Are you drinking your recommended amount of water?

EVERY day???

I am. I hope you are too. Remember to focus on one day at a time.

As we’ve discovered so far, water is essential to our health & wellness in so many ways. This week we will look at ways to incorporate water into our daily routine.

If you know me, you know that I have at least 1 or 2 bottles of water with me at all times. And a few in the car as backup. It’s one of the reasons that I am able to reach my daily water goal.

You can’t drink it if you don’t have it. And if it’s not in your face, it’s easy to get caught up with whatever you’re doing and forget to drink. So make it easier on yourself by keeping it with you.

My favorite brand is SmartWater because I like the taste. You may be thinking, “It’s just water. Doesn’t all water taste the same?”.

Actually no, it doesn’t.

But it’s a good thing that I also like the taste of my filtered tap water at home. Because I drink so much water, I refill quite a bit. Which helps to reduce the amount of trips to Costco, and recycling.

So taste is obviously affected when I refill, which leads to the main reason I like Smart Water. It’s the shape of the bottle.

The 1 liter bottle is slim, which makes it easy to carry and easy to track. And it fits nicely in the cup holder in my car.

I’ve also learned to drink it when it’s warm. Not hot, just room temperature. This makes it a lot easier on you.

Think about it. If you can only drink it when it’s ice cold, then you are making it tougher on yourself to keep it with you.

So give it a shot and get used to drinking it at room temperature at times. Like when you’re on the go and can’t keep it refrigerated.

I’ve met some people that simply don’t like water. It’s hard to understand, but I get it. So what can you do if this describes you?

Plenty…

But it may take some extra effort to prepare something that appeals a little more to your taste buds.

Try a squeeze of lemon, lime or orange. Or add some cucumber or fresh mint. How about fresh berries?

Some people prefer to add some fizz by carbonating their water. So if natural water tastes too bland or you’re looking for some variety, the carbon dioxide gas will make it bubbly and tangy.

Think seltzer water; not club soda. Soda water (aka club soda) contains unnecessary sodium.

I was unable to confirm the accurateness, but I’ve read multiple sources that claim you can count 50% of the volume from coffee and tea as long as you don’t add milk and sugar.

If it helps in the beginning, then count it. But I would focus on drinking your recommended amount of water, and enjoy the coffee or tea for other reasons. And count it as a bonus.

The bottom line is this.

You need to drink a lot of water every day. And whatever helps you drink more of it, then I say go for it. If you need a little help with flavoring or bubbles, that’s fine. Drink up. Just be aware of added sugars, sodium or caffeine.

And beware of sports drinks. They’re marketed as healthy, but in many cases, they’re not. Our bodies need water; not Propel, Vitamin Water or other sports beverages that are full of sugar.

And unless you’re an elite athlete that needs to be concerned with fluid loss due to extreme training, you don’t have to worry about drinking Gatorade to replenish your electrolyte levels.

FYI, vitaminwater (owned by Coca Cola) contains 32 grams of added sugar in a 20-ounce bottle.

32 grams of added sugar – that’s insane!

I’m not suggesting this, but even a Snapple Iced Tea contains less added sugar. And vitaminwater is marketed as “healthy” – wth?

So the lesson here is: What you see is NOT always what you get.

Don’t judge a book by its cover… Or take what you see, hear and read at face value. Look closely and question everything. Including nutrition labels on food and beverages.

Want some help keeping track of your water intake?

There are plenty of smartphone apps.

Or, you can go analog and download a copy of Darren Hardy’s “Weekly Rhythm Register”.

Go to http://thecompoundeffect.com/downloads/english-weekly_rhythm_register.pdf and download it for free.

As we add new habits, you will find this to be a valuable tool for “tracking” your new healthy habits.

Thank you for sharing your time with me. I hope you found value.

Now it’s time for YOU to take action…

What’s your Win to be Thin? Leave a comment below.

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