Test this on yourself. Have a glass of water at 10:30 and 2:30 and see how much better you can function 11:00 and 3:00. The next day try a single cup of water and a single cup of Gatorade at 10:30 and at 2:30. The second day should be even more productive because the single cup of Gatorade will give you a few calories along with the fluids.

Be careful, too much Gatorade and the sugars it contains will put you to sleep. It produces a sort of sugar coma. A full sports drink is great if you just finished a 6 mile run but not great if you just walked to the water cooler at work. A little is good. If the Gatorade is too much try a simple Zone Bar or a hand full of mixed nuts.

The current guidelines for water intake for women is 2.7 liters and for men, 3.7 liters. If your diet includes fruits and vegetables at each meal 25% of the water you need will come from these foods. Ideally the water you drink is either purified, bottled, or comes from a quality tap source. The Tea, Coffee, and Soda we drink are largely made up of water and do help to keep us hydrated, but all three have side effects that come from the compounds dissolved in the water.

Think healthy fluids. Think water!

A couple of liters of a diet soda are simply not healthy for you, period. Caffeinated sodas stimulate the brain to go into high gear. Initially the brain is clear because of the stimulus to the brain, but once the caffeine wears off the brain craves calories in an attempt to recover.

This is similar to the bodies need for calories after a 6 mile run. The difference is the calories burned during the run are dramatically higher than the calories burned by your brain when it is on a caffeine high. Interestingly we either drink more caffeine to stimulate the brain or we crave fast calories from carbohydrates, which produce fat stores.

This week's small addition to living fuller and healthier lives starts with drinking more water.

1. Drink a glass of water BEFORE every meal and with your meal. The water will help expand the stomach and give an earlier sense of satiety.
2. Drink Good Quality Water. Our Non- Profit foundation, Bella Vitae, has been involved in placing a number of healthy deep wells in Haiti. Around each of these well the love of Christ is spilling over.
3. Drink water mid morning and mid afternoon. Add just of few calories to the mid afternoon water and you will be amazed at the days finish. PS: you won't have that "I've got to have something to eat as soon as I walk out of the office door" experience.

Throughout the world populations have developed around water sources for a very good reason. In the Bible there are over 700 references to water.It has a profound symbolic meaning. Jesus meets a woman at the well, only to offer her living water to quench her spiritual thirst. He turns water into wine at Cana, celebrating the new beginning of marriage while pointing to the deeper meaning of what it symbolizes in eternity. He is Baptized in the river Jordan, opening up the way for us to now be Baptized into Him and receive the life giving waters of the Holy Spirit.

Before there was anything else created by our loving God, there was water. Gen 1:2 "The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters."  From water, God brought forth Life.From water, He still does - as we cooperate as good stewards of our own health. May we all be blessed with plenty of water; the life giving gift of our God. May our practice of drinking water freely and generously help us in our quest for beautiful living.

Dr Dent

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Dr Denton D. Weiss, M.D. is board certified in both Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. Dr. Weiss' approach to his medical practice flows from his convictions about the meaning of life which are deeply rooted in his Catholic Faith. He and his wife, Michelle strive for an integrated approach to life which recognizes the unity of the body, mind and soul. They call this approach "Bella Vitae" or "Beautiful Living". He, and Michelle, are contributing writers to Catholic Online.