Remember - Always follow the advice of your doctor or medical practitioner if you have a medical condition that limits your fluid intake.
In this third step on our journey to a new lifestyle we introduce water. There are so may benefits (gains!) of drinking water.
Water is the elixir of life. It really is. Without it we just cannot survive. If you were lost in the desert without food, you could survive weeks on fluid alone. But without water, you wouldn't last a few days.
- The body is composed of 60-70% water
- The blood is 80-90% water
- Lack of water causes dehydration
- It removes toxins and waste from the body
- It regulates body temperature
- It aids digestion
Water Retention & Survival Mode
When we don't drink enough water, our body goes into survival mode, and hangs on to every drop it gets. This is water retention. It causes swelling - feet, hands et.c etc. As soon as we start drinking water regularly, our body releases the stored water, and realises that it doesn't have to hold on to water. Its getting a regular supply.
Benefits to Skin
The skin needs water to help it to remain hydrated and elastic. When we are getting enough water regularly, we'll notice a marked improvement in our skin tone.
Water in the Step by Step Plan
Now remember, we are only taking baby steps in our Step by Step Plan, but we are making choices that will affect the rest of our lives. We have to be realistic. If you have never been a water drinker, or don't even like the taste of water, it is unrealistic to expect you to start off drinking 6 - 8 glasses of water a day. It just isn't going to happen. We all know that. Start out slowly if you have to. Say to yourself "Right, I am going to drink ONE glass of water today - just one". And then do it. One glass of water isn't that hard to get down, is it ? You could choose to drink it at a certain time each day (use your journal to schedule a time if you have to), or you could sip at it till its gone. Try it with a slice of lemon.
After a few days of having one glass, decide to have two glasses a day. Try drinking them a half an hour before your meals - one before lunch, and then one before supper. You are making a choice, a good choice. Its all about YOU and what you feel comfortable with. You are not being deprived of anything, you are adding to the value of your life.
I find drinking water a great challenge. I never drink as much as I should. I started out not even liking the taste of it, and always forgetting to drink enough. I find it easier to fill a 2 litre plastic bottle with water first thing in the morning. I know I have to finish it before I go to bed. This works well. I pour a glass and carry it with me throughout the day - constantly refilling it. The first few days of this, and I was up and down to the bathroom every five minutes - but that eventually sorted itself out, and I find I don't have to "go" any more than I used to.
An amazing thing that I found happening when I started to drink water - the numbers on my bathroom scale began to go down....WITHOUT me reducing my food intake at all. This really happens. It has happened to me and many others. Without reducing food intake - just increasing water - weight can be reduced. Try it. You have everything to gain !
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