Drink More Water!

Really, does anyone even know anyone who drinks too much water? People may drink a lot of soda, or a lot of beer, but rarely do you hear of a person drinking too much water.

How do we force ourselves to drink more water, and how do we make it interesting? We should be drinking the standard 8 cups, or if you're athletic or detoxing - 10 cups a day.

Different things work for different people, but my saviors are:
Tea
Sparkling Water
Lemon Juice & Stevia

During the two years I was fixing my heart naturally, I cut out all caffeine. I was the person who had 2 Redbulls, a Caramel Frappuchino, and a couple ephedra (when they were legal) a day & still be tired. Then again my life did move at 180 miles an hour...

I started introducing *some* caffeine into my system a little over a year ago: Yerba Mate & green tea mostly, a couple times a week. Last Christmas I had my first peppermint mocha in a few years & it was A-MA-ZING, but generally I like to limit my caffeinated drinks to no more then 2-3 mornings a week when I feel I need them. I don't do the $4.50 lattes across the street from my work, I get caffeinated at home for about $.30 a pop or less.
My 3 favorites are:
Yerba Mate Guayaki - Chocolate Flavored (try it with a splash of vanilla almond or soy milk)
Yogi Vanilla Spice Perfect Energy Tea
Trader Joe's Organic Green Tea (with lemon & honey)

So although they are caffeinated & shouldn't count as water, at least I get my first 8 ounces in on my way to work. 

I bought one of those 32oz water bottles to bring to work so if I drank the whole thing, I'd know I'd at least had 1/2 my water goal for the day. What I do is fill it up 1/3rd of the way with water, pour some lemon juice in it, add a touch of stevia and tilt it in my freezer overnight to bring to work the next day. In the morning I just fill the rest with water & add a little more lemon juice & stevia. BAM - delicious sugar-free, calorie free, fake crap free, guilt free refreshing goodness all day long. One of my trainers liked it so much he had me make a batch for him haha.

WATER - it's not just water.
As ridiculous it is to say - READ THE LABELS ON YOUR WATER. Especially if you get flavored water. Run FAR away from aspartame. It should really only say "water" and maybe "natural flavors" or something if that's what you're going for. I've seen regular water have 4 ingredients. Really...

I'm a huge fan of Trader Joe's (as I am with most things Trader Joe's) sparkling water. I get a few of the flavored 2 liter bottles each week & it's a great alternative to soda or juice. It's only $.99a bottle and I could drink it all day and night.

Last but not least, I am a huge fan of Sleepytime tea. My mom first started giving this to me when I was in junior high and had trouble sleeping. They have lots of flavors, but I always have Sleepytime Vanilla and Sleepytime Extra on hand. 

Having the tricks of tea on my way to work, a 32oz bottle at work, and tea before bed helps me hit at least 6 out of my 8 glasses for the day. The rest comes with exercise or effort. And maybe a couple more trips to the bathroom. :)


Drink up! 

Samantha Marie