H2O Love...

I always hear you should drink 8 glasses of water a day. I had trouble just getting those in every day. It would be 2 in the afternoon before I realized I had not drank anything all day. Then I would reach for soda and not water. No wonder I always felt thirsty. I felt hungry constantly so instead of trying to drink more I would eat snacks, snacks and more snacks. Water is the key to health. My husband always makes fun of me because I talk about water all the time. He says I treat it like a miracle drug...in essence it is nature's wonder drug. Water can do amazing things for our bodies. Did you know that your body cannot tell the difference between hunger and thirst? I didn't. I would reach for those snacks when really I should have been reaching for the glass of water that I let sit on the table all day. Did you also know that our bodies are made up of 60% of water? So when we are affecting the performance of our bodies by not rehydrating it. Dehydration can make us feel sluggish, hungry, have headaches, feel bloated, and feel grumpy and confused. There is one simple solution to cure all of these DRINK WATER!!!! Water can help flush toxins out of our bodies so we feel less bloated. Drinking a glass of water can help us concentrate and feel refreshed and alert. By drinking more water we will eat much less.

I drink at least a gallon of water everyday. I do not drink anything else during the day except an occasional cup of hot tea, which has water in it :)  I went from drinking almost no water to 16-24 glasses a day. The days that I workout really hard are of course the days I get more water in. Some things that have helped me up my intake. I drink at least 8 ounces of water as soon as I wake up in the morning, I always keep a glass of water beside my bed. Before each meal I eat I drink at least 8 ounces of water about 30 minutes before, I eat 4-5 meals a day. I drink at least 8 ounces before going to bed each night, remember when I said I always keep a glass of water beside the bed. So far we are up to at least 6-7 glasses of water just by doing these simple steps. If I get up to use the restroom during the night, which trust me you will if you are drinking this much water, I drink some more water before lying back down. Of course while I am working out I always have a bottle with me. Typically I can drink 3-4 right after a workout. I try to never go anywhere without bringing my water bottle with me. That way I always have it so if I feel thirsty it is right there with me. If I get cravings during the day and feel hungry I will drink at least 8 ounces of water and wait 30 minutes. If I still feel hungry then I will go ahead and eat a snack, a good healthy snack of which I will usually drink some water with. If I do not feel hungry still then I was just thirsty, remember our bodies cannot tell the difference. I have a Rubbermaid bottle that is 32 ounces, so if I drink 4 of them then that is 1 gallon, 128 ounces. I try to make sure I have at least 1, 32 ounces drank before lunch, then at least 1 more before eating my snack, then at least 1 more before dinner, then at least 1 more before going to bed. So that will give me a gallon a day without adding in the water I drink at bedtime, or working out etc...So yes my husband makes fun of me for my love of water, but he knows how great water can be. Water intake is really dependent of the size of a person and the activity level. Take your body weight and divide by 2. That is the number of ounces you should at least be getting in everyday. Of course drinking more than that is going to be even more beneficial to you especially if you are a very active person. So go grab a glass now and DRINK, DRINK, DRINK!!!!