Hey--Are You Drinking Enough Water?

The Eat Clean Lifestyle Challenge: Day 5

How are you doing? No matter what happened yesterday (or even a minute ago), THIS MOMENT is a NEW NOW. As a good friend says, "It's a new day--emphasis on the new!" That's a good Eat Clean Lifestyle attitude, isn't it?

Here's the question of the day: Are you walking around dehydrated? You may be dehydrated and you don't even know it.

Water is crucial to your being healthy--and to your feeling good. Lack of water means headaches, lethargy, and bowel problems (eek!). "Too busy" often means not drinking water throughout the day--and we pay for it later. Let's put 2 and 2 together and make the simple changes to make SURE that we're hydrated and feeling good.

Here are Eight Ways to Make Sure your Body gets Enough Water:


1. Carry a water bottle. At home, at work, in the car, wherever -- carry it with you. No worries about what people think. You may even positively influence others to do the same.

2. When you wake up, drink water first. A friend of mine says that old family wisdom (he's Chinese) says to drink a glass of warmed water in the morning, first thing. I have to admit, I thought it kind of funny at first, but now my body totally expects it. I like his old family wisdom.

3. Drink water before, during, and after exercise. When it comes to exercise, your body needs it and craves the H2O.

4. Put a bottle of water by your bedside at night and, if you wake, take a drink. Hydrating at night is simple (and if you're one of those sleep-with-your-mouth-open people, gets rid of that dry-mouth thing, too. Don't laugh! It's true!).

5. Drink water before you eat a meal. Make it a habit to drink at least 4-6 ounces of water before you eat. If weight loss is a goal, this will help you to eat a smaller amount, too.

6. Keep water bottles stashed. In the desk at work, under the seat of the car, or wherever. Then, if you forget to bring your water bottle along, you're fine. Just make sure that you have a stainless steel water jug or bottle, as it's been found that the chemicals in the plastic seep into your water (particularly in warm cars).

7. Be a sipper. Don't feel like you have to guzzle a huge amount of water in one sitting to "get it in." Just carry your water along and sip all day. The time of my life where I was the most diligent with keeping up on water was when I owned a "cool" water bottle (as in snazzy-cool, not cold-cool). I carried that thing everywhere and sipped to my heart's content. As one with a history of headaches since I was a kid, the carry-it-and-sip-it "cured" most of my headaches. Could it be that I was dehydrated most of the time? (Uhhh, yeah.)

8. If you're drinking any kind of coffee or tea, then make sure you up the water. Coffee and tea take the water out. Replace and replenish. (NOTE: Coffee and tea aren't in the totally Eat Clean lifestyle, but many stay with one cup of coffee as a "treat" or flavored herbal teas as a "comfort food." You decide.)

Keep hydrated and feel your best.

All my best, 'till next time,
Erin