Water is soooooo good for you!!!

A refreshing glass of water - is so good for the body.

The more people I get to help, the more I realize that it's just little things that we can do to assist our bodies to run more efficiently.

One of them being drink - MORE WATER!

When you reach for water, you fuel your body with what it needs to run on all cylinders. Imagine what would happen if you put gasoline in a car that ran on diesel, or diesel in a regular/gasoline car. Not the best results, right?

Imagine your body as a machine and water is the proper fuel for it to be healthy & useful to you! The rule of thumb is: 8-10 glasses of 8 oz. Now some may really go for just 64 oz./day.

Here's what I do (because I am a coffee drinker):

• 1 big glass upon rising - my body has not had any hydration for 8 hours & it definitely needs it a.s.a.p.!
• 2-3 big glasses during my workouts, I just keep going to the water machine downing it during breaks.
• A 1 liter water bottle, or my sports bottle full of water, w/a spare 16 oz. bottle for just in case I run out - while I'm out running errands...(my kids always have water in cups to go too!)
• Water with all my meals.
• Water in the eve.

Reaching for water before each meal also helps stave off the cravings. Some of you think you're hungry when really you're thirsty. Try that tactic and see what happens over the next 2-3 weeks. At the first sign of hunger, guzzle a big glass of water and continue w/ what you were working on...you may make to the next meal time.

I realize water only is a little hardcore and while some can do that, not all of us can. I admit that I do enjoy some iced tea, black or green in the afternoons, kind of distracts me from wanting to snack, especially if I'm in the kitchen cleaning.

Plus, rumor has it that green tea can naturally stimulate your metabolism too. I personally use Stevia by NuNaturals to sweeten my tea & coffee. It's the best tasting, non-artificial sweetener we've found that we like.

I have ditched diet sodas. I realize after not drinking them for 2 months and then having one, they make me feel lethargic and not well. Can't really describe it, but it was like my body was reacting to the chemicals in it. I think that when we live on them, we're not sensitive to the negative effects of diet sodas & all that fake sugar. But when we get rid of it completely and then give in here and there...we can definitely feel the difference. Which, who wants to feel lethargic & icky...makes it easier to give it up. Experiment and you will see what I mean.

Another benefit of more water is you're reaching for less sugary drinks, less caffeine, and less alcohol drinks. Water is the only natural 0-zero calorie drink. The sodas/sugars take you on a high and then you crash...you reach for more caffeine...get that high then crash again...what all you're body is asking for is proper hydration.

Some of you lack energy because you are so dehydrated from all that caffeine, and not enough water.  When you start drinking more water, your metabolism is going to kick into a higher gear because it has what it needs. Your kidneys will love you, your muscles & blood will be healthier. Check out the diagram above of the what water does in our bodies.

And to convince you more, just google benefits of water...and google diet sodas and metabolism to get more info. It's interesting that all that diet junk actually interferes w/ weight loss efforts.

So - lesson of the day: WATER, WATER, WATER!!!