Six Simple Steps to Drinking Enough Water!

You know WATER is good for your body!   You know the benefits of water and what happens when your body is dehydrated.  Water flushes out your toxins through sweat and urination, it aids in digestion and promotes regularity.  Because our brain is made up mostly of water, when we’re hydrated we think better and we’re more energized!  When I started increasing my water consumption, immediately my skin complexion improved.  Drinking water helped control my appetite, increase my metabolism and it contributed to my weight loss.  It also decreased my headaches because my body was finally adequately hydrated and it reduced muscle and joint cramping.  When you have plenty of water, your body functions better and is happier!   This shows on the outside too!  Your next step to feeling healthier might be eating REAL FOOD too!

How much water you should have is open to debate and it’s different for each person.  Listen to your body!  I’m sure you’ve heard you should have at least 8 (8 ounce) glasses of water a day or of the special formula to calculate just how much you should be drinking based on your weight. (Take your weight in pounds and divide it in half and that is the amount of ounces you should be drinking).  So why aren’t you doing it?

It’s hard to drink that much water when your body isn’t used it!  I know!  I felt it was impossible when I first started!  I thought I would be living in the bathroom!  Following these steps, made it manageable!  If you want all the benefits of drinking water, you simply have to follow these steps!  You have to get your body used to having that much water and you just can’t do it overnight!  Sometimes you have to employ a GRADUAL approach.  If you’re drinking enough your pee should barely change the colour of the water in the tank.  That means you are truly hydrated.

Six Simple Steps to Drinking Enough Water!

1. Cut out or reduce drinks that have little or no nutritional benefit for your body!  Cut down on tea, coffee, flavoured coffee drinks, soft drinks and juices that provide you with added sugar, caffeine and fat.  This step is vital and it might take several weeks to reduce or eliminate your consumption of caffeinated sweet drinks.  Check out my “5 Steps to Kicking Your “Addictive” Food Habit”, “Why the Sugar Monster Should Scare You” and “Break the Hold Caffeine Has on YOU!” to get started with this step.
2. Once you are on board with step 1, replace what you are eliminating with water.  Start with one (eight ounces) glass of water immediately after you get up and before you eat or drink anything for breakfast.  Do just this for a few days until your body is used to it.
3. Next, make sure to have a glass before each meal, preferably 30 minutes before breakfast, lunch and supper.   Do this for a week.  You are now up to three glasses!
4. Now add a glass with your morning snack!  Do this for a week.  Add a glass with your afternoon snack and let your body get used to this for a week.  Add a glass in the evening and also do this for a week.
5. Now add a second glass in the morning before your breakfast.  Do this for a week!
6. Add your eighth glass during your daily exercise or find another time of the day to fit it in.

Tips

• In the morning, drink your water warm if you don’t like to drink water cold (especially on winter mornings)
• Add lemon, lime, cucumber or watermelon if you don’t like the taste of plain water
• Get a special glass or water bottle for yourself.
• Keep a water filter filled in the fridge so you always have cool, filtered water if that is what you prefer
• Do not drink bottled water as it is more expensive than free, bad for the environment and the plastic chemicals from the bottles leak into the water which you are ingesting
• Make it an enjoyable part of your day.  I drink my morning water while writing in my gratitude journal.  I enjoy it and make it part of my “me” time in the morning.
• Get a jug that fits 64 ounces and carry it around until it’s finished.
• Make it a game and ensure that half the water bottle is finished by noon!

Do you want to start a new “good for you” habit, set some positive lifestyle goals and move forward in achieving a more balanced life?  Let’s connect and get you started.

If you enjoyed this article, please comment below or share! Let me know how many glasses of water you’re drinking now and what your tips are to drink more water.