For this week, I decided to try something easy. On days when I’m not exercising or hiking, I generally drink a cup of coffee and a glass of water (or less) every day, and I was beginning to wonder if my headaches, skin dryness, and other ailments might be because I was just dehydrated. Drinking more water is touted as a cure all, from improving your skin to boosting your immune system to giving you energy and a long list of other things. That said, not everyone actually needs 8 glasses of water a day, so I decided that instead of forcing myself to drink that much, this is what I did:
- Drink water first thing in the morning before I had any coffee
- If I feel hungry, stop to ask myself if I’m thirsty before eating anything
- Make water more readily available by actually filling my water bottle and keeping it near me
Did I end up drinking more water? Absolutely. I went from about 4 – 8 ounces of water a day to about 32 ounces. It was clear that I hadn’t been drinking enough water before. My skin issues and headaches weren’t fixed by drinking more water, so I wouldn’t say it’s the solution to every problem that so many articles promise it will be. That said, drinking water first thing in the morning really did provide me with energy and make me feel great, so that’s something I’m going to continue to do. I also wasn’t as hungry as I usually am and was more mindful when I was eating because I was paying more attention to my hunger and thirst cues.
Did it make me happier? Yes (but your mileage may vary if you’re already drinking enough water).
LiftBakelove 