Back in High School, I ran track and cross country. Along with countless shin splints and cramps, one side effect was occasional dehydration. After my first bout of throwing up on the side of the trail with a head-splitting headache, I opted to stay on top of my hydration from then on.
This has given me an insight into my health that seems lost on many people. For instance, I know people who live off of soda and coffee and refuse to touch much of anything else. Maybe some juice in their alcohol. But, it astounds me that so many people can go about their normal lives without drinking water.
I would be a wreck without water. Sometimes I'll be zoning out to whatever I'm doing and I become aware that I feel terrible, and I realize that I haven't had any water for a while. I can't imagine what a lifestyle without proper hydration feels like.
A friend of our family drinks nothing but sugary drinks, and he always is exhausted and irritable. I've talked with him about this, and he says he would drink water, but he doesn't like the taste. I didn't know what to say to that.
Where does this aversion to the most basic and natural drink come from? It is a form of programming from our culture. So many people have grown up with poor diets that their bodies have adapted. But this is like wearing an itchy sweater for long enough that we forget it is itchy. The body still has its needs, and ignoring them only serves to weaken our health.
Fun fact: a glass of water works just as well for a quick pick-me-up as coffee. It may not be as stimulating, but it energizes the body, especially after a night of sleep. When I wake up after eight or so hours of not drinking water, all my grogginess goes away with a little hydration.
We really need to listen to our bodies. Sometimes we get cravings for something that extends beyond desire. That is our bodies telling us exactly what it needs, and we must be in tune with it to understand what it is saying. For example, after long runs I would crave water and sweet food, like fruit. After expending all that energy running, my body needed water and simple sugars. Usually, after an hour or two, I will then start to crave something like bread; as my body returns to its normal rhythm, it starts requesting complex carbohydrates to refuel.
This same feeling should be a regular reminder throughout our day to drink water. We don't need to change our lifestyles – just become aware of how our own Earthly vessels work and treat them with love!
Love Cycle Team Member
Greg Manning
Love Cycle is a nonprofit that creates and supports projects and lifestyles in alignment with unconditional love for the planet and all beings. A collective of OUTside the box solutionaries that recycle TRAsh into eARTh in order to bring paradise on eARTh! Everyday brings us an opportunity to Rise our Eco, and Heal the Ego. It takes a tribe to create paradise on eARTh!
As a commUNITY we thrive by adopting organic systems and lifestyles that flow abundance and sustainability. This consists of simple daily actions like recycling and reusing every piece of eARTh as a piece of heART.
We partner with like minded humanitarian organizations, ecovillages, and cooperative businesses to support and activate communities, providing them with regenerative resources and lots of love!
Our projects feature organic food support and distribution, support for local farmers, natural medicine, ecological clean-up walks, yoga, sustainable arts and crafts, educational workshops, event organization, and so much more!
Visit our website to learn more!
Follow us on Facebook !