How I Drink Enough Water

I've posted several times about my efforts to drink enough water. I've always been terrible at it, to the point I'd end up dehydrated with a headache. Water just doesn't interest me, unless I'm exercising or really hot. I've tried giving myself a 'target' of a certain amount of water to drink a day, but I usually end up with a whole lot of water to drink just before I go to bed - not ideal! I've also tried drinking water with slices of lemon or lime or even mint in it, but the novelty wears off pretty quickly.

What I've been doing lately is a bit unusual, but it's been working for me. When I was doing a lot of interval training I bought a Gymboss timer

Instead of using the timer for intervals, I'm currently using it as a buzzer to remind myself to drink water. Every 15 minutes it goes off and I have a sip of water. I've been doing it for a couple of months now, and I've actually started to anticipate when it's time to drink - my mouth starts to get a bit dry just before the 15 minutes is up! My hydration levels are much better, my hair isn't as dry and my skin is softer.

Start your day with water

(An excerpt from Water for Weight Loss by Jonny Bowden)

'In two separate studies, (both published in recent issues of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism) researchers found that within 10 minutes of drinking about a pint* of water, metabolic rates in both men and women begin to increase as much as 24-30 percent!

They don't completely know why, but it might have something to do with osmotic pressure changes. (If you're wondering, other drinks don't seem to have the same effect, so it's definitely the water that's doing it.)

You know, if you drank this much water every day upon rising you could actually burn an extra 17,400 calories a year- for a loss of five extra pounds. Just from drinking water!

Now granted, that's not an awful lot of weight. But added to all the other benefits of water, the little bit of extra weight loss is a nice bonus!

For best results consume it first thing in the morning on an empty stomach.

And then keep on drinking all day!'

* A pint is almost 500mL