By Tunde Henry Oluokun
Have you ever wondered why the Japanese skin is radiant and flawless as well as why they live much longer?
Well, the reason is not far-fetched from their genetics, healthy diets, physical activities and water therapy. Japanese water therapy as they call it, involves drinking several glasses of lukewarm water immediately after waking up. There are many claims this helps in their fitness and to fight various health conditions.
Drinking water first thing in the morning helps rehydrate the body. As we know water is essential to life and it comprises of about 60 to 70% of our body mass and almost all organs in the body have water — the brain, lungs, hearts, liver and kidneys. Even our bones contain large amount of water! Don’t you see that water is life! Hence, it’s needed for proper functioning of the body. Obviously, our skin also contains water—the need to drink more water as it helps to improve skin health and gives it a moisturized look. Many people often report that by increasing their water intake, their skin has a more radiant glow.
On the other hand, dehydration is strongly linked to decreased mental performance. Research shows that dehydration can negatively affect alertness, concentration, short-term memory, and physical performance—hence completing tasks, such as memorizing or learning new things, becomes more difficult. However, the effects of this dehydration can be reversed by reintroducing fluids, just drink water!
Some argue that if you want to stay on top of your game, you should drink a glass of water upon waking up. This brings us to the question “How many Uites get to sip at least a glass of water in the morning?”
As for many of us, having a glass of water is not the first thing we think about when we wake up in the morning as we zoom out of our rooms after washing up hastily to meet up with those 7am classes — some even go without eating anything.
Some may even ask “what about drinking water after brushing?”
Well, when you drink water right after brushing your teeth, it reduces the efficacy of your toothpaste. As most of the beneficial elements such as the fluoride and other chemicals that prevent your teeth from bacteria are washed away, leaving your teeth bare again.
Furthermore, just a glass of water can increase weight loss. If you drink a glass of water before a meal, you are less likely to overeat, how true? Water fills you up and reduces your hunger cravings which can as well reduces your calorie intake, the amount of food you eat at a go.
According to Ayurvedic philosophy, choices that you make regarding your daily routine either build up your body resistance to diseases or tear down your body.
Researchers have shown this therapy to be effective in helping with constipation, blood pressure and improve blood circulation. Some claim that some diseases that begin in the colon can be prevented with this therapy as it helps to cleanse the digestive system and remove more toxins from the body.
Trying it for myself after Dr Chinonso Egemba (Aproko doctor), a well known medical doctor on social media platforms tweeted about it some days ago. The experience was awful at first, having to pee every minute. That urge to urinate right after is always there. Still I could sense that my body is detoxifying more and it is really refreshing.
For starters, drinking a glass of water immediately after waking up on an empty stomach is not too much of a task. Then a glass can gradually increase to 2 or 3 glasses later on. It is not so difficult! For its effectiveness, try not to eat anything for the next 45 minutes after taking the water.
