On Water... Drink Up!

My kids think "lemonade" is just water with lemon :) 

Yesterday my husband sent me this link to a video about the effects dehydration.  I was shocked when they said that 90% of Americans are chronically dehydrated!  With summer approaching (it already feels like summer here) I figured it's pretty important that we make sure we're drinking enough water.

The convincing points in the video for me:

• Dehydration slows down your metabolism
• Dehydration causes excessive cravings (Sometimes when we think we're hungry we're really just thirsty)

At one point I was intentionally drinking a gallon of water a day.  What really helped me was measuring out my water the night before.  I just stuck a gallon jug full of filtered water into the fridge each night and filled my glass or water bottle from that jug throughout the day.  Another thing that seemed to make a difference for me was making sure to drink a full glass of water first thing in the morning before having my coffee, tea, or anything else.  If I could drink a large glass of water first I found it made it easier to get to the bottom of the jug before bedtime.

So here are some tips of mine as well as some from the video:

• Drink half your body weight in ounces each day (i.e. If you're 150 lbs drink 75 oz of water)
• Measure out your water for the next day each night so you can track how much your drinking
• Feel free to add things to your jug of water like sliced cucumber, mint leaves, or lemon slices (these can actually increase your metabolism)
• Start your day with a large glass of water before consuming anything else
• If you're having cravings try drinking a large glass of water before giving into them

Now if only I can follow my own advice....