When I was forty years old I went for my annual physical. At that point, I was about fifteen pounds overweight despite doing regular cardio-vascular activity four times a week. I could finish a 5K in 30 minutes, and I could run up a flight of stairs without getting winded. I went to the doctor during a stressful day and was told that my blood pressure was elevated and that I needed to start medication to control it. I was stunned. My blood pressure had always been low; what happened? It was a bit of an emotional crisis for me because I had considered myself to be healthy. Maybe I was a little overweight, but everybody needed to lose ten pounds, right? Yes, that is what denial looks like, folks. I did a little research, got a second and third opinion from other doctors. Only one of them mentioned that I may be dehydrated. In a way it was that event which created my quest to get healthy and the drive for this book. Even if you ignore everything else written here, please don’t ignore the information about water.
Once I started drinking water, usually about 80 oz. per day, my entire body changed. My blood pressure returned to normal and my leg cramps disappeared. I was often ravenous after exercising. Adding more water to my daily routine curbed my appetite. Increased water consumption caused the number on the scale to drop. That evil slab of metal called the scale, became my friend and I enjoyed stepping on the scale in the morning. This one very simple thing made a huge impact on my health.
