How much water you drink has surprisingly little to do with hydration

“Hydration is multi-dimensional. And how much water you drink has surprisingly little to do with it”.

My summary of Module Two: ‘Flow’ from The Journey of Intrinsic Health

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Considering our bodies, our planet and almost every biological structure on it consist of around 70% water, we spend very little time talking and thinking about how we are hydrating ourselves. 

Water is a quantum molecule, and while I’m still wrapping my head around what that actually means (more on that another time), it’s becoming clear to me that water really is the foundation of life, and perhaps more importantly, of vitality. 

The problem is, however, most of the water we drink today is doing very little to hydrate us, and in many cases is actually undermining our health and wellbeing. 

But before we get to that, we first must define what we mean by hydration.

Have you ever wondered where the water goes when you drink it? Like specifically where it goes in the body?

Turns out that true hydration only occurs when the water we drink (or bathe in) is absorbed into our cells - all 70 trillion(!) of them.

Interestingly, when water enters a cell, it does so in a gel like state (not liquid). In fact it literally transmutes into a gel as it enters the cell. In doing so it facilitates the cleaning of the cell and the maintenance of healthy cellular function.

To enable that transition, the cell interior and exterior need the right balance of electrical charges. Inside the cell, we’re talking about a high negative charge for optimal hydration. 

Loss of electrical charge = the inability of water to enter the cell = dehydration. 

So how do acquire and maintain a the right electrical charge for each of our cells?

There are two main enablers. 

The first is by staying in touch with nature - literally. Touching the earth with our bare-feet, getting our hands in the soil, swimming in rivers and oceans, walking in forests - anything that directly connects us to nature brings the electron flow from the surface of the earth through into our bodies, giving our bodies a higher electrical charge. 

This high electrical charge outside our cells connects with the negative charge inside our cells, which enables the transfer of water from its liquid state, into its gel state inside the cell. 

The other way we can maintain that optimal electrical charge is by maintaining healthy, microbially diverse cell membranes. As our cell membranes weaken, they starts to lose their electrical charge capacity, which means we can no longer hold a gel state of water in the cell, so the water immediately exits the cell (or worse: never even enters in the first place), leaving us dehydrated.

So what makes the cell membrane weaker? Many of the toxic compounds in our environments including, herbicides, pesticides (glyphosate being a big one), and also alcohol. Which kind of explains why we feel so thirsty and dehydrated after a big night of drinking!

Dehydrated cells are the precursor to many of our increasing chronic diseases and cancers. But even prior those more serious conditions, cell dehydration is one of the key contributors to the aging process, and perhaps more importantly, to constantly feeling tired.  

How can we tell if we are well hydrated?

Interestingly, clear urine is just as likely to indicate the inability of your cells to absorb water as it is to indicate that you have drunk an adequate amount. 

Once water gets inside a cell, it will only leave the cell once it has bound to toxins that need to be ejected (i.e. the stuff that makes your urine yellow!). So more often than not, clear urine actually indicates that the water you drank didn’t have the potential to get inside the cell in the first place. 

The key to knowing is your sense of thirst - if you drink water and you pee clear and you’re not thirsty for a few hours, then you are likely relatively well hydrated.

If you consistently feel thirsty, despite seemingly drinking a decent amount, then it’s likely your cells lack the ability to absorb the water you’re drinking. 

So what can we do to enhance our hydration?

It may sound a bit odd at first, but you actually want to be eating most of your water. 

Nature has a high amount of the gel state of water, and fruits and veggies are the most effective delivery mechanism. Cucumber and celery are great examples, but pretty much all of them are good.

You also, as much as possible, want to avoid municipal tap water. Despite claims of general safety, it’s unbelievable how much chemical and pharmaceutical residues are in the water supply (including birth control, glyphosate, pesticides, antibiotics, chlorine, heavy metals etc).

As well as those contaminants, water often loses it’s electrical charge in the municipal water piping systems, largely due to the constant change in direction of flow (think about all the 90 degree bends in piping… interestingly you never see a 90 degree bend in the flow of water in nature).

If you don’t have access to natural spring water (let’s face it, most of us don’t), you can add minerals (e.g. Celtic or Himalayan salts) to purified water, and adding lemon or lime juice is an excellent idea too (as it improves he ability of the water to absorb acids as it moves through your body). 

Ultimately, the best thing we can do for our hydration is increase the amount of time we spend in living water systems. 

Nature knows best how to hydrate us, if only give her the time and space to do so.