Thirsty For Health?

Shotyk’s organization, the Elmvale Foundation, hosted its 10th annual water festival this month. It all started when Shotyk was a young boy and his parents bought a farm nestled among Elmvale’s lush pastures.

The farm had its own spring. “Gushing out of the ground was this beautiful water,” recalls Shotyk. A cup hung near the spring. “You could drink the water as it came out. I was absolutely fascinated!”

Today, Shotyk is the chair of agriculture and environment at the University of Alberta and one of the world’s leading scientists monitoring trace metals in the environment.

“I study ice cores in the Canadian Arctic,” says Shotyk. “The cleanest layers of ice [are] between 5,000 to 8,000 years old. The water in Elmvale is five times cleaner!”

Scientists thought Elmvale’s water must be ancient to be so pure, but Shotyk discovered something amazing. “This ultra-clean water is actually really young,” he says. Deep below Elmvale lie layers of sand, rocks, clay, and minerals. “As the rain goes through that soil, Mother Nature removes the contaminants. The soil is the key to this water.”

Shotyk links protecting the land with preserving our water and ultimately preserving our health. “If we want to continue to enjoy this water, we have to protect the source area,” he says.

“People take water quality for granted until something happens,” Shotyk warns. Michigan’s Flint water crisis and Canada’s Walkerton water scandal—nearly half the town fell sick—immediately come to mind.

The Elmvale springs are more than just a scientific phenomenon and environmental icon. Clean water like Elmvale’s is the key to unlocking our health potential.

Unlocking how water benefits our health

If you think about it, humans are a lot like raisins. At birth, our bodies are approximately 78 percent water. Then we start to dry out. Adults are approximately 60 percent water, and seniors hover around 50 percent water.

“Hydration is vital to every organ and cell in the body,” says Dr. Holly Fennell, a naturopathic doctor in Toronto. But most people don’t take that to heart.

Once you realize how water benefits every aspect of your health, you’ll never want to be a part of those statistics.

Sip your way to strong muscles

“People are amazed to learn that lean muscle contains over 70 percent water,” says Fennell. “If you aren’t properly hydrated, your muscles are more prone to cramping.”

Water keeps our muscles firing at full speed and carries out the metabolic waste generated when we’re working out. Being properly hydrated is so important, our athletic performance immediately plummets if we sweat out just 1 to 2 percent of our body weight and don’t replenish it.

“Start hydrating the day before a big workout,” advises Fennell. “Many people start drinking when they start exercising. This doesn’t allow the water to be properly absorbed.”

Fluids and the frontal lobe

“The human brain is composed of over 70 percent water,” says Fennell. When we’re feeling thirsty for knowledge, sipping water ensures the brain gets all the nutrients it needs. Water may be all that’s between us and our next breakthrough.

Drown out sickness

The 600 lymph nodes scattered around the body keep us from getting sick by transporting immune cells and flushing out dead bacteria. Water maintains the lymphatic system and is a major element in our lymph fluid, which is all the more reason to heed the advice to drink plenty of fluids when feeling ill.

Moisten your metabolism

Drinking fluids keeps food flowing smoothly through the digestive system and flushes out waste. If we’re feeling plugged up, not drinking enough water is the most common cause.

“Weight loss can also be impacted by hydration,” adds Fennell. We burn 2 percent fewer calories per day when we’re dehydrated, and Fennell notes that water helps the body burn fat better.

H2O skin therapy

Our skin is 64 percent water, so it isn’t surprising that research shows how staying hydrated improves skin thickness and density and boosts skin moisture.

Unfortunately, most beauty tips about staying hydrated are a little overblown.

In a meta-review of dozens of studies, researchers noted that the hydration-and-beauty link is “one of the more pervasive myths” out there. There’s no truth to the claim that drinking water will smooth our skin or cure any skin problems we have. And while dry, dehydrated skin is more prone to damage and wrinkles, the researchers warn that drinking water doesn’t do much.

Instead, your thirsty skin craves moisture applied topically.

Lubricate your joints

Bones are 31 percent water, and the cartilage between joints is 60 to 85 percent water. When we don’t drink enough water, that cartilage can’t properly protect our joints from friction and wear and tear.

“People are surprised to learn that joint health can be related to hydration,” says Fennell. “The synovial fluid that bathes our joints contains water and is negatively affected by decreased hydration.”

You can “sea” clearly now

Our eyes are made up of mostly fluids and water, and a water glass should go hand-in-hand with our eyeglasses. Numerous studies have linked dehydration with dry eye syndrome, cataracts, and other common eye-related conditions and diseases.

A holistic shield

Every system in our body is intricately linked. As we hydrate each part of our body, we boost our overall well-being. Evidence suggests hydration plays a role in reducing the risks of a shockingly varied range of health concerns, including exercise asthma, hyperglycemia, urinary tract infections, heart disease, some forms of cancer, and so much more.

As scientists uncover more and more reasons why water is truly the most vital nutrient for our bodies, we have more and more reasons to celebrate and protect the pristine water resources that Canada has to offer.