Q. I heard you speak about water and the price of dehydration. Drinking plain water is sooooo boring to me. Why can’t I drink the many “fancy” waters now on the market?

A. Why can’t you? You are free to drink anything and any type of water you choose. It’s your brain and your body. The “fancy” waters are likely better than not drinking water at all, but they are often expensive and may contain either sugar or artificial sweeteners—substances I prefer to avoid.

You do realize that “boring” is just a state of mind. In essence, you have told your brain that plain water (or alkaline water or hydrogen water) is boring. If you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right. Your brain can only do what it thinks it can do and you have programmed it to think that plain water is boring. You are able to reprogram your brain if you choose to do so. I tell my brain, ”Arlene, you drink enough water to have at least one or two pale urines per day. You like the taste and you like the energy water gives you.” And then I do it.