What the lack of water might do to your body and did do to mine…

I have to warn you that none of what I’m about to tell you is pretty.. but it does go to show what the lack of water will do to your body. If you have any of these symptoms on a daily basis it could easily be because your body is struggling. What people seem to forget is that our bodies consist of 80% water and when we fail to introduce more water into our systems our body takes it from elsewhere to complete the necessary functions.

Since I stopped drinking water I have noticed several things. My coordination has been compromised. I believe this has happened because my joints, and this includes the joints in my fingers, have been dehydrated so movement isn’t as fluid as it should be. My fingers aren’t moving as well as they should be causing me to have more typing errors. My elbows hurt more than usual and my shoulders tire easily. My neck feels like it needs to be popped but nothing happens when I try and pop it. My knees have been clicking when I stand and my ankles and toes keep popping. It sounds like I’m cracking my knuckles when I take a step.

The area that seems to be the most bothered by the lack of water is my back. Today I had trouble getting out of bed and even now (nearly midnight) I’m still having to shift my position over and over again to try and reduce the amount of pain I feel in my lumbar region.

Internally a few things have been happening. I’ve experienced more heartburn than I usually do and (beware those with a delicate constitution) I am dreadfully constipated. I feel like I have to go but nothing is happening. Things are.. compacted. I’m not digesting as well as I should be and I do have minor abdominal pains as my body struggles to work through the food in my intestinal system.

This is all because my body is lacking the natural lubrication of water. I’m starting back with all my water first thing in the morning. I know that once I have water back in my system I’ll be annoyed by the fact that I will have to keep using the bathroom. I used to wonder why I would urinate so much when I drank water, but a doctor told me that while your body needs water when it’s first being reintroduced to it a lot of the water escapes. We aren’t like sponges, unfortunately, and it takes replenished cells to be strong enough to collect and pass along the water we drink.

If you aren’t a water drinker, you really should start drinking water. You’ll notice the same things I did/do.. the first few days (up to a week) about an hour after you drink water you’ll have to go to the bathroom and by the end of that second day you’ll notice your urine is nearly clear. This is how it should be. You actually shouldn’t be having yellow urine.. it should be nearly clear. This means the nutrients that were once coloring your urine are being properly absorbed again. You’ll find that after a week you won’t be having to go to the bathroom so frequently after you drink water.. your body will be absorbing more of it.

When your body gets the water it needs you will have a reduction of some of the issues I’ve mentioned or they will completely go away. Of course, if you are still having constipation after you start drinking plenty of water that is a major clue that you are missing some important parts of your diet. You will need to take the time to work with your diet to find the foods that give you the best results.

This all comes back to you knowing your body better than anyone else. If you learn things about your body then you will be able to make good decisions to keep it working well. I know that water helps reduce my joint pain and reduce the occurrences of my back pain.. and it stops me from being constipated. I can mark that on my list of things I can control about how my body works.

Water.. is life. And to me it means less pain and a better digestive function.

Pounds lost: 17.1 (371.9)

Daily insight: Craving water more than I ever craved the evil Pepsi. :)

Ounces of water consumed: 0

Steps in the right direction: 79

Re-learning how my body works…

I’ve decided to start a little experiment. I want to see if a change in what I eat or drink really does have an impact on my body. I didn’t have any water today and I’m going to refrain from water at least one more day. I want to take note of how my body is feeling. I want to see if my back hurts more, or my joints, or my eyes, or.. whatever. I want to see if my digestion changes or if my body even notices the difference whatsoever.

I think this is important because by noting anything that feels different I can make the connection between that pain or change and the amount of water I do or don’t drink. This will help me later when I attempt to figure out why something is or isn’t happening. For example, if I know that the lack of water consumption for two days causes my elbows to hurt more then I know that water is doing it’s job of lubricating my joints like I’ve read in articles about joint health. This will help me determine if I need to increase my intake of water later on when my elbows hurt.

I’ve said before that I think we should all know our bodies so that we can help doctors understand how we work before, during, or after we are hurt or ill. This is another way for me to have a better understanding of how my body uses the things I eat and drink.

Today was a good day. I laughed with my sister and nephew and then went home and laughed some more. I hope tomorrow is even better.

