Day: 9
Spoke: Physical
Habit: Water
You’re probably saying “I know…I know…I know…” I need to drink more water. But if we’re going to talk about habits, this is one that cannot be left out.
There’s lots of info out there about how much water to consume. The guideline I use is your body weight in pounds divided by two, in ounces. So, if you weigh 200 lbs, drink 100oz of water per day. And then Floridians add an extra 12oz/day for the high humidity we live in. If you drink anything that is a dehydrator (coffee, alcohol, etc), add more by doubling that drink in ounces of water. Had a grande latte at Starbucks? That’s 16 oz. Add 32 more ounces of water to your regular day’s figure.
Whether this math is backed by tons of science, I haven’t even bothered to look. It’s easy for me to remember and works as a good guideline to help me create the healthy habit of drinking lots of water, which is backed by lots of science.
I started this habit in 2012, so I’ve had several years to watch how my body responds. I have found that this habit plus the sleep is THE GAME CHANGER in how I feel and my weight loss/gain.
A few side effects in my body that came as a result of not enough water:
- Headaches
- Chapped lips
- Light headedness
- Low energy
- Weight gain (water retention)
- Mindless snacking (often times dehydration manifests as the munchies)
Getting enough water in is ALL ABOUT creating the habits to set you up for success. Here a few habits I do without even thinking about it:
- Carry water with me everywhere I go. Literally, I don’t leave home without my water bottle.
- Trained myself to make my default response “water” every time someone asks me what I would like to drink. Occasionally I may be in the mood to add something else, but never without doubling the water of whatever the other drink is
- Having a large glass of water as one of the first things I do when I get out of bed
- Having a large glass before bed (I mix magnesium into it at night)
- Have fun with it! I drink my water out of a wine glass to make it feel fancier. I makes me smile, and often times makes other people smile too
- Adding things to the water if I need. BEWARE of the flavor water options at the grocery store. I downright refuse to put artificial sweeteners in my body and most are loaded in them. I will do liquid stevia drops, and I’ll do fruit as well. If you smoosh the berries a little before putting them in the water, the juices will sweeten your water deliciously. Lemons and limes are obviously very popular for this. And of course, if you’ve spent any amount of time around me, you know I add fizz sticks to my water regularly.
If you’re doing the sleep challenge I wrote about last week, try adding this water challenge to it and see how your body responds. Once I got a taste of the quality of life it offers, I’ve never looked back.