Roger Harty: The Importance Of Drinking Water

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I WAS in John B Keane’s pub in Listowel last Friday night celebrating the last hurrah of the Listowel races.

I must say there is something about the human body that loves routine and just like sheep, there is certain routine that we follow like clockwork – especially in Kerry – to herald the end of Summertime and engage with the oncoming shorter evenings.

First there is Puck Fair in early August, then the Rose of Tralee, then ‘back to School’ which then introduces the Listowel Races (also wild mushroom picking time!), then the fabulous Dingle Food Fair, followed by Halloween and dare I say it Christmas advertisements.

Yes, you are correct if you say I omitted the third Sunday in September (All-Ireland Football final day)  and yes, I am correct if I say there is a little pain in all followers of the green and gold – basically all of Kerry.

This particular Sunday is like a religious day in Kerry. Some would even suggest it is of more importance and I’m sure that many of the following winter months will be engaged in planning our route to the main altar for next year.

Routine, routine, routine. Just like our lifestyles love routine, our bodies love habits. It is a well-known fact that it takes about 30 days of continuous effort to develop a habit and it takes about 90 days to render that new habit almost irreversible.

One of the most important habits we can develop for our bodies is the habit of drinking water. About 70% of our body is made up of water so it makes absolute common sense to ensure that we hydrate our bodies on a daily basis with fresh clean water.

It is suggested that we drink at least eight glasses of water throughout the day (a minimum of 2 litres) in order to ensure adequate hydration.

I was talking to a florist last week and I asked her of the importance of watering flowers and plants. Her reply was honest and obvious –‘ You can do all the horticultural and floral courses that you want, but if you do not nourish them (flowers and plants) with water  these courses are a waste of time and energy.

Quite simply, the flowers are put under stress and exactly the same happens to our bodily systems when they are not hydrated in an adequate manner.

The cells of our bodies are not properly hydrated which can in turn cause organ dysfunction, causing stress leading to a feeling of sluggishness and a general lack of energy.

One of the most important organs of the body are the kidneys, which filter about 180 litres  (48 gallons) of fluid on a daily basis. Proper hydration is essential for the optimal functioning of these vital organs.

Our bodies are precious and it goes without saying that we should make every effort to respect them.

Of course there are added benefits to the body, as the cells become hydrated, the skin becomes clearer, we are less lethargic and there is overall enhancement of bodily functions (google  ‘benefits of drinking water’ to get the full lowdown!).

Awareness is everything but even awareness is not enough without action.

Quote: “Action without Awareness is fatal but Awareness without Action is futile.”

So ‘You can bring a Horse to water but you can’t make him drink it!’

Next week I am going to write about – ‘Songs About Time’