I am an all or nothing type of person - if I can't doc something 100%, I don't do it at all. Sadly, after only three days on the water protocol, I'm starting to feel a bit negative because I can't seem to do it perfectly (or even close to perfectly!). There seem to be so many rules: don't drink within xx minutes of eating, don't eat within xx minutes of drinking, don't drink when eating, and the minutes of the day travel by so quickly that I find I need to eat more than drink, and then I don't know when to drink, so I don't drink at all.
I think I said drink too many times in that sentence.
So I am going to try something a little different today. I completely agree that the water protocol first thing in the morning is a good thing, and it's easy to do since nothing has happened yet in the day to derail me. Last thing before bed is also okay, because by then the crazy day is behind me. I have a theory (based on nothing other than knowledge of how my body works) that if I can get the electrolytes and water into my cells as I sleep and first thing when I wake up, that I will feel much better overall during the day. I would still like to consume my allotted ounces of water during the day, but I might have to spread it out a bit more rather than at set times with set 500 ml amounts. And maybe I'll dab a bit of water on my tongue here and there.
So, we'll see how it goes. It's all a process, and we are all different. What I do know is that after three days I woke up at 5 am and didn't feel like a truck ran over my head (typical for a Thursday), and I feel positive about my energy for the day.
At least it's one small step in the right direction!
Thursday, February 16, 2017
The Third Day
I had a good sleep last night - was up a couple of times to go to the bathroom (sorry, can't remember the exact times), but I think that was due to the 500ml of water plus a Boston Pizza Twisted Rocket (!) all consumed after 7:30. Today my plan is to only consume water (with salt, of course), and we'll see how that works. If I can work out all of the times properly, I'm going to try to fit in four protocols today. It's a little tricky since I don't want to drink water too close to meal times, but I'm sure I can figure it out!
Protocol #1 now seems easy after three days - the salt isn't bothering my mouth at all anymore.
I was able to complete #2 at around 10:30 am, but then my day got away from me and I didn't do #3 at work as planned. It was a tough day, 10 hours at the office, and I just didn't feel like planning another protocol around eating, so I drank some water without salt before going to bed (at around 8:00), and called it a night.
I think I need to figure out something different - my days are just going to get shorter and I don't have time to think about this....
Protocol #1 now seems easy after three days - the salt isn't bothering my mouth at all anymore.
I was able to complete #2 at around 10:30 am, but then my day got away from me and I didn't do #3 at work as planned. It was a tough day, 10 hours at the office, and I just didn't feel like planning another protocol around eating, so I drank some water without salt before going to bed (at around 8:00), and called it a night.
I think I need to figure out something different - my days are just going to get shorter and I don't have time to think about this....
Wednesday, February 15, 2017
The Second Day
As mentioned in my earlier post, I had quite a terrible sleep last night. I don't think it had anything to do with the salt/water protocol - I think my brain is just on overdrive. We also have an oil company doing some drilling not to far away, and I always seem to be able to hear the motors running, which makes it difficult to fall back asleep in the middle of the night. However, there is nothing I can do about it (although honestly, sometimes I imagine myself sneaking through the fences in the dead of night and shutting the whole thing down!), and it's been going on for around three years now, so I just have to get used to it.
I was up at 5 for the morning commute to gymnastics, and while I didn't feel great, I definitely felt better than yesterday, even with the broken sleep. I measured out my salt and rubbed it over my gums, trying to let it absorb as much as possible before swallowing. Again, like yesterday, there seemed to be a brief moment of clarity as my system consumed the salt. I drank the 500 ml of water a little easier than yesterday morning, and headed off to yoga after gymnastics drop off. And no, I didn't have to interrupt my yoga class by going to the bathroom, after all of the worries I had about that. I think I will even be okay to do the protocol on a Sunday morning when I need to be on the platform for 18 uninterrupted minutes.
