The Dangers of Dehydration

Have you ever tried to drink, everyday, at least half as many ounces of water as you weigh in pounds? I really work at drinking at least 96 oz. (about 3 liters) of water each day, in addition to my morning and afternoon tea (No, I don’t weigh 192 pounds!). I carry water with me all the time. Last year at Christmas, I even asked for--and got--an insulated carrier for a quart bottle, and it goes with me whenever I leave the house.

So, imagine my surprise when I found myself crumpling to the floor at our local K-Mart—the apparent victim of dehydration. Concerned faces hovered over me. I heard a manager ask a clerk to get me some water (I had my bottle with me). Store personnel called the paramedics. I had abdominal discomfort, could I be the victim of a heart attack (that is the most likely symptom for a woman)? I was too faint to drive myself home, so I ended up in the back of the ambulance. An EMT started an IV, and began pushing fluid into my vein. My blood pressure was too low for the EMT to be comfortable. At the hospital, everything checked out. After 4 hours and 2 liters of IV fluid, they let me go home. They seemed convinced I had become dehydrated and the fluids corrected that.

I believe I was the victim of food poisoning. But this episode got me to thinking about how important drinking water is. Could not drinking enough water cause my blood pressure to be that low? Experts say it could. In fact, dehydration is a leading cause of fainting, lightheadedness, drowsiness, confusion, and fatigue.

For instance, if you are feeling tired--or like you aren’t thinking clearly--try having a glass of water. Often, clarity will return almost immediately, and that problem that looked insurmountable will seem to solve itself. Many gerontologists recommend that their older patients increase their intake of water to help counteract minor confusion.

Let’s do an experiment. Try drinking the recommended amount of water everyday; then, tell me how you feel. Here’s the formula for figuring out how much you should drink:

Weight in pounds/2 = minimum number of ounces of WATER to drink

Remember, if you live where it is hot and dry (i.e. desert), or you work hard physically (i.e. construction worker) or exercise avidly, you will need to drink more than this. It’s hot in Hawaii, so I drink far more than my weight divided by 2.

I’m looking forward to hearing your results. I’ll share mine, as well.

The Law of Compensation

mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} -->I was listening to Bob Proctor, one of my mentors, the other day. He was talking about the Law of Compensation—you know, how much money you can make. He said the amount of money you can make is based on three things:

• The need for what you do.
• Your ability to do it.
• How hard you would be to replace.

Of these, the only thing we can really control is how well we do whatever we do. So, we just need to get better at what we do. I decided that was worth considering. Naturally, I want to be doing something I enjoy, or trying to get better at it will really be an exercise of willpower! I guess that’s why I invest in real estate. I love to look at, fix up, restore, and just be around houses. My husband and I have spent our careers in construction and renovation, so real estate investment is a natural transition. Besides, that gives me something else to learn, and I LOVE to learn new things.

Hawaii--The 50th State

Hawaii became the 50th of the United States of America on August 21, 1959. Today, we are celebrating our 50th Anniversary! The kids are all out of school; and State and County offices are all closed. It's a holiday for most folks. The beaches are full.

We're having great weather for it, too, following a couple of weeks of icky tropical storm weather. We didn't get a lot of rain or anything, but it gets hot and sticky. The trades are blowing beautifully now. As I write this, I can look out my kitchen window and watch my mango tree toss to and fro.

The benefits of Statehood have become controversial over the years. There are many who feel we'd be better off if the Monarchy had been restored instead. Still 2/3 of Hawaii residents, according to the Honolulu Advertiser's current issue, are better off. Lt. Governor Duke Aiona wrote, "I...appreciate the many blessings that have flowed into Hawai`i because of statehood, including the tremendous advantages of living under America's laws and protection." 94% of Hawaii voters supported Statehood in 1959.

It's a privilege to live in Hawaii and enjoy its beauty. It is also privilege to be an American.

How Important are Goals?

Wow! Having goals are absolutely necessary! Not having a goal is sort of like shooting arrows randomly and hoping they his something you may want to hit. I love the word picture created by JRR Tolkien in his "Fellowship of the Ring." Bilbo warns his nephew Frodo that when you place your feet on the road, you never know where it will take you. "You have to keep your feet," according to Bilbo. You also need to know where you want it to take you--unless you just want to wander.

Every single self-development coach I know of talks about setting goals.


As a matter of fact, Bob Proctor spoke about that just today in his wonderful Six Minutes to Success series. To learn more about this series, click the link below.


What are some of your goals? Mine include posting my family history on my own website, visiting Europe, and watching my grandchildren grow up to be contributing citizens in society. Let me know some of yours, and maybe we can work together to achieve them. Till next time...

Aloha From Hawaii

Aloha from Sunny Hawaii! Did you know Hawaii has some of the healthiest residents in the United States—and the longest lived? Wonder why? Well, let’s explore that together, huh?

I’ve lived in Hawaii most of my life—my family moved here from Indiana when I was just a little girl – hanabada time, we call it here. (I won’t gross you out with the direct translation, but it relates to the frequent colds of young children.)

So, if you’re interested in all the aspects of health—mental, financial, emotional, and physical—this is a blog to check frequently.

I’ll also put up some interesting facts about the 50^th State to keep things interesting. For instance, did you know that Hawaii is the only State with a Palace that was occupied by a reigning monarch? Yep, Iolani Palace was built and occupied by King David Kalakaua. It was later occupied by his sister, Queen Liliuokalani.