How to Hydrate
Begin your
hydration program by drinking an 8-ounce cup of water three times a day, before
each meal. As soon as you can, drink 16 ounces before each meal. Most people
can do this within a day or so. Once you’re
at that level, it won’t be hard
to add whatever additional amount your own body requires. Believe me, there’s no physical limitation—there’s
only a psychological limitation.
Think of pure filtered or bottled water as extremely therapeutic. Once you’re in that mind-set, you’ll drink it.
Drink your
water on an empty stomach, because that’s
when it’s most easily
absorbed by your fascia. If you’re drinking
it before a meal, don’t eat for
at least fifteen minutes after the last sip, so the water goes directly into
the fascia and doesn’t interfere
with digestion. After a meal, wait two hours before drinking more water, to
allow for complete digestion.
During
meals, it’s preferable not
to drink at all. Combining
liquid with your food dilutes the stomach enzymes, which means you don’t digest proteins properly—and you need those proteins for healthy
fascia. If you drink the amount of water I recommend before your meal, you won’t feel the need for a lot of liquid while
you eat. Again, there’s no need
to be rigid. It’s OK to drink a
little water to help swallow your food or to take your fish oil afterward;
those few ounces won’t dilute
the enzymes that much. If you like a cup of tea or coffee after a meal, go
ahead.
