Have you been watching The Voice? Do you have any favorites? I am yet to find someone this season that I have fell in love with…but it is still early! There are definitely some potential candidates to steal my heart. I tend to lean more towards male voices rather than females, but there are some really awesome girls on the show too. I may not have a favorite contestant yet, but I am loving both Gwen Stefani and Pharrell. Where have they been the whole show?!? They are amazing. I liked Usher and I thought Shakira did alright but man, I love these four judges this season. Are you enjoying them?
Want to know what else I am loving?! Water. I seriously love water. I like to drink my water at room temperature. Some people find that weird, but I can drink so much more water when it is not freezing cold. There are plenty of good reasons to drink water every day so I am going to outline a few of those and I also want to challenge you. Track how much water you are consuming on an average day. Hopefully it is an adequate amount, but then I want you to try to increase the amount of water you drink per day by 1/2 a liter. Add 1/2 a liter of water to your normal consumption each day until you are at four total liters each day. That is a lot of water! I aim to drink 4 liters of water each day, not including the water I consume during exercise. Try it out. Make it an effort to drink more each day. It is worth it!
Now, on to why I want you do increase your water intake……
According to the Mayo Clinic, water is your body’s principal chemical component and makes up 60% of your body weight. Every system in your body depends on water. What exactly does water help do? Laura Schwecherl, writer for Greatist.com, explains it best in her article 12 Unexpected Reasons to Drink More Water This Year. Here are some of benefits that I find most important and wanted to highlight:
- Fluid Balance: It balances out body fluids which can aid in digestion, absorption of nutrients, circulation, and nutrient transportation. It also helps flush out toxins from organs and helps maintain body temperature. You’d be surprised how much more energy you have then your cells have adequate nutrients!
- Fills you up: Drinking water can make you feel full, in turn, could reduce the number of calories consumed. We often confuse the feeling of dehydration with the feeling of hunger. Next time you think you need to eat, try drinking a large glass of water and waiting 15 minutes. You might be surprised to find you are not hungry anymore after those 15 minutes. If you are still hungry, go ahead and eat a snack or meal.
- Fueling muscle: When you sweat at the gym it causes muscles to lose water, which makes them tired. Consuming water during a workout keeps fluids in the muscle to help you push through that intense training session.
- Boosts kidney function: Our kidneys are in charge of waste control in the body. They decide what to keep and what to get rid of through urine. They need enough fluid to be able to function properly. Notice when you drink a lot of water you tend to have to go to the bathroom more…..this is a good thing! It means your kidneys are working to flush out waste.
- Boosts colon function: On a similar note, the colon needs fluid to function properly as well. Drinking plenty of water can help to get things flowing more smoothly, if you know what I mean.
Check out Laura’s 7 additional tips here.
What happens when you don’t consume enough water? Lack of water can lead to several health issues in the body. Dehydration is one of those problems, which occurs when you don’t have enough water to carry out normal bodily functions. The Mayo Clinic does a good job outlining how serious dehydration can be. It happens when you lose more fluid than you take in. Sweating due to high outside temperatures or through exercise can lead to dehydration if fluids are not replaced.
Here are some tips to increasing water consumption throughout the day:
- Drink 500 mL (or half a liter) of water immediately upon waking. I do this every morning. It helps replenish fluids that you are lost in the night and also kick starts your metabolism.
- Carry a water bottle around with you at all times. I am not talking a small one, I am talking at least a liter. I take two 1-liter water bottles with me to work each day. Again, I like room temperature water so I take two 1-liter water bottles to work with me. After I finish the first one, I fill it up and start the second bottle. By the time I am ready for the 3rd (or the second time on the first water bottle) it is at room temperature…perfect for drinking!
- Eat foods that have high water contents, and yes, the most hydrating foods are fruits and vegetables! Some fruits with high water content include: watermelon, grapefruit, strawberries, oranges, apples, and pears. Vegetables with high water content include: cucumbers, lettuce, zucchini, tomatoes, cauliflower, peppers, and spinach.
- Try adding natural flavors to your water. Examples: lemon& raspberry, mint & cucumber, strawberry & lime, orange & blueberry. Make a large pitcher and fill with desired flavor combination, then fill your liter water bottles with the infused-water! Easy peasy, right? You can also add the flavor combinations directly to your water bottles, you’ll just have to dump out the fruit after you are done.
This particular combination was done with items I already had around my kitchen. I had blueberries in the freezer, a couple oranges in the refrigerator, and then we keep a basil plant in our kitchen as well. I was not 100% sold on the basil in the water and let me tell you…it is refreshing.
There is no real recipe for infused water. It is simple: the more ingredients that you add, the more flavor you will taste. For this particular pitcher of water I sliced one medium orange, added 1/2 cup of frozen blueberries, then I threw in a few basil leaves. I didn’t measure it but if I were to guess I’d say about 1/4 cup, not packed down. Once all the ingredients were added to the pitcher I then filled it with water and placed it in the refrigerator to chill. I know, I know I said I like room temperature water, but in the case of infused water I happen to like it chilled.
Moral of the story (or post…I guess moral of the post. It’ll catch on), if regular water is too boring then try adding some fresh ingredients to it! If you are skeptical of certain flavor combinations like I was with basil….then I suggest you just give it a go. What is the worst that will happen? If it is gross, toss it out and try again!
What is your go-to drink during the day?