I have always had an irrational fear (if fear is really the right word) of needing to go to the bathroom but not being able to. Since I had major surgery over 5 years ago, my bladder is not as resilient as it used to be, and the discomfort of a full bladder is far worse than before. Of course, it could also be a function of getting older, but either way, when my bladder starts filling, it seems to fill up fast, and there is nothing I can do about it. And so I have suffered these past number of years, purposely dehydrating myself before a road trip, never drinking on a Sunday morning (because I can't just hop off the stage in the middle of a worship set and leave the band to fend for itself!), and wondering how I could ever drink the "gallon of water a day" that seems to be what all of the "health experts" recommend. My experience with a gallon of water a day is that I spend all day in the bathroom and then I feel sick by the evening, likely due to my electrolyte balance being off as a result of so many trips to the bathroom.
And so maybe I have found a solution...we will see. I plan to do three protocols again today, keeping it simple for now.
I didn't manage to get in my second protocol until around 2:30, but it's definitely getting easier to take in 1/8 tsp of salt. I think tomorrow I might try 4 protocols - I'm feeling quite thirsty and would really like to bump my water intake, but don't want to do it without the salt.
Being Valentine's Day, I went out for a drink with my significant other and watched a bit of the hockey game - that was around 730, and then I came home at had my final protocol around 9. That might have been a little too much liquid for that late at night, but I still wasn't in the bathroom too often after about 10:30.
Day 3 will have water protocol only - we'll see if things return to day 1 levels.
I was up at 5 for the morning commute to gymnastics, and while I didn't feel great, I definitely felt better than yesterday, even with the broken sleep. I measured out my salt and rubbed it over my gums, trying to let it absorb as much as possible before swallowing. Again, like yesterday, there seemed to be a brief moment of clarity as my system consumed the salt. I drank the 500 ml of water a little easier than yesterday morning, and headed off to yoga after gymnastics drop off. And no, I didn't have to interrupt my yoga class by going to the bathroom, after all of the worries I had about that. I think I will even be okay to do the protocol on a Sunday morning when I need to be on the platform for 18 uninterrupted minutes.
I have always had an irrational fear (if fear is really the right word) of needing to go to the bathroom but not being able to. Since I had major surgery over 5 years ago, my bladder is not as resilient as it used to be, and the discomfort of a full bladder is far worse than before. Of course, it could also be a function of getting older, but either way, when my bladder starts filling, it seems to fill up fast, and there is nothing I can do about it. And so I have suffered these past number of years, purposely dehydrating myself before a road trip, never drinking on a Sunday morning (because I can't just hop off the stage in the middle of a worship set and leave the band to fend for itself!), and wondering how I could ever drink the "gallon of water a day" that seems to be what all of the "health experts" recommend. My experience with a gallon of water a day is that I spend all day in the bathroom and then I feel sick by the evening, likely due to my electrolyte balance being off as a result of so many trips to the bathroom.
And so maybe I have found a solution...we will see. I plan to do three protocols again today, keeping it simple for now.
I didn't manage to get in my second protocol until around 2:30, but it's definitely getting easier to take in 1/8 tsp of salt. I think tomorrow I might try 4 protocols - I'm feeling quite thirsty and would really like to bump my water intake, but don't want to do it without the salt.
Being Valentine's Day, I went out for a drink with my significant other and watched a bit of the hockey game - that was around 730, and then I came home at had my final protocol around 9. That might have been a little too much liquid for that late at night, but I still wasn't in the bathroom too often after about 10:30.
Day 3 will have water protocol only - we'll see if things return to day 1 levels.
Tuesday, February 14, 2017
The First Day
I woke up at around 5 and went back to sleep. It is now 6:53 and I dragged myself out of bed, wanting to stay there forever. If, on a scale of 1 to 10, 1 is not able to get out of bed and 10 is jumping out of bed, I feel like a 2 or a 3. My throat is dry, I can hardly keep my eyes open, my urine was dark yellow, all in all, a pretty crappy start to the day.
