How many pints?!
A month ago, I attended a weekend course with the incredible Prune Harris. There were MANY moments of illumination, but one of the most memorable was hearing Prune say:
‘There is no transformation if there is dehydration’
Most of my clients know that I always ask how their water drinking is going, because it is absolutely fundamental to almost all of the functions of our body. But when Prune worked in clinical practice, she took it so seriously, that she would quite literally only take on clients who would commit to drinking enough water. (And as Prune can see energy, there was no cheating!)
On the course, she asked for a show of hands in the room - who thought they were hydrated? I tentatively raised my hand, knowing that although I normally drink a lot, it was morning and I’d only had a couple of glasses of water by then. As she went around the room, of the twenty or so of us who raised our hands, she only said that two were hydrated. When she came to me, she actually laughed, (in her generous, playful way!).
She told us that when teaching, she uses a lot of her fire element and so needs to balance that with water - usually 5 litres a day! Wow!
I decided there and then, that if I took nothing else away from the course, I would increase my water intake and see how I felt.
My morning now starts with two pints of warm water and one or two herbal teas. I know it sounds a lot, and please know that I was already drinking half of that first thing, but I have been amazed at how much brighter I feel. By the end of a day, I’ve usually drunk around three litres.
I’ve realised that working as I do, with energy, bodies and people, that I really need that amount to feel good myself, not only making others feel good!
I always suggest that people start slowly because if we just start guzzling water, like an over-dry houseplant, it will simply whoosh straight though us, and we’ll need the loo all the time. My tried-and tested-is to give it 4-6 weeks of gradually increasing, topping up those luscious cells of yours, and you’ll be amazed at how your body adapts. Take most of the water by early afternoon if you can, so that you don’t need to get up lots of times in the night!
It’s simple stuff.
And if you are reading this and you are feeling resistance in some way, can you be curious what that’s about? If you absolutely adore your morning coffee or tea, you don’t need to give it up. Just add water on the side.
If you find water boring, add a little lemon or ginger or mint.
If you find it hard to remember, fill a water bottle and have it near you - and every time you remember to take a sip, take five or six.
Imagine that you have been given a prescription, but the important medicine is water.
Make it work for you, your life and your precious body.
Enjoy!