I know. I know. You saw the title of this post & thought, water, again? #@!!% I’m thinking the same thing as you, Mama. In the past two days alone, I’ve read over 20 articles & book chapters by medical professionals about resolving specific health concerns (e.g., rosacea, high blood pressure, IBS, GERD, arthritis) by simply drinking more water. We’ve all heard this guidance & many of us strive for the suggested amount (a good rule of thumb is to drink half your body weight in ounces). But, my take is if we’re still hearing it, it’s likely because we ain’t doin’ it. With over 400K people hospitalized each year due to severe dehydration, I’d bet this is guess is likely true.But, take a quick minute to answer the following questions:- Do you ever have low energy?
- Do you have any digestive challenges (i.e., nausea, bloating, gas, GERD, IBS)?
- Do you have high blood pressure or high cholesterol?
- Do your joints hurt?
- Do you have poor skin?
- Do you get headaches often?
If you answered yes, then you could be partially dehydrated. By simply drinking more clear water every day and especially before meals, you could improve your symptoms immensely. So, why oh why do we skip this very simple nutritional advice? Maybe it seems too easy. Or, maybe people really just don’t like to pee. Or, mayyybe they’re fearful of peeing! (I googled this because I google everything & learned there are in fact loads of actual fears about urination. My favorite is fear of being splashed by toilet water. Eeewww.)
But, based on the lack of water consumed by my family, it’s more like that Americans don’t drink enough water because the taste of water is just plain boring. I get it. I’m nursing so I have no choice in the matter. Either I drink the clear liquid or my son whacks my breast with his hand repetitively in protest (wouldn’t it be nice if this action actually produced more milk so that I didn’t have to drink repulsive water!)
If you hate water or just can’t seem to get the daily requirement in, then I have an awesome suggestion for you! My solution: Bedazzle the heck out of the water! Mama, make it taste so fabulous you can’t put it down. Make it look sooo good you want to strut around with that water in your hand like you do in your hottest high heels.
Yes, you can add cucumbers or lemons or raspberries to your water. This makes your water look beautiful & taste delicious! For me, I’m all about easy peasy and on a daily basis it’s unlikely I’m going to cut cucumbers for my water. So, what’s a busy mama to do? Add one drop of a yummy tasting 100% therapeutic grade essential oil like lemon, peppermint, orange or ginger (learn why I use young living oils). In addition to delicious water, I’m getting extra health benefits: balanced PH from the lemon, energy from the peppermint or some peace & calm from the orange. Drop my water/oil combination in a bedazzled glass or stainless steel water bottle & I’m good to go. My joints are lubed, my skin is fresh, my head is clear, I’m pooping regularly & I’m making loads of milk!
Have you tried dazzling up your water? Any concoctions that have you guzzling it right down?