Okay - that was interesting. Firstly, 1/8 tsp of salt is a lot of salt to put on the tongue all at once (I was expecting a sprinkle). At watercures.org I read that the salt might burn when on the tongue, and I must say that it did burn a bit, but it wasn't completely unpleasant. It didn't take very long to dissolve on my tongue, and then I happily started drinking the water.
Something did happen before I drank the water, however - it was almost like my brain cleared up a bit. Hmmm....I wonder why salt would do that? It may make sense, why I have been craving salty foods for the past week (at least) - with my low blood pressure and lack of hydration, could my salt levels be off as well?
Drinking the water was more difficult than usual - normally I can drink two cups of water no problem, especially when I am so thirsty in the morning. But, by just after 7:00 I had completed step 1 of the water protocol. I feel a little better, maybe up to a 4 or 5, but I would still like to go back to bed. However, the day calls, and I must go.
At 11:00 I decided to repeat the protocol, and strangely, all my brain could think about from about 10:00 onward was the salt I was going to have. Very interesting. This time I tried putting the bits of salt around my gums - I found that dumping the entire 1/8 tsp on my tongue was a little harsh, and I felt naseous at around 8:15. I read that it is best to let the salt dissolve slowly so that not a lot of it is swallowed, which can apparently upset the stomach. Another interesting tidbit - I was able to consume the water a lot easier this time. Not sure if it's the time of day or the salting methodology, but regardless, I feel better with the protocol this time around.
The third and final protocol of the day was at close to 9:00, which made me very nervous. I certainly didn't want to be up all night going to the bathroom! I put the salt around my gums again (my salivary glands were going nuts!), and then drank the water. Less than an hour later, I went to bed, and only woke up to go to the bathroom once - at 12:36 pm. Sadly, however, my sleep was terrible.
And so ends the first day - 3 protocols of 500 ml of water with 1/8 tsp of salt.
Okay - that was interesting. Firstly, 1/8 tsp of salt is a lot of salt to put on the tongue all at once (I was expecting a sprinkle). At watercures.org I read that the salt might burn when on the tongue, and I must say that it did burn a bit, but it wasn't completely unpleasant. It didn't take very long to dissolve on my tongue, and then I happily started drinking the water.
Something did happen before I drank the water, however - it was almost like my brain cleared up a bit. Hmmm....I wonder why salt would do that? It may make sense, why I have been craving salty foods for the past week (at least) - with my low blood pressure and lack of hydration, could my salt levels be off as well?
Drinking the water was more difficult than usual - normally I can drink two cups of water no problem, especially when I am so thirsty in the morning. But, by just after 7:00 I had completed step 1 of the water protocol. I feel a little better, maybe up to a 4 or 5, but I would still like to go back to bed. However, the day calls, and I must go.
At 11:00 I decided to repeat the protocol, and strangely, all my brain could think about from about 10:00 onward was the salt I was going to have. Very interesting. This time I tried putting the bits of salt around my gums - I found that dumping the entire 1/8 tsp on my tongue was a little harsh, and I felt naseous at around 8:15. I read that it is best to let the salt dissolve slowly so that not a lot of it is swallowed, which can apparently upset the stomach. Another interesting tidbit - I was able to consume the water a lot easier this time. Not sure if it's the time of day or the salting methodology, but regardless, I feel better with the protocol this time around.
The third and final protocol of the day was at close to 9:00, which made me very nervous. I certainly didn't want to be up all night going to the bathroom! I put the salt around my gums again (my salivary glands were going nuts!), and then drank the water. Less than an hour later, I went to bed, and only woke up to go to the bathroom once - at 12:36 pm. Sadly, however, my sleep was terrible.
And so ends the first day - 3 protocols of 500 ml of water with 1/8 tsp of salt.
Sunday, February 12, 2017
In The Beginning
I bought the book "Water For Health, For Healing For Life" quite a few years ago and it has sat on my iPad on the Kindle app ever since. I don't recall how I stumbled upon it, but I remember that it made logical sense - that water could be more than just something to drink on a hot summer day - it could be the key to good health.
