Are you feeling tired and rundown? Skin less than glowing – maybe even a few breakouts? Are you trying to workout and eat right but your weight isn’t changing much? Could there really be one drink that can change everything?
The simple answer is YES. Would you like to know what one thing could help fix all those things you’ve been feeling and help you turn around your overall health? Ok, I’ll tell you but it’s probably not going to be what you want to hear.
It’s Water.
Sigh. I know, I know – water. You were hoping I was going to say something else. Something shinier. In better packaging. Water doesn’t seem all that miraculous, but stay with me.
Water is the miracle drink that can change so many things in our day to day lives and yet most of us don’t drink it. Or if we do drink it, we don’t drink enough.
I know, I know water. Doesn’t seem all that miraculous but stay with me.
Our bodies are made up of 70% water. 70%!! That’s a big number and why it’s so important to add to your daily diet.
I understand if you don’t like it. I didn’t really either. This isn’t something I worked hard at adding in my daily life. It was more of a necessity during training but other than that I much prefer coffee, coke, or anything other than water. Slowly but surely, I have become a water drinker and here’s why-
Let’s look at some of the benefits of drinking water-
- It will help to speed up your metabolism which will help with weight loss.
- Your complexion will be better including reduced darkness around the eyes.
- It will help with headaches -dehydration can causes headaches.
- Your brain will be become clearer and your focus will be increased.
- Flushes out toxins and waste in the body and helps prevents constipation.
- Takes away the bloated feeling by flushing excess salt from the body and again the waste.
- Boost your energy and relieve fatigue.
How Much Water Do You Need?
The general rule of thumb is half your weight, in ounces, of water per day. This number can be give or take a few a few ounces but for most people this is the optimal amount. So if you way 150 lbs you will be drinking 75 ounces per day.
How Do You Start Adding More Water To Your Diet?
A word of caution – suddenly adding half your weight in water to your daily intake, if you haven’t been drinking much, can cause you to have to use the bathroom a lot more than usual for a few days.
It depends on the type of person you are. Some people set the goal of half their weight and off they go. It isn’t really a problem for them to add water but for others they need to add it more gradually.
If that feels overwhelming to you then start with one glass a day and go up from there. Adding an extra glass every few days until you reach your goal amount.
Pick a cool bottle or something you will be comfortable carrying around with you. If you want your water to always be cold, consider a yeti or s’well bottle. I have and use both types of bottles. Whichever type of bottle you choose just make sure it’s one you really like. It will make drinking the designated amount so much easier if you actually like the process.
Honestly though if I could have the 1L Smart Water bottles 3 times a day I would have no problem getting in the required amount. That is my favorite bottle to drink from and the perfect size for me. I prefer my water at room temperature and so carrying these with me is an easy choice. Unfortunately, the single use plastic is an environmental issue, so I limit my purchase of these. They also add considerable cost to our grocery budget.
Get your family in on it. This year for Christmas I told the kids I was not buying anymore cases of water much to their disappointment. I told them they could each pick whatever type of reusuable bottle they wanted and I bought them as part of their gift.
This is my husbands’ favorite bottle because it has the measurements on it and the times of day to drink it which helps keep him on track.
You can also set a timer on your phone or mark your bottles with times of day to remind yourself to keep drinking throughout your day.
Join a challenge or commit to a length of time to try increasing your water and note any changes in how your feeling.
In the end the most important thing you can do to keep yourself healthy is to start adding water to your day!
Let me know in the comments below any tips or added benefits you’ve discovered.