I love the feeling of quenching my thirst in the evening with a glass of water. The wetness of the water flowing across my tongue and down the throat completely satisfies. But I know that is a sign of dehydration. If water can be so satisfying I always ask myself why I didn't reach for a glass earlier in the day.
One reason I don't drink much water is because I don't want to make more dishes! There, I admitted it. Yes, we do have a dishwasher... but... Writing that excuse helps me realise it doesn't make sense compared to the benefits of drinking water.
I bloat my stomach when I want to be healthy and drink water. I try to jam a great big glass in all at once. Result = a bursting stomach and the feeling of a swaying pond inside me. It must have classically conditioned me to repel a glass of water.
My daughter puts me to shame. She seems to know herself better than I. She knows when she is thirsty. She asks for and gets water when her body needs it. She is almost my 'drinking water alarm clock'. I usually find myself topping up my hydration levels with a few mouthfuls of water while she does the same.
8 glasses a day seems too much to achieve. Good news. 8 glasses isn't recommended anymore. It really depends on where you live, what you do and your body size. Water consumption also includes tea, coffee and other beverages and even water in food (my daughter and I must have hydrated for the week with the watermelon we ate this morning).
Water can be the cure for any hard-working dad (or anyone for that matter)!
Feeling energy sapped and tired? Go for a glass of water before that coffee. You may be just mildly dehydrated. Just 1-2% loss of your body weight in water can cause fatigue, muscle weakness and dizziness.
Is that headache from too much train playing, alphabet singing or story telling? Before taking a Panadol try a glass of water. There are many causes of headaches, but dehydration is a common one The Australian Nutrition Foundation tells me.
Do you want your skin to have a healthy glow? Drinking a healthy amount of water can have good effects on your skin. And that's only after one week! (But this dad doesn't care if he glows or not).
Doesn't that sound like a miracle potion you could pay mega bucks for!
To some people it is a miracle potion. 1 in 5 people in the world do not have access to safe drinking water.
Turning on the water tap I have at times thought of those people having to work hard just to collect water for the day; and still it is dirty water. What a lucky privilege I have. But it is such a guilty privilege. Why am I the lucky one to have this privilege? And why don't I drink enough of it?
Daniel Stott is a primary school teacher on the Gold Coast and is Bible College trained.
Daniel Stott's previous articles may be viewed at http://www.pressserviceinternational.org/daniel-stott.html