Does your New Year’s resolution include losing weight? It’s the number one resolution made every year, and also the one with the highest failure rate. The packed gym on December 3rd gives way to the deserted wasteland of dumbbells and dusty cardio equipment by Valentine’s day. The lean, green refrigerator scene is a mess of spilled takeout containers and bent pizza boxes well before spring.
Wouldn’t you love a proven, safe, cost effective way to lose weight? An easy cure for lethargy and brain fog, and an instant energy boost? And unlike commercial stimulants and laxatives, this weight loss method gently cleanses your body of toxins and helps every one of your vital organs function at a higher level. It can clear your skin, cure bad breath, and curb your appetite. I’m talking, of course, about water.
The unsung ally of the health and fitness world, our humble hero H2O provides immeasurable health benefits. Considering that about 60% of the molecules in your body are water, making hydration a habit is your key to healthier living.
But I’m Not Thirsty
You sip your coffee in the morning, a soda in the afternoon, and a cup of tea before bed. You don’t feel thirsty, so you think you’re alright. In fact, 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated. You don’t necessarily feel thirsty, but this is because your body has gotten so accustomed to dehydration that it has finally started mixing up the signals. Your thirst manifests as irritability, hunger, and exhaustion.
Just increasing your water intake by 30 ounces a day can improve organ function, regularity, and weight loss. Those extra 30 ounces a day alone can take 4.4 pounds off of the average American in a 12-month period, without ever setting foot into a gym or otherwise changing their lifestyle.
Not only will the water aid in your body’s natural ability to rid itself of fat, the simple act of drinking it will help curb your appetite. Since thirst is often disguised as hunger, drinking a glass before you begin to graze could save you thousands of calories, leading to even more weight loss.
How Much is Enough?
Sweat, breath, tears, and other bodily functions cost your body about a gallon of water a day, just to exist. The more active you are, the more water you use and lose every day. The Food and Nutrition Board have conducted a great deal of research on the matter, and have concluded that women should be drinking about 10 cups of water per day. It is recommended that the average man consume 13 cups per day, which is about 104 ounces.
Does the idea of drinking close to a gallon of water leave a bad taste in your mouth? Let’s look at a few ways to make you happier hydrating!
Your Hydration Inspiration
If you find that clean tap water isn’t quite enough to quench your thirst for fun, try infusing your water with interesting flavor combinations! Raspberry and mint make a festive, fruity fix, while cucumber and lime take refreshing to fun new heights! Adding zest and interest to your glass without adding a lot of sugar or unwanted calories will keep you and your family in the healthy habit of hydration.
Indulge in a Little Cup-raderie
Making friends with your drinking vessel is always a good start. Allow each member of your family a special cup, thermos, glass, or water bottle that belongs only to them. Something fun, unique, and personal. Studies have shown that feeling a sense of attachment to your cup will aid in remembering to drink more water.
Short on Ounces? Eat Them!
Man does not live by water alone, and many foods are high enough in water content to count toward your daily hydration goal! Foods that contain a lot of water also tend to contain many other valuable nutrients.
Raw bell peppers, cucumbers, celery, strawberries, watermelon, and grapefruit are all healthy ways to eat your water.
Water Down Your Schedule
One of the best and simplest ways to make a lasting change is to create a habit. Put water on your schedule and soon, your day will feel incomplete without it. Add a glass of water before you brush your teeth in the morning. Fill your to-go bottle and keep it by your keys. A glass with breakfast, and another after your morning meeting and you’ll find yourself 40 ounces deep before lunch!
Resolve to Make Shorter Resolutions
Promising yourself once a year to make a change is a recipe for giving up. Set short-term goals and watch them grow. If you challenge yourself or your family to daily or weekly goals instead, you’ll soon find that competing with what you did last week is just the motivation you need! Plan to drink an extra 20 ounces of water a day for the rest of this week. Next week, make it 30. Increase until you hit your stride and watch the weight fall off!
Inventive Incentives
If you’re trying to convince your children to drink more water, try instituting a reward policy. A child who drinks 60 ounces of water every day for a month might win a new water bottle. If you find you have hit your 100-ounce goal for a year, you may have earned a new wardrobe, but it’s possible you’ll find you even need a new wardrobe in a slightly smaller size!
Hold one another accountable and cheer each other on. Soon, proper hydration will just be part of your healthier, happier life!
Beyond Quantity, Drink Quality
Avoid spending a fortune on environmentally disastrous plastic-bottled water and fill your reusable bottles at home! Reverse Osmosis ensures the cleanest water you can get, often out-performing designer brands, which are frequently nothing more than municipal water in a non-biodegradable vessel.
While you’re pouring glass after glass, be sure that it’s the healthiest, most delicious water your tap can offer. A Reverse Osmosis water filtration system offers layer after layer of protection from impurities, chlorine, and sediment in your water. Your family’s health is important to you, and offering them all of the cold, crisp, clean water they need is a simple way to encourage healthy habits for the whole family!