This Week's Love Your Heart, Love Yourself Challenge is to DRINK WATER!
We depend on water for survival! Water has been ranked by experts as second only to oxygen as essential for life. We need lots of fresh water to stay healthy. Aside from aiding in digestion and absorption of food, water regulates body temperature and blood circulation, carries nutrients and oxygen to cells, and removes toxins and other wastes. Water also cushions joints and protects tissues and organs, including the spinal cord, from shock and damage. Conversely, lack of water (dehydration) can be the cause of many ailments/illnesses.
Among its other benefits, water plays a major part in weight loss. Since water contains no calories, it can serve as an appetite suppressant, and helps the body metabolize stored fat, it may possibly be one of the most significant factors in losing weight. Also, drinking more water helps to reduce water retention by stimulating your kidneys. Studies have recommended that if you are overweight according to average height and weight comparison charts, you should add one glass of water to your daily requirement (of eight glasses) for every 25 pounds over your recommended weight.
Dehydration leads to excess body fat, poor muscle tone & size, decreased digestive efficiency & organ function, increased toxicity, joint & muscle soreness, & water retention.
My challenge to you this week is to get the daily recommended amount of water in each day according to your own height and weight, as well as activity level. Remember you need more water if you active.
Water is my beverage of choice! It's the only thing I drink each day other than a glass of Organic Concord Grape Juice. Therefore, getting water in each day is EASY for me...but may not be for many. Here are a few suggestions:
Drink a glass before and after each meal.
Replace one beverage/soda/juice with a glass of water and slowly increase the number of glasses over the next few weeks with a glass of water.
By a LARGE water bottle and sip water from it all day. You may need to fill it more than once. If so strive to finish the first by 1pm and then the 2nd by 6-8pm.
Now go forth this week and Love Your Heart, Love Yourself and DRINK WATER!!! Feel free to share your tips for getting your water in here.
Learn about the challenge here.
