Your New BFF: Water

We all know that one of the healthiest things we can do for ourselves is to drink plenty of water. That is old news.  We’ve heard it time and time again.

But did you know that you actually need to drink at least half of your bodyweight in ounces to be sufficiently hydrated.   So a 150 pound person has to drink 75 ounces of water a day.  That is over nine glasses of water that are over 8 ounces each.

That is A LOT of water!

So today I want to answer the following question:

How the heck are you supposed to remember to drink so much water EVERY day?

Basically, in a nut shell, water has to become your new best friend in order to successfully make this happen.

Here are some tips on how to incorporate all of that water into your daily eating regimen:

1. Drink one (or even two) glasses first thing in the morning.  Measure out 8 ounces of water in your favorite glass so you know exactly how much to pour each morning to make it a cup.  Use this cup throughout the day.
2. For every cup of coffee or any other beverage you drink, drink one cup of water, either simultaneously or right after. (1:1 ratio of any other beverage to water)
3. For every snack you have, drink one cup of water, either simultaneously or right after. (1:1ratio of any snack to water)
4. Drink at least one glass after dinner, but not right before bed or it might make you have to get up in the middle of the night to use the restroom.
5. ALWAYS have water with you wherever you go.  There should be a water bottle on your person at every moment of the day.  Stick it in your pocketbook and sip it throughout the day. You should start to feel like you are missing something if you don’t have water with you at all times.
6. If you live in suburbia and are in and out of your car all day, fill up a big water bottle and keep it in the car.  Whenever you get into the car, drink.  This is separate from the water bottle that you keep on your person. 
7. About to put a load of laundry in?  Drink a glass of water! 
8. About to go to a meeting?  Drink a glass of water!
9. About to cook dinner?  Drink a glass of water! 
10. Finished cooking dinner?  Drink a glass of water! 
11. Your child asked you to help him with math homework?  Drink a glass of water! 
12. You couldn’t help him?  Drink a glass of wine water!
13. Just went to the bathroom?  You know the drill!  

Why is water so good for me?

(I am a health coach, after all, and couldn’t possibly NOT remind you of the amazing benefits of drinking water.)

1. Weight – This is the best and most obvious reason.  Water helps you feel full so you eat less! 
2. Health – 60% of your bodyweight is water.  The more water you drink, the better your food digests, and the more your nutrients are transported throughout your body. 
3. Clearer skin – Water helps to flush out toxins which helps with acne and helps with overall glow.
4. Helps fight exhaustion – One of the most common signs of dehydration is being tired.
5. Helps keep you regular – Water keeps you regular by adding fluids to the colon and helping to dissolve fats and soluble fiber.  Water binds with fiber which increases bulk of stool which helps food go through you and out the other end.   When you don’t drink enough, the colon actually pulls water from your stool which increases constipation.
6. Helps prevent headaches – Enough said.

Now let’s see how well you understand today’s lesson by answering the following question:

You just finished reading this blog post – what should you do now???  

——————————————————————————————————————————–

Side note:  You will be urinating a lot.  That is good – you should feel the urge to urinate at least once per hour if you are drinking enough and it should be light yellow or even clear in color.  Your urine should never be bright or dark yellow.  If it is then you are dehydrated.