Monday, September 10, 2007

Weekly focus: Water Intake

Whenever I've hopped back on the diet bandwagon, water has always been a crucial factor in successfully losing weight. This week, make it your goal to drink six 8-ounce glasses of water each day.

Below is an article that explains why drinking water is good for your health, and tips on how to increase your water intake. One way I've been able to keep up my water intake is to not stock my fridge with soda or juice. I spike my water with Crystal Light To Go during meals and keep a large supply of cold water in the fridge. I also bring water with me in the car wherever I go.

Good luck this week, and if you have any troubles with weekly focus or have questions, feel free to post to the blog!


Why Drink Water?
Weightwatchers.com

Why is water crucial to your health? The average adult body consists of about 50 to 80 percent water and relies on it for many vital functions, from body temperature regulation to nutrient dispersion and toxin removal. As you breath, perspire and urinate, you deplete your water resources. If you don't replace what you use, imbalances can occur that affect your bodily and brain functions.

Effects of Dehydration
If you're not properly hydrated, you're apt to suffer from dehydration, which can cause symptoms such as headache and fatigue. Drinking enough water—six 8-ounce glasses each day at a minimum—may also help you avoid overeating. If you're hit by a craving, try drinking some water, seltzer or juice and seltzer mixed. This will hydrate you and help fill you up.

Need another reason to drink your H2O? Being even slightly dehydrated can also make you feel irritable and cranky—a mood that leads many of us to eat unwisely. "People tend to seek out comfort foods when they're not feeling their best," says Therese Franzese, MS, RD, director of nutrition for the Sports Center at Chelsea Piers in New York.

Drink up.
According to a Rockefeller University survey of 2,818 Americans, only 34 percent drank the recommended amount of water daily. To make sure you're getting enough water:

Track your water intake.
Record every glass of water or other beverage you drink.

Bring it with you.
Buy a large, refillable bottle and take it with you wherever you go. If you fill it with two thirds ice and one third water, it should stay cool for most of the day.

Drink up while drinking.
Alcohol is a diuretic that can deplete your hydration level. Drinking water or seltzer between alcoholic beverages can help you stay hydrated—and save calories, too, by filling you up.

Spike your drink.
Don't like the taste of plain water? Try a home water-filtration system to improve the quality of your tap water. Or try cutting it with a bit of fruit juice or lemon. Another option is to try mineral water, which has an added bonus: Many brands contain calcium, a mineral that can help prevent bone-weakening osteoporosis.

4 comments:

dirt said...

Or drink diet rockstars all day: http://www.rockstar69.com/

I can't stop shaking and my urine is a bright green and smells like baby food but damn if I don't feel like scrubbing the bathtub again!

Debow Family said...

I wish you'd scrub the bathtub - I had to scrub it again yesterday.

dirt said...

I never said *whose* bathtub I was cleaning.

Unknown said...

Dehydration affects so many of us and we don't even know it! Also remember that coffee dehydrates the body, so for every cup of coffee, drink at least 2 cups of water. Ask any personal fitness training expert, drinking water will actually improve your cardio fitness and strength training workouts.