Resolution #1: Drink more water

I’ve been told I should be drinking approximately half my weight in ounces per day.  I’ve tried but drinking that much water takes real effort.

Resolution #1: Drink more water

I don't know exactly but I probably drink about 30 ounces of water per day, maybe upwards of 50 ounces on a good day.  Not nearly enough, I know!!!  So in order to motivate myself, I did a little research and here's what I found out: 

By the time you’re thirsty, you’re already dehydrated.

That feeling of craving a drink of water, or having a dry mouth or chapped lips, means your body is already working overtime and less efficiently than if you were properly hydrated.  Chronic dehydration can cause sickness, premature aging, allergies, asthma, colitis, constipation, and migraine headaches, just to name a few.  YIKES!  It can also cause more everyday ailments such as irritability, confusion, and fatigue.  Not to mention that more and more people are using prescription drugs as their primary form of treatment, when instead many of these conditions (if not all of them) could be prevented by just drinking the right amount of water.

Not drinking enough water when exercising causes your heart to work overtime.

Water acts like a lubricant and is a vital part of the many chemical reactions in the body.  When not properly hydrated, oxygen and nutrients are transported less efficiently to the muscles, thus making them recover slower.  Being well hydrated also means your heart doesn't have to work nearly as hard to pump blood throughout your body.

Not all water consumption has to be in the form of liquid H2O.

When I think of "drinking" water, I think about it as just that.  But you can also “eat” your water.  Foods high in water content are (fruits:) strawberries, watermelon, raspberries, pineapples, cantaloupe, peaches and oranges, and (vegetables:) cucumbers, iceberg lettuce, celery, radishes, zucchini, tomatoes and cabbage.

Water helps to fight fatigue.

When drinking caffeine in the form of coffee or sugar sweetened drinks, you're actually masking the issue of fatigue, not fixing it.  Coffee in particular acts as a diuretic, which can cause dehydration.

I've heard varying opinions on drinking fluids at mealtimes.  One argument is that water helps us to break down food and be able to absorb the good nutrients that come from whatever we've eaten.  The opposing argument is that water dilutes the digestive enzymes and stomach acids that are essential to breaking down food and absorbing nutrients.  They both sound like valid theories to me.  Personally I don’t tend to drink a lot at mealtime, but not necessarily for any of these reasons.

For now my goal isn't necessarily to drink a certain amount of water per day.  I'll just start by drinking more than I do right now, and trying to stay ahead of the curve by not waiting until I'm already thirsty.