Step One: Begin With the Essentials
Hi lovelies! Remember a few days ago, the 40 Steps we agreed to embark upon together? Today I present to you the First Step. It is a simple one, a small stepstone yet a giant leap in this challenge due to its incredible health benefits. It is magical but unfortunately often overlooked or replaced by less than ideal substances. Yes, sugardrop, I’m talking about water!
The First of the 40 Steps will be to incorporate water into our daily routine. Many of you smart souls are probably on this already, but for those of us who have steered away from our ideal habits, let’s remember briefly why water is absolutely essential (though not as glamorous as wine, some say) for…everything! Drinking plenty of it will:
- Hidrate your skin for a radiant healthy glow. It helps maintain skin elasticity, so here’s to looking young and fresh no matter how old you are.
- Act as a natural detox, as it helps your body eliminate toxins.
- Help with digestion by breaking fats down, as well as with regular bowel movements…
- Reduce menstrual pain
- Help you concentrate! I always thought this was a cliche they told you in highschool. You know, like “get plenty of sleep”. But it is the truth! A well fed and hydrated body will concentrate and be more efficient.
- Help relieve headaches. A lot of the time these are due to slight dehydration, so before you reach for your tylenol just have a glass or two.
- Reduce fluid retention. If you are not getting enough water, your body will go into an emergency state, so to speak, and will hold on to the last drop. This will cause parts of your body to swell up and not only look like you’ve put on a few pounds, but also feel uncomfortable. So give your body what it’s asking for, plenty of water, and all that retained fluid will be flushed out along with other toxins!
The list of benfits could probably go on (can you name a few more?), so now that we’ve remembered why water is so important, let’s work on incorporating it to our daily routine:
- Take a little bottle everywhere so you can take sips throughout the day. Not large gulps, but small sips even if you aren’t thirsty but would like some refreshment.
- Drink water first thing in the morning, before breakfast so it can flush out any excess/toxins.
- Drink water with your food instead of soda or juice.
- Have plenty of fruit (eg watermelon) and veggies (eg broccoli).
- If you find water too bland, add a drop of lemon or lime!
- It would also be wise to reduce alcohol units so that we aren’t dehydrating our body in sudden bursts of time (or alternatively, if you MUST attend ladies’ night, drink water in between.)
So there you go! I will be starting my routine today, and I’ll let you all know how it goes. Meanwhile, what other tips do you guys have/follow for incorporating water into your routine?
