Just Drink It

Welcome again to the Pool. For you "old timers", we will be reposting a lot of information. But as we found out last time, it is never a bad thing to have a reminder about the easy baby step stuff because it's so easy to backslide on changing those habits.

I know what you're thinking. Water......YAWN.
But, seriously, it is the first step, not only to weight loss, but to your overall health. And right now, some of you are getting up, flipping me the bird, and steadfastly refusing to drink more water and going to grab yourself another Coke.
I feel your pain, my friends! Water is dull. Water is boring. Water, when compared with the deliciousness of virtually any other beverage, you know, sucks.
I am with you, I only find water useful in its ability to rehydrate me during a sweaty workout or when I'm outside on an excessively hot day. Those are the only two instances when I'm like, "wow, I want a big glass of water." Otherwise, water, to me, is like the ugly girl at the party no one asks to dance. Other options are just more appealing.

No hear this, my squishy little minions...water is the first stop on the weight loss superhighway.

Consider, at the most base level, your SURVIVAL. Humans can live for several weeks without food, but only about three days without water. A typical person will lose 2-3 liters of water per day in ordinary conditions, but more in very hot or dry weather. A lack of water causes dehydration, resulting in lethargy, headaches, dizziness, confusion, and eventually death.

Some other points for your perusal:

* Assists digestion, absorption and assimilation of food. If you don't drink enough water you can't get the full benefit of nutrients in the food you eat.
* Assists excretion of waste from bowel and kidneys. If you don't drink enough water you get constipated and put your kidneys under stress.
* Regulates body temperature. If you don't drink enough water you compromise the evaporation process your skin uses to keep you cool.
* Your blood is 92% water. This is your body's transport system distributing nutrients around the body.

Water is a natural appetite suppressant. Your brain does not differentiate between hunger and thirst. So, when you think you are feeling hungry, your body may in fact be signaling to you that you are thirsty! If you are not consuming enough water each day and you feel hunger pains, chances are, your body is really crying out for water.

Many people notice a reduction in weight as their body's water store become redundant and so decrease. If your diet has been one that did not provide you with adequate water, your body will have developed a pattern of storing water. It's part of the body's built-in survival mechanism - to store up the essential nutrients in short supply - in case they aren't available in the future. So if you don't drink enough water, you are 'conditioning' your body to store water. And water is unwanted bulk.

Last point, stay away from caffeinated drinks. Caffeinated drinks cause the body to lose water. They are what's known as diuretics as they cause your body to dehydrate. You will do your body an enormous favor by cutting back. For every cup of coffee you drink you will need to drink another TWO glasses of water to counter the diuretic effect.

The most common suggestion for water consumption is drinking 6-8 glasses a day. Not all at once, of course. But, first things first, baby steps. If you are not normally a water drinker, add 1 glass of water today. Then in a few days, drink 2 glasses a day. Slowly work up to it if you are not accustomed to drinking it. If it seems too overwhelming all at once, you'll give up and we don't want that.

Water is the first easy and FREE step in weight loss. There are flavored waters, there are packets on the go that you can add to water for more taste. You CAN do this!