Water

We all know we should be drinking water and lots of it.  I only recently discovered how little water I was consuming and how a few small changes have made me feel a lot better!
First, some of you may or may not know I am newly pregnant.  And since I am health conscious, I have tried to be even more so during my pregnancy.  With the knowledge that what I feed myself feeds the tiny life growing inside of me, building his/her every cell, I have been *trying* to make the best choices possible.  I say *trying* because for some reason I have been craving bread.  Bread, toast, bagels, you name it.  Because of that I try to make sure I am getting lots of nutrients at other times.  Lots of leafy greens, whole grains, fresh fruit, and of course my prenatal vitamins.  That being said, I have been staying away from coffee and tea.  Not just because of the caffeine, but I actually haven't been feeling like drinking them either.  Funny thing about being pregnant, your body has ways of telling you what is not so good for your baby and a strong aversion to coffee has been with me for the past 20 weeks.
And I have been constantly feeling thirsty.  So water, water, water is pretty much all I have been drinking.(only just recently I have had some tea, but I have found I don't really feel that great after I drink it!)  So water it is.  And you know what, when I stick to water I feel so good!
I recently read/heard a tip to start the day with a big glass of water.  Before you do or have anything else first thing in the morning when you wake up drink a glass of water.  This was not something I generally ever did but have now started to do and I love the way I feel after that first glass.
They say that drinking water first thing in the morning is a good way to rid the body from any toxins that have been released through your night's sleep.  The water flushes them away.  Water in the morning helps to jump start the re-hydration process.  As you sleep through the night you are obviously not drinking water for a period of (hopefully) 6-8 hours.  In which time your body uses up its supply of water and starts to become dehydrated.  It's important to rehydrate before you become too dehydrated and feel the effects(headache, dry mouth/skin, nausea, fatigue).  Which brings me to the next benefit to drinking water in the morning, it brings you energy!  The body is made up of 60% water.  And most of the functions of the body need water to work properly (i.e. circulation, digestion, elimination).  When there is little water being put into the body these functions must work harder and this causes you to feel tired and sluggish.  All of these benefits will keep you healthy and radiant from the inside out.
So, what if you "don't like water"?
Well, there are many things to be said about this.  First thing to consider is; if you are not drinking water, what are you drinking?
Chances are any number of the following, coffee, tea, soda, juice.  Right?  Well, some of these things maybe  good at giving your body hydration, like tea and juice.  Depending on what kind you choose.  Herbal tea and other choices that do not contain caffeine, I have read, can give you an adequate supply of water.  Juice that is freshly squeezed(I'm not talking about sugary juice drinks that may or may not contain any real juice)has may benefits as well, and since fruits and vegetables that you can juice yourself ,or that they do at Whole Foods ;), contain mostly water and are therefore hydrating, but also contain natural sugars so you won't want to be drinking 8-10 glasses of juice a day, even if it is freshly squeezed from organic fruits and veggies.
Coffee is very DE-hydrating.  I'm not saying you shouldn't drink it.  Do what you want.  BUT arm yourself with the knowledge that coffee does dry you out, can intensify stress, increases acidity in the body (you want your body to be alkaline, not acidic), it causes a loss in nutrients, and may reduce fertility.   So drinking coffee all day doesn't sound so good anymore....and I was definitely one to do so a few years back.  I worked in a place where there was free coffee, and it was all I had to drink all day long.  I used to own a coffee maker and I no longer do because when I worked afternoons and my partner and then-roommate worked mornings we would make a whole pot of coffee.  They would leave for the day having had one cup (maybe two) each leaving me with the rest of the pot.  Which I drank.  Always.  Yikes.  So I am just suggesting drinking a big glass of water BEFORE a cup of coffee and not the whole pot.  And who knows?  You may feel so energized from your glass of water in the mornings that you no longer wish to have coffee. Maybe...
And lastly soda.  I choose not to drink soda.  It is sugary, contains caffeine(see above), it's pretty much empty calories.  Not to mention it can rot your teeth and make your bones weak.  So I avoid it.  And have done so successfully for a few years now.
But it tastes good, you may say.
It does especially when you're eating with it junk food, like salty chips, fried food or pizza.  But, and I do promise,  that when you start to make healthy food choices and cleanse your palate from the heavy, salty, sugary foods, you'll find water is the best companion to your fresh, healthy food.  If you don't believe it can be done, see my post here.

So if all this info doesn't make you thirsty for water, here are a few tips to make it more palatable.

1.  Try adding fresh squeezed lemon, cucumber slices, or mint to the water for a nice, refreshing flavor.

2.  Try sparkling water.  Especially if your go-to drink of choice is soda.  It hydrates just as well as still water, so drink up.  This is a suitable substitute during meals and while "at rest" like during work hours, or watching a movie, but if/when you are exercising choose still water.

3.  Find a cool water bottle.  I know it may sound silly but this may help!   I have this great stainless steel water bottle that I think is super cute, it holds a lot of water and I drink probably 6-8 of these daily.  It is now the only thing I drink water from even when I am at home.  Maybe for you there's a favorite glass you just like drinking from, use that.  Or maybe you like to drink from a straw, or water with ice.  Find what you like and stick with it.  And you definitely don't have to spend the $20 or whatever crazy price they sell the "name brand" stainless steel water bottles for either.  This one I got  for just 5 BUCKS!

How much water do you drink everyday?  What is your preferred method?  Try starting the day with water and let me know how  it goes!