.
But the results are worth it. Proper hydration will significantly improve every function in your body.
The main reason I recommend this approach for determining how much water to drink is because I know from personal and professional experience that it works.

My Experience of Not Drinking Enough Water

The most significant benefit I experienced when re-hydrating my body was unexpected. I didn’t have any major health issues at the time, so I didn’t expect any dramatic changes.
However, what I experienced was that as I committed to drinking at least half my body weight in ounces of water, my lifelong allergies disappeared within a period of about six to nine months.
After trying numerous diets, supplements and treatments for allergies over the years, I had completely given up on trying to get rid of them.
I was resigned to just having seasonal allergy symptoms for the rest of my life. So this change was definitely an unexpected benefit.
I had also just started drinking Kangen Water™ which is alkaline, ionized water that hydrates the body much more readily than regular tap, well, bottled, purified, or filtered water.
However, the type of water you drink should not be the ultimate determinate in drinking enough water daily—as long as the water is safe to drink.

Other Beverages Do Not Replace Water

People tell me all the time that they drink “plenty of fluids” or “lots of water.” However, when I encourage them to actually measure it, they are surprised to find how little water they are actually drinking.
I think this is mainly because most of us have become accustomed to drinking other beverages (besides water) and assume that we are getting plenty of fluids.
However, drinking other fluids does not take the place of water. Water is water and it is irreplaceable in the body for many reasons.
We do get some fluid intake from food, primarily fresh fruits and vegetables. But even with a diet abundant in fruits and vegetables, food will only count for about 20 percent of your total fluid intake.

When to Increase Water Intake

In addition, there are a number of things that influence your daily water intake needs. For example, a few of the instances in which water intake should be increased include:

• Prolonged or intense exercise
• Hot or humid climate
• Illnesses with fever, vomiting or diarrhea
• Chronic health conditions
• Pregnant or breast-feeding mothers
• Dieting

Tips for Drinking Enough Water

Set a goal.
Drink half your body weight in ounces of water daily. Commit to this goal for at least 6 months and then evaluate any changes in your health.

Keep track.
Get a quart or liter water bottle or jar (preferably glass) to keep track of your water consumption. Trying to keep track of daily water intake by counting 8 oz. glasses of water simply doesn’t work for most people. Keeping track of quarts or liters is much easier. A quart/liter equals approximately four 8 oz. glasses.

Taste is good.
Find a drinking water that tastes good to you. Yes, different waters taste better. In the beginning, it’s ok to add a little lemon to your water if it helps.

Fill water bottles. Take a refillable water bottle or thermos wherever you go.

Be patient and persistent.
If you have suffered chronic dehydration, it can take weeks, months, or even years to fully re-hydrate your body. How quickly the body re-hydrates will depend a lot on many factors, including your diet and lifestyle, as well as the type of water you drink.