The Hardest Part About Being Healthy
There are WAY too many things to talk about on this topic. To keep it short I am choosing one thing. WATER. This is the hardest thing for me. I am STILL working on it.
Tasteless, colorless, transparent, odorless and BORING water is what I find the hardest about being living a healthy lifestyle. That is my personal opinion, I don't expect all of you to share this thoughts. Even though I find water boring, I drink it because I know my body needs it!
Why should we drink water? There are thousands of reasons to drink water. Here are a few:
- Water is required to normal bodily function, especially within the kidneys - which are responsible for maintaining overall fluid balance, regulating and filtering minerals in the blood, and filtering waste materials from food, medication and other toxic substances
- When we are dehydrated we leave our bodies more susceptible to wrinkles and skin disorders!
- Lubricates the joints - To my people with arthritis or sore joints - water is your friend!
- Delivers oxygen throughout the body, we all know how important it is for our cells to have oxygen.
- It cushions the brain, spinal cord and other sensitive tissues. This means that the lack of water can affect the brain's functions and structure (i.e. the production of hormones and neurotransmitter)
WARNING: there is math in this blog post!
How much water should I drink? This is a VERY commonly asked question! There is no universally agreed upon quantity of water which we should consume. But to find an approximate number as to how much you should be consuming: take your body weight in pounds and divide it by 2, this will give you the amount of fluid ounces you should consume in one day.
Example: 200lbs divided by 2 = 100 oz of water
This is to be taken with a grain of salt because it also depends on your level of physical activity, genetics and environment. But it is a good starting point!
Taking your age in to account: your body weight in pounds and divide it by 2.2; depending on your age you will either multiply this by 40, 35, or 30; divide that by 28.3 and that will give you your total in ounces (divide by 8 to find amount in cups) that should be consumed in one day.
Multiplication factor:
- Younger than 30 = 40
- 30 to 55 = 35
- 55 + = 30
Example: 200lbs (age 40) divided by 2.2 = 90.9
90.9 multiplied by 35 = 3 181.8
3 181.8 divided by 28.3 = 112.4 oz of water
112.4 divided by 8 = 14 cups of water
Tips on drinking more water?
- Apps: Water Reminder is my go to! This app sends me notifications every hour on the hour to drink at least 100ml. This is completely customizable, I need a lot of encouragement.
- Big mug: I also drink out of a big mug, 52oz to be specific. The reason I do this is because I tell myself, at least I only have to refill it once.
- Straw: I have heard this from so many people! Drinking from a straw has helped me because I do not see the water coming out. This makes it so much easier and faster to drink!
- Add flavor: this is a great way to start, I am still doing this.You can do this with a variety of fruit, veggies and even herbs! Lemons are my favorite but in the summer I don't mind having my water with cucumbers and mint.
Yours truly,
Meg
All the information was sourced from Good Housekeeping (2019)
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