Water does a body good….

I am sure you have heard that you should drink 8) 8 oz. glasses of water daily, and that can be intimidating.  If the thought of drinking 2 standard Nalgene Bottles seems impossible, keep reading for tips to help you get over your fear of floating away.

First and foremost, Water is essential to weight loss!

Water in the body:

• regulates body temperature
• removes wastes
• carries nutrients (food) and oxygen to cells
• cushions joints 
• dissolves nutrients to make them available to the body

If you aren’t swayed by the fact that water minimizes the risk of heart diseases, it also leaves you with better looking skin.  My face cleared up and I just have healthier and younger looking skin all around, no botox needed!  When I am starting to get hungry I drink a glass of water.  It gives me a sense of feeling full without any calories or fat.  Then about 20 minutes later I will eat, but my stomach won’t be empty and ravenous.  And the cheapest way to rid your body of extra toxin's, fat and whatever else you want to get rid of, is to flush it out with water.      

I have always drank a lot of water, but I would have at least 1 can of Diet Dr. Pepper or Diet Coke daily, and loved Kool-Aid, Crystal Lite and Sweet Tea.  We always had cases and liters of soda in the house, and now we just don’t buy it.  At first it was just to not have the temptation in the house and now our taste buds have changed.  If you didn’t catch my post earlier on Soda is Satan, read it here Skinny Bitch Book Review. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes in the afternoon I hear a co-worker opening a can of soda and it sounds so refreshing and crisp.  Brian and I opened a can of Diet Coke about a month ago and we couldn’t take more than 1 sip each.  It tasted like terrible chemicals, surprise, that’s what it is!

We buy distilled water in the 5 gallon jugs and it’s so convenient to always have cold or hot water ready. You can certainly drink tap water if you can't budget for water delivery, but it’s not that expensive (we pay $6 for a 5 gallon jug).  We were concerned about the chemicals and medications that get into our water system and it was just safer to go the distilled route. Click here to read about the drinking water in your community.  The EPA has determined 129 chemicals in tap water including Arsenic, Alumunim and nitrates.  They also add chlorine & fluoride to water.  So inside of sticking a straw in our pool water, we just drink distilled water. 

Either way, drinking ½ gallon plus of water everyday can get monotonous after awhile.  Sometimes I will make iced green tea (since it’s naturally decaffeinated) but mostly we just drink water. Here’s some tips to jazz it up……

Monica at http://www.theyummylife.com/Flavored_Water did a great post on making your own flavored water, cheaper and healthier than what you can buy at the store. I make a big pitcher of these and just keep them chilled in my fridge or take them in a bottle to work.  I can't wait to try her blackberries & sage. Some of my favorites are:

·     Strawberries & mint

• Orange, lemon and lime- I thought that lemon wedges were just served at restaurants to be fancy, but it turns out they aid in digestion.
• Blueberries, raspberries
• Cucumber & mint

I know it's all mindset but I love drinking out of a pretty or fun glass and there are all kinds of examples out there. Right now I'm in love with these Lily Pulitizer cups and I drink my water quicker when I am using a fabulous pink straw.