Finally Friday - It's All About Water

Yay! We made it to Friday! Every week we post a WEEKEND CHALLENGE! This week’s challenge is to drink more water!

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Few of us sip water all day.  Unless we get thirsty, we don't think about tipping a glass of water, but with all the health benefits to staying hydrated it's a worthwhile habit to develop.  They say that if you do something 21 times you develop a habit.  We'll start small with this Weekend Challenge, follow through with this for the weekend and see how much better you feel!

The benefits of drinking more water range from weight loss to headache relief, relief from constipation to better skin.  If you need a little flavor try adding unsweetened lemon juice.  For weight loss, drink a glass of water 15 minutes before eating (so as not to dilute stomach acid and lessen the chance of indigestion) and make it ice water.  Your body will need to burn calories to heat the water for use.  

How Much?

The Mayo Clinic suggests men need roughly 3 liters per day (13 cups) and women need 2.2 liters (about 9 cups) per day.  Keep in mind that if you are sweating, sick or in a hot or windy environment, you will need more.   Even on a mild day while riding a motorcycle or in the boat, moving air will dehydrate you faster and you may not even realize it.

Tips to increase your water intake:

1) Make it a habit - just like brushing your teeth when you're a kid, if it's part of your routine, you'll be more likely to-do it.  Have a glass of water upon waking as you dehydrate while you sleep.  Have a glass 15 minutes before each meal.  Have a glass before bed.

2) Keep it handy - invest in a re-useable water bottle and take it everywhere with you.  Refill as needed.  (Plus it's better for the environment, we throw away far too many of those plastic bottles every year.)

3) Start Slowly - If you can't bring yourself to replace those sugary drinks, then start by diluting them with water and weaning yourself off of them.  Replace one at a time and keep working at it.

4) Flavor it - Lemon is a great way to flavor water and has many health benefits of it's own. 

5) Track it - This can be as simple as a tick mark on your pocket calendar.  Having a buddy for accountability is great, too!

6) Invest in it - invest in a set of bpa free water bottles to keep in your fridge, ready to go.  Invest in a filter for your tap water to keep them filled.  Keep in mind that all that fancy bottled water is just someone else's tap water. 

Resources: 

Water, Water Every Where... - a fitter Fitter post

How Much Water Should You Drink Everyday? - what the Mayo Clinic has to say about water intake

Study: Drink More Water, Loose More Weight - USA Today article linking water intake to weight loss

Refillable Water Bottles - save refrigerator space with these handy bpa free water bottles for boys, girls, mom and dad!  Find a wide variety here.

Filters - there's nothing better about commercially bottled water, your tap water can be just as good.  Why pay more for water than you do per gallon of gas?  From in sink to pitcher to whole house or replacement filters, you can shop here.

Is Bottled Water Better? - a WebMD article about whether the expense of buying bottled water is worth it.