Water is second only to air regarding our physical well-being, and must therefore be a regular, abundant part of our daily health regimen. Drinking pure water purifies the blood, invigorates our vital organs, and assists the body to overcome disease. It is also the best liquid for cleansing our tissues. How important to stay hydrated!

It's not socially acceptable to say what we're about to say to someone, but it's fitting in this context to discuss another very important function of good, clean water: bathing. The value of bathing once or twice daily cannot be understated in regard to promoting health and stimulating mental activity. Doesn't a hot shower feel great? Well don't forget the benefits of cool or tepid water against the skin to improve our circulation, invigorate both mind and body, relax our muscles, and calm our nerves. Bathing also removes impurities that the body excretes through the skin, which if not washed off, burden other eliminating organs, such as the bowels, stomach, and liver.

We will now give some tips on drinking water. Don't go away, because you may read something you didn't know or had forgotten about...

A much misunderstood fact is that only water is water. Drinking good, quality water by itself (possibly with fresh—only fresh—squeezed lemons) is one of the

kindest actions we can perform for our bodies. Distilled water, tested well-water, and water run through a good filter are good sources for drinking. A common and reasonable rule of thumb is to drink as many ounces of pure water as 1/2 our bodyweight in pounds. Thus, a 128 pound person would drink 64 ounces of water (a half gallon) per day.

Mixing water with juice or other drinks minimizes the cleansing benefits of water, so drink water separately.

You have known about the importance of drinking sufficient amounts of water, but you may not have been consistent in drinking sufficient quantities. Here's an encouraging word: YOU CAN DO IT—you really can! The next time you are at the grocery store, buy a small bag of fresh lemons. Add 1/2 a squeezed lemon to a cup of water and drink this refreshing beverage eight times a day. Don't want to keep track of your ounces? Pour the appropriate daily amount of water into a clean pitcher in the morning, add the right amount of fresh-squeezed lemons, and sip away all day until you have put every molecule of that water to work in your body!

How often will you need to drink water and bathe with it? You got it! Daily, for the rest of your life.