Pounds lost: 17.1 (371.9)

Daily insight: Knowing what makes you work will help you keep things working the best way they can.

Ounces of water consumed: 0

Steps in the right direction: 78

Taking a walk down nostalgia lane…

Today was a day for introspection and I found myself thinking about times gone by. I didn’t yearn for them or anything, but I did wonder what my life would be like now if I had made different choices. I’m closing in on my 37^th birthday and I find that it’s causing me to wonder about things I never stopped to wonder about before.

I don’t regret any of the decisions I’ve made because they’ve helped me become the strong, independent woman I am today. Unfortunately, that doesn’t stop me from wondering if I made the right decisions. I never would have thought I’d be almost 37 without a reliable job embarking on a new phase of my life that I sometimes feel I don’t have the skill set for.

Some days I love what I’ve gotten myself into and other days I question my sanity. LOL Today wasn’t a question my sanity kind of day and yet I still had a lot of wonder running around my head. I even found myself friending some of my ex-boyfriends on Facebook. LOL Yeah, it was one of those kind of days.

Today I also finished Deborah Blake’s book Witchcraft on a Shoestring and I really enjoyed it. I think my favorite part of the book was her last chapter titled, The Everyday Witch. She talked about how being a witch had nothing to do with buying more stuff and had everything to do with connection. Connection to the earth, to the Goddess and the God, to the seasons, to the animals around us, to the people in our lives, to our communities, and the fact that we are the connection that is most important.

I really liked her writing style and how I smiled, laughed, and was called to think about the things she said. I plan on keeping an eye out for more books written by her. If you haven’t read any of her books, I recommend her. She’s a good example of what each of us really is.. An ordinary person living as valuable a life as we can while being true to ourselves.

I like that.

Pounds lost: 17.1 (371.9)

Daily insight: Being ordinary doesn’t mean you’re not special.

Ounces of water consumed: 0
Steps in the right direction: 77

Busy is the way to be…

Today was a busy day for me with a lot of things that I had to finish before the end of the day. I’m still working on it but I’m hoping to be done well before midnight. If I manage to finish I can start on my two week reprieve to get myself back on track.

In an attempt to get myself out of the rut I’ve fallen into I’ve applied to work for a former employer. We parted on terms that could have been better. I left the company because the management team at the time was mistreating my fellow co-workers and me. That team was fired from the company not long after I left the company due to the bad press they received and the way their behaviors created an adverse effect on the business. I’m hoping that the track record of those managers will sufficiently counteract the fact that I left without ever signing my termination papers.

I don’t really want to be moving backwards in my employment history, but these are tough times and I can’t allow my pride to get in the way of me being able to pay my bills. Keeping my head above water is more important than any ego that I may have.

I continued reading my book by Deborah Blake and I should have it finished tomorrow. I look forward to being able to share with you what I’ve discovered in between the covers of her book.

The diet went only so-so today and I have no excuse for that. I wasn’t able to get into cooking today and so that allowed me to make food that wasn’t exactly on the menu. I’m hoping that I’ll have all of the items that aren’t good for me out of the house within the next few days.

Ok, back to work for me. Talk to you again tomorrow.

Pounds lost: 17.1 (371.9)

Daily insight: You can’t have tunnel vision when you’re looking at the big picture.

Ounces of water consumed: 64

Steps in the right direction: 76

Getting back in the groove…

Today was a pretty good day. I purposely kept it as quiet as possible since I’m trying to get back into the groove of things. I caught up on the reading of blogs I haven’t been doing. It’s been nice to see what’s been going on with other people and I was pleased to discover some recipes that I’ve now saved to my favorite places. :) I managed to drink all 64 ounces of water last night and am doing it again today. This is a great step toward getting back

Part of my mellow day was spent reading a book by Deborah Blake about money saving ways to get the things you need to be “Witchy”. I’m enjoying the suggestions that she has and have learned a couple of new things. That’s always a good thing.

Other than that I found myself asleep on the couch at one point and woke up with a tiny sleep hangover. I had left the heater on and the house was stuffy which, of course, made me groggy. A call from my sister woke me up and when she arrived I was still half asleep. I can only imagine the conversation we must have had. LOL

The diet went pretty well today although it wasn’t stellar. I need to get rid of all of the “tempting” foods I currently have in the house. Once they are gone things will be easier to persuade back on track. For dinner, though, I’m going to have a warm cup of soup and then curl up in front of the TV before bed.

