Water, water EVERYWHERE!

Water, water EVERYWHERE! ...but what if I don't like to drink it?

If I had a dime for every time I have heard this.

"I just don't like the taste of plain water."

"I just don't know how you drink that." (plain water, black coffee, unsweetened tea)

Yes, I am THAT girl. I drink water (plain) all day long, take my coffee black (I am picky about my coffee though), and never sweeten my iced tea. Oh yeah, and I train people. So you can imagine the blank look I have become a pro at when I hear people say that they cannot handle these adjustments to their diets.

Let's get real here people ~ YEARS and YEARS and YEARS ago humans didn't have access to good, clean water and then they learned. These ways of sweetening and flavoring things are relatively new. Humans went a LONG time without adding flavors to their water and we CAN still do that today.

Don't get me wrong. I don't want people to feel deprived. So if the occasional soda, coffee drink, sports drink, etc. is your thing then have one. But you cannot drink these things all day long and expect to reach your health goals. If you drink a ton of sugar and calories you will end up with extra fat stores. If you continue to consume beverages with artificial sweeteners, flavors and colors in them you will never get used to drinking plain water or unsweetened beverages; you will continue to need or crave these alternatives.

So enough about the negatives right? How about the benefits of increasing your water intake...

~ Relieves fatigue and improves mood: dehydration leads to fatigue and mood swings. I mean who isn't grumpy when they are tired, right? We know that sodas do not hydrate as well as water. So drink more water = be less grumpy. When you are tired and grumpy it is hard to think clearly as well, so additional water consumption can help with general alertness and brain function. (...runs off to have some water while I write.)

~ Relieves headaches/migraines: dehydration can also be a cause of headaches as well as caffeine withdrawals. Ease up on the easy to drink all day sodas and add in some water to help with these symptoms.

~ Improves digestion and flushes out toxins: staying hydrated keeps things moving through the digestive tract - all the way through. So drink more water and stay more regular. Drinking more water also dilutes the toxins in your system; as I mentioned earlier, it is fine to have the occasional indulgence - drink more water to help your body better tolerate those times. The flushing out of the incidental toxins we encounter each day can also help improve your immune system function.

~ Helps with weight loss: everyone already knows that one of the body's signals for dehydration is hunger right? We've all heard it: "If you think you're hungry, have a glass of water because you could just be thirsty." I am not telling you anything you don't already know here. Only eat when you are hungry, make sure it's actually hunger and not thirst masquerading as hunger.

~ Makes you pretty: drinking an adequate amount of water each day improves the blood flow to the skin and thus the elasticity and appearance. It also helps with bad breath by properly hydrating the mouth and upper GI tract and washing away any of those pesky food particles that are wanting to hang around in your mouth.

Lady! How much water should I drink then? 

There are "several" rules of thumb about how much water to drink right?

8 - 8 ounce glasses of water each day, 2 liters each day, 3 liters each day, half your body weight in ounces... SO MANY OPTIONS! Guess what, if you are paying attention and tracking how much water you are drinking you are doing better than most - CONGRATULATIONS! Try one of these methods, ANY one of them. Check your urine at the end of the day - Is it clear or almost clear? You need to drink enough water so that your urine gets to that point every day. Your water needs may vary daily. Was it hot? Did you exercise more than usual? Sweat more than usual? Travel? Remember those toxins - did celebrate or do you have a cold/flu? Many things can influence your hydration needs, listen to your body.

Hopefully this article is helpful to you! If you have more questions please reach out to me at mpeacockcpt94@gmail.com - if you have a question chances are someone else may have that question too so you may see it in a future blog post!

Thanks for reading!