Part 1.
Every season, heck, every week there is a new diet fad circulating our newsfeeds and airwaves. They promise us immediate weight loss, an internal exodus of sorts, and “guarantee” to leave us feeling fresh to death and ready to conquer the world. As much as I know that most are complete scams or just a temporary body flush that leaves you feeling less “fresh” and more “death,” I have to admit…I’ve probably tried roughly 60 percent of them.
My goal isn’t to drop half my body weight by the weekend; rather, I am looking for that energizing, feel-good place that my body has been in before. I just need to find the secret wardrobe, those magic words, or a fairy godmother that will grant me passage to that beautiful abode.
Of course there are the foundational go-to rules: Eat healthy, stay active.
To be real, I work hard at those. I go the gym, I stay away from overly processed, sugary, carbo-loaded foods, and veggies make a regular appearance on my daily menu. Yet, nothing seems to fully combat my 8-to-5 sedentary lifestyle. Nothing seems to be pushing me to lose those few extra lbs, brighten my complexion, and leave me skipping home and ready to take on the world at 5 PM.
Anybody else feeling the struggle?
As I have sat contemplating, How can I squeeze in an extra workout, what else should I be taking out of my diet, how many more laps can I walk around my office in a given day?, an epiphany that should have been common sense (but God realized he’d have to make it heaven-sent) popped into my head.
Water.
I am frustrated that it has taken me this long to pursue such a basic human necessity.
My typical daily liquid consumption looks something like this: three cups of coffee throughout the work day, a few sips of water from the water fountain at the gym and maybe half a cup of water before bed. That’s it.
Water is rarely on my mind nor is it something I crave. That’s a problem.
It is not something I should even have to consider as part of a fad diet or possibly something I should consume more often. Water should naturally be included in my daily routine and something I do not even blink about when I reach for it throughout the day.
Yet, here I am, less than one full cup per 24 hours. I’m surprised I haven’t turned into a raisin.
According to authoritynutrition.com the average person should be drinking roughly eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day. Wow. I get a big fat F in that subject.
If I were to change my ways and aim to improve my grade in “Water Drinking 101,” I do believe I could begin to see the changes I have been rubbing every magic lamp to find.
Here’s what allaboutwater.org has to say about why drinking (more) water is the bomb.com:
10 Reasons to Drink Water
- Water is absolutely essential to the human body’s survival. A person can live for about a month without food, but only about a week without water.
- Water helps to maintain healthy body weight by increasing metabolism and regulating appetite.
- Water leads to increased energy levels. The most common cause of daytime fatigue is actually mild dehydration.
- Drinking adequate amounts of water can decrease the risk of certain types of cancers, including colon cancer, bladder cancer, and breast cancer.
- For a majority of sufferers, drinking water can significantly reduce joint and/or back pain.
- Water leads to overall greater health by flushing out wastes and bacteria that can cause disease.
- Water can prevent and alleviate headaches.
- Water naturally moisturizes skin and ensures proper cellular formation underneath layers of skin to give it a healthy, glowing appearance.
- Water aids in the digestion process and prevents constipation.
- Water is the primary mode of transportation for all nutrients in the body and is essential for proper circulation.
So here’s my goal, and I encourage you to join along:
Seeing that eight 8-ounces of water comes out to a half gallon (64 ounces) I have purchased a 32 ounce Camelbak water bottle and I plan to drink two full helpings of said water bottle daily for the next 21 days.
Why 21 days? Some argue that 21 days of repetition forms a habit, others say this is complete hoopla. For me, it’s a good chunk of time to pursue consistency and document results…and that puts me right on track to check in with you guys for my next blog post. So ta-dah! 21 days.
Will you join me in pursuing this goal? Let’s see if we can find that energizing, feel good place together…no secret wardrobe or fairy godmother required.
I will be checking in during the next few weeks with updates about my water consumption progress and the impact it has. Comment below if you plan to join me and feel free to share your results.. I’d love to hear from you!
John 4:14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.
