Last week we talked about five things to consider as you endeavor to make better choices for a healthier lifestyle. I pointed our some areas to consider: water, fasting, smaller plates, moving your body, and getting outside!
Starting this week with WATER, I will give you 5 tips to help you dig deeper into each of these so you can successfully achieve a higher level of health and wellness! (I may cheat a little this week, because I want to give you 5 reasons to drink more water and I will follow with 5 tips to support that goal!!)
Why we need to drink water:
- Biology: you’re made up of about 60 percent water, and water serves as a building material for each of your cells, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
- You feel like a slug – You got enough sleep last night and still, you’re dragging today. Being low on energy is a sign of dehydration. Even mild dehydration increases confusion and fatigue and decreases alertness.
- You want to snack – You need to eat, and no one will ever tell you to drink water in place of eating. However, properly hydrating allows us to stay full longer between meals. If you’re feeling unusually snacky, having a glass of water first can’t hurt! (Of course, if you’re still hungry afterward: eat!
- You have a Headache – Dehydration can trigger headaches and migraines. Hydrating may not eliminate headaches completely, but it has been found to help reduce the negative effects migraines have on people’s quality of life.
- You aren’t ‘Regular’ – Lack of fluids is a common cause of constipation, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. Sipping more may be one natural remedy. Getting enough water will facilitate the entire digestive process, including elimination. Along with eating more fiber and getting regular physical activity, focus on hitting your water quota (typically 1/2 your weight in ounces) for better BMs.
How to drink more water: Here are a few of my favorite tips and tricks to get more water!
Here is my favorite water bottle, and the link to get yours: https://www.bleu-chic.com/search?q=water+bottle&type=product
- Use the same water bottle – If you have one or two favorite water bottles (one for home and one for work?) it can facilitate the habit. When you see it is empty, your brain with trigger the reminder to refill it!
- Prepare – fill your water bottles the night before as part of you nightly routine. Or, if you use the store – bought plastic bottles, set out the number you need to consume in a day. Each time you drink one, take a new one! You will see exactly where you are in your consumption at any point in the day…Yay when we are on the last bottle!! (or if you are like me, you can buy a bottle that has the time written down the side, easy peasy- see the photo/link).
- Rubber bands on your bottle to keep track – Use one for each time you need to fill your bottle each day. One rubber band needs to be a different color. Move the bands above or below the odd colored one each time you refill.
- There’s an app for that – use an app like ‘Water minder’ on your phone or watch and it will audibly remind you to drink up!! You can easily just set alarms on your phone or add it to your ‘to do list’. There is an app called ’Todoist’ that will also work to remind you every day at set times to drink some water.
- Start drinking water early in the day. When you finish your quota early it does two things: helps with getting up at night to relieve yourself, AND you can do like I do and reward yourself with something else to drink when you have hit your water limit….summertime iced tea, here we come!!
Hope these quick tips help you drink more water!! Start small, add a bit each day until you develop this important habit!!
Until the next 5 to Thrive—
xoxo Your Bff, Suzy
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