Everyone has heard “You need to drink more water” before, but does anyone really take that seriously? Aside from oxygen, water is the most important variable for sustaining human life. Our bodies are made up of 60% water and to think that a loss of only 9-12% of that water could be fatal! Water also serves as the medium for all good things that happen in the body (fat burning/muscle building). What is interesting is the sensation of being thirsty is our body telling us that we need water but by the time you’re actually thirsty you’re already dehydrated by as much as 2%! So only drinking when you’re thirsty is going to be keeping you in debt all day long and hindering your metabolism. Force yourself to drink water all day.
Water can be very satisfying, but it can also get really old, especially after your 19th filling of your 20 oz water bottle, so I like to add a little flavoring. There are many low and no calorie water flavorings you can buy from your local grocery store that can really change your entire perspective of your new habit of forcing yourself to drink when you’re not thirsty. In fact there was a study that showed people are more likely to drink water that is flavored with cherry, raspberry or citrus. The temperature of the water is also important, as studies show people are more likely to consume water that is cold. So cold flavored water can definitely help improve your water intake and also provide a little variety to your consumption.
Although you could buy dozens of $2 water bottles a day, I would suggest buying a sturdy, refillable water bottle that you know exactly how many ounces it holds. The bottle is also much more cost effective and better for the environment. This can be important to keep track of how many ounces you consume in a day by keeping count of how many times you fill it up. Keep track of your total water consumption and try to match your best day of drinking every day. Turn it into a game for yourself.
Although it sounds easy to drink more water all day, it can get to be a chore. Let’s face it; you’re going to be using the bathroom a lot more often. Although this can be bothersome, look at it in a positive, you get to leave your desk chair for a moment and break the monotony (and burn more calories). If you really want to get crazy, try different variations of getting yourself to the bathroom, lunges and broad jumps are pretty effective ways of travel and burn a ton more calories than walking (if your work place allows these sorts of things, mine does).
The bottom line is drinking more water more frequently. Flavor it, add ice, shake it, stir it, it doesn’t matter. Just drink as much as you can each day and you will notice a difference.
Edited by Courtney VandeStreek
Leave a Reply