I have a busy day tomorrow finishing up the last of my freelance work so I can take 2 weeks off to get my priorities in order. I sure hope that I can get it all done tomorrow so I won’t have to think about it again for a while.

Pounds lost: 17.1 (371.9)

Daily insight: Warmth makes me very, very sleepy!

Ounces of water consumed: 64

Steps in the right direction: 75

Some days you can only keep your head above water…

Have you ever had days.. or in my case weeks.. where you feel like you’re barely keeping your head above water? The last 11 days have repeatedly kicked me in my backside. Of course, when I look back I wonder why. I had computer issues, then I had deadline issues, and then I had my “my body isn’t a happy camper” issues. The computer issues have thankfully been repaired, and after only 2.5 hours of sleep for 48 hours a couple of days ago I finished all of my work, although I did miss two deadlines. I think that’s what sent me into my “SIGH, I’m figgin’ exhausted and a little depressed” that’s kept a hold of me for the last few days.

I didn’t know how to get back online and admit all of this on here. I was afraid of my own oath of honesty. The scale on Thursday said my weight was 371.9 so I’d gained back nearly 2lbs and that added to my feelings of depression. I couldn’t face the fact that I was allowing myself to step away from my goals and my promise to myself. I could easily blame the amount of work I had given myself with my freelance work, but that is only part of it. Everything feels off kilter.

The loss of sleep because of my workload made me realize a few things. It made me realize that I was working 18+ hours a day for barely $25. None of it was even enough for me to pay my rent. If I count all of the work I’ve done for other people since November I can just make rent. That’s over 2 months of sacrificing time with my family and my goals for 1 month of rent. That is not ok. I was faced with the reality of my situation and that added to my self-deprecating attitude. I was asking myself things like… “What’s the point? You’re killing yourself for what? Why don’t you just give up?”

That kind of negative self speak isn’t unfamiliar to me, but I thought I had left it in my past. To have it rise up and point its finger at me in the mirror was hard to deal with. Is still hard to deal with.

In an attempt to cheer myself up I decided to do a reading with the Tarot, but every single card I pulled was negative. It made me feel defeated. I almost wanted to just stay down and not struggle to my feet again.

But I’m better than that.

Much better.

And I deserve more than just falling down and letting life run over the top of me. I deserve to be empowered and successful. I know that the only person that can make that happen is me. And I deserve for it to happen. So, I’m going to damn well make it happen.

I haven’t had any water today, but I put down that I’ll have consumed 64 ounces and this is my first step to getting back to where I need and deserve to be. I am going to drink all of the water I need to before I go to bed tonight. And I’m going to get back on this rickety wagon that I’ve allowed to roll over me and start steering it back down the path it should have always been on.

Pounds lost: 17.1 (371.9)

Daily insight: You’re the only one that can stop yourself from succeeding and you should never let you get in your way.

Ounces of water consumed: 64

Steps in the right direction: 74 - I just can’t count those days I let the wagon roll over me.

Circles in the Sand...

The line from the song won’t get out of my head as I sit down to write this. It seems like an odd song to be floating around inside my noggin’, doncha think?  Especially since today was just a day of work without any real daydreaming. I think I need a break so that I can get some real down time to read. I miss reading. I haven’t sat down to actually read, honest to goodness turning of pages, in months. I tried to read some of the books I have that pertain to my religion, but even those just sat there unattended.

Seems a shame that I’m doing all of this writing and none of it, outside of this blog, has been for me. A real shame. I think I’m going to take some time off after these last two big projects are done so I can concentrate on the things I want to write. After all, my reading a while back said my future has to do with my writing. And I have to believe that it means the writing I should be doing to get me published rather than the writing I’m doing for other people.

So, I suppose I should stop singing about circles in the sand and start making some art outside of my head. :) 

Pounds lost: 18.9 (370.1)

Daily insight: Glimmering, shimmering, dreams across the milky way.

Ounces of water consumed: 64

Steps in the right direction: 73