Of course, in this day of fad diets and internet opinions, it's impossible to know what the "right answer" is when it comes to health. For every fad out there, you can find a zillion opinions that it is great, and a zillion opinions that it's harmful, so what is the truth when it comes to our health? I think that whatever works for an individual is their truth, and it won't necessarily be the truth for their friends.
The one truth that I know for myself, however, is that I am chronically dehydrated, and I am always thinking about water. It's one of my frustrations that I know water will make me feel better, but I don't have the time for it - to drink it, to fill up my water bottle, to go to the bathroom endless times while my body gets use to the water (including every hour at night - like I'm not tired enough as it is!). But my list of maladies has become too long to ignore, and if I don't do something soon, it will be staph infection city for the third time, as I kill my immune system with tax season and end up in the hospital on IV antibiotics. Good times.
So here it goes - all of the things that are causing me grief: Tired all of the time, can't get out of bed without feeling like a truck ran over me, poor memory, tired and stiff muscles, no flexibility, constant anxiety, no energy to do anything - honestly, I would love to lie in bed all day every day, and I cherish the hours when I have nothing scheduled so that I can just sit. My digestion is not great and I consume large amounts of sugar and salt for energy. I would love to eat healthily but I have no energy to do so. These are the facts - I am just wasting away the days doing, but not living. And sadly, I don't even have a desire to do anything else.
The protocol suggests eventually consuming 5 units of water consumption plus salt throughout the day, starting with 2 units, first thing in the morning and last thing at night. While I'm not a fan of drinking a bunch of water right before bed, what can it hurt - I'm not sleeping as it is. I can't remember the last time I felt truly rested. It suggests 30 days of the twice daily protocol, but I feel like I can start with three times. That will be 1.5L of water when I probably typically drink maybe a cup or two a day.
And so tomorrow, February 13, I will try this protocol, and I will track my progress, whether positive or negative, to see if this can become my truth.
How I wish it could....I'm so tired of feeling tired.
Of course, in this day of fad diets and internet opinions, it's impossible to know what the "right answer" is when it comes to health. For every fad out there, you can find a zillion opinions that it is great, and a zillion opinions that it's harmful, so what is the truth when it comes to our health? I think that whatever works for an individual is their truth, and it won't necessarily be the truth for their friends.
The one truth that I know for myself, however, is that I am chronically dehydrated, and I am always thinking about water. It's one of my frustrations that I know water will make me feel better, but I don't have the time for it - to drink it, to fill up my water bottle, to go to the bathroom endless times while my body gets use to the water (including every hour at night - like I'm not tired enough as it is!). But my list of maladies has become too long to ignore, and if I don't do something soon, it will be staph infection city for the third time, as I kill my immune system with tax season and end up in the hospital on IV antibiotics. Good times.
So here it goes - all of the things that are causing me grief: Tired all of the time, can't get out of bed without feeling like a truck ran over me, poor memory, tired and stiff muscles, no flexibility, constant anxiety, no energy to do anything - honestly, I would love to lie in bed all day every day, and I cherish the hours when I have nothing scheduled so that I can just sit. My digestion is not great and I consume large amounts of sugar and salt for energy. I would love to eat healthily but I have no energy to do so. These are the facts - I am just wasting away the days doing, but not living. And sadly, I don't even have a desire to do anything else.
The protocol suggests eventually consuming 5 units of water consumption plus salt throughout the day, starting with 2 units, first thing in the morning and last thing at night. While I'm not a fan of drinking a bunch of water right before bed, what can it hurt - I'm not sleeping as it is. I can't remember the last time I felt truly rested. It suggests 30 days of the twice daily protocol, but I feel like I can start with three times. That will be 1.5L of water when I probably typically drink maybe a cup or two a day.
And so tomorrow, February 13, I will try this protocol, and I will track my progress, whether positive or negative, to see if this can become my truth.
How I wish it could....I'm so tired of feeling tired.
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