By Jill Smart
When your goal is to get healthy, lose some weight, improve your skin, or even just to cut the caffeine or soda habit, the first recommendation you will hear is to drink more water! It certainly sounds like a simple solution and an easy change to make, right? Well, for some this habit comes easy and for others, asking them to drink 80-100 ounces of water a day seems comparable to squeezing water from a stone – not gonna happen!
Water is such a vital and easy way to make huge improvements in your health. This magic elixir can do so many positive things for your body, including aiding in weight loss, flushing out toxins, helping with your digestion, improving your mood, your skin, even relieving bad breath.
Yes, while water has it’s tremendous benefits, some find it to be the most difficult beverage to add into their daily routines. This colorless, tasteless sustenance can seem nearly impossible to drink in such large quantities. Often times those who live in colder climates for a portion of the year may have an even more difficult time getting in the recommended amount each day. If you happen to be among these people, then I am so glad you are reading this article!
Water does not have to be in it’s purest form to be beneficial to your body. As a matter of fact, it is incredibly easy to sass up your water to make it more enjoyable.
1. Warm Beverages
Being a native Wisconsinite, when it is -8 degrees outside, I will admit that a nice glass of ice water is the furthest thing from my mind! I enjoy my hands wrapped around a nice hot mug while I sip a warm beverage. Some of my favorite warm beverages are warm lemon water, hot tea and yes, while I have kicked the caffeine habit, I still enjoy the taste of coffee by consuming Teeccino, which is an herbal coffee substitute.
2. Mineral Water
I find something sexy about drinking mineral water. The glass bottles it’s packaged in remind me of a romantic time. Even if I am drinking mineral water by myself, I find I feel special. I like to pour it into a fun glass and add a slice of lemon or lime. It looks pretty and the taste is very refreshing!
3. Infused Water
This is my other go to sexy water. Take a pitcher of water and add various fruits and veggies, allowing them to soak and infuse their flavors for a few hours or overnight. The result is water that not only looks pretty with a garnish already in it, but also completely changes the flavor profile of that beverage. The possibilities are endless! Try adding sliced green apples and a cinnamon stick, steep overnight in the refrigerator. What you will get is nothing short of amazing! Some other flavor profiles include: Cherry Lime Water; Pineapple-Peach-Mango-Strawberry Water; Rosemary Citrus Water; and finally, Orange Basil Infused Water (sounds delicious, right?).
4. Add a Juice Shot
Fresh juice is filled with nutrition, but also filled with flavor! When you are making your next batch of juice, take the time to juice a little extra juice shot and add that into your water for the day. I love to do this with fresh cranberries, which are relatively low in sugar and pack such a health punch – not to mention flavor – for your body and your tastebuds! I add about ½ cup of fresh cranberry juice to a gallon of water and keep it in the refrigerator.
I invite you to try experimenting with different flavors in your water. You will suddenly find that getting your 80-100 ounces of water in is not such a chore any longer and actually something you look forward to!
During my FitLife transformation, I lost 70 pounds! That's why I signed up for the protocol, but the most exciting result is that I found ME in the process. I had been hiding under a pile of pounds, self-doubt, and grief! FitLife changed my life and I knew I had to share it with others.
-Lynne, Longwood FL
I started with Fitlife back in 2011-2012…I wrote into Fitlife asking for an extreme amount of help. I was 300 pounds, with high cholesterol, and Drew helped me transform my life. I lost over 130 pounds and I no longer have high cholesterol. Not only did I lose weight, so did my husband, who lost over 70 pounds!
-Jaclyn, Martinsburg NE
