Got a goal? Just drink more water...
Just a quick check-in today to update you on another change I've really been focusing on for the past few months as a part of the whole mental and physical overhaul 'journey' I've found myself on.
Today's topic? H2O.
Water.
Drinking more water is probably one of the most common pieces of advice you hear if you're trying to improve your health in any way.
Want clearer skin? Drink more water.
Want to sort your digestion? Drink more water.
Want to stop constant snack cravings? Drink more water.
Want to lose weight? Drink more water.
It's the tip we all roll our eyes at and then carry on with our day.
Water has never been something I've thought too much about, as I've actually always been fairly good at drinking it.
Granted, part of that may be because my drinking options are limited - I don't drink hot drinks, alcohol, fizzy drinks... you could count the drinks I'll go for on one hand.
I've never been one of those people who 'doesn't like the taste' of water and have found it fairly easy to drink.
However, I've never been consistent in actually tracking the amount I drink.
About 18 months ago, maybe a little longer, I started keeping a tally of how much water I drank a day, and realised I wasn't quite the goody two-shoes I had thought.
Whilst I always had water WITH me, I wasn't actually DRINKING all that much of it.
I'd drink consistently, but in such tiny sips I was maybe getting through a couple of glasses (maximum) per day.
Since then, I've made a concerted effort to change. I aim for the golden 'two litres a day' and tend to hit between 1000ml and 2000ml, usually towards the higher end.
The biggest change I noticed is that once your body is being given the water it needs, it knows it. For me, the effects were less drastic when I WAS drinking, and much more apparent on the days I didn't.
After a few weeks of hitting around two litres of water a day, a day where I forgot or got distracted would hit me like a tonne of bricks.
If I don't drink enough now I get groggy, lethargic and I get awful headaches, as well as getting extremely grumpy!
Now my body is getting the water it needs, it's as if it has remembered that's what it needs.
After years of me not hydrating myself properly, I'm taking in the liquids I need.
The next interesting shift came in April of this year, when I started seeing a personal trainer.
I told her proudly that I'd reached a point where I was hitting two litres of water a day... and she moved the goalposts.
She pointed out that my body was used to getting two litres a day when I was doing zero exercise.
If I was going to add multiple runs and strength sessions per week, that amount needed to increase.
Pretty obvious, but it never crossed my mind!
So this is my current challenge.
I'm aiming for three to four litres per day, usually about three on a rest day and 3.5+ on days I work out.
At the moment, it's hit and miss, but I'm working my way up the scale and I'm noticing a difference.
It's now approaching 5pm and I've done 2.5 litres so far today... where's your tally at? Are you getting enough of the watery stuff?
Today's topic? H2O.
Water.
Drinking more water is probably one of the most common pieces of advice you hear if you're trying to improve your health in any way.
Want clearer skin? Drink more water.
Want to sort your digestion? Drink more water.
Want to stop constant snack cravings? Drink more water.
Want to lose weight? Drink more water.
It's the tip we all roll our eyes at and then carry on with our day.
Water has never been something I've thought too much about, as I've actually always been fairly good at drinking it.
Granted, part of that may be because my drinking options are limited - I don't drink hot drinks, alcohol, fizzy drinks... you could count the drinks I'll go for on one hand.
I've never been one of those people who 'doesn't like the taste' of water and have found it fairly easy to drink.
However, I've never been consistent in actually tracking the amount I drink.
About 18 months ago, maybe a little longer, I started keeping a tally of how much water I drank a day, and realised I wasn't quite the goody two-shoes I had thought.
Whilst I always had water WITH me, I wasn't actually DRINKING all that much of it.
I'd drink consistently, but in such tiny sips I was maybe getting through a couple of glasses (maximum) per day.
Since then, I've made a concerted effort to change. I aim for the golden 'two litres a day' and tend to hit between 1000ml and 2000ml, usually towards the higher end.
The biggest change I noticed is that once your body is being given the water it needs, it knows it. For me, the effects were less drastic when I WAS drinking, and much more apparent on the days I didn't.
After a few weeks of hitting around two litres of water a day, a day where I forgot or got distracted would hit me like a tonne of bricks.
If I don't drink enough now I get groggy, lethargic and I get awful headaches, as well as getting extremely grumpy!
Now my body is getting the water it needs, it's as if it has remembered that's what it needs.
After years of me not hydrating myself properly, I'm taking in the liquids I need.
The next interesting shift came in April of this year, when I started seeing a personal trainer.
I told her proudly that I'd reached a point where I was hitting two litres of water a day... and she moved the goalposts.
She pointed out that my body was used to getting two litres a day when I was doing zero exercise.
If I was going to add multiple runs and strength sessions per week, that amount needed to increase.
Pretty obvious, but it never crossed my mind!
So this is my current challenge.
I'm aiming for three to four litres per day, usually about three on a rest day and 3.5+ on days I work out.
At the moment, it's hit and miss, but I'm working my way up the scale and I'm noticing a difference.
It's now approaching 5pm and I've done 2.5 litres so far today... where's your tally at? Are you getting enough of the watery stuff?
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