Busy Moms Can Actually Lose Weight, Start By Drinking Water!
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Have you ever had that “that is IT!” moment where you are so fed up with feeling uncomfortable in your own skin and you are ready to make big changes. You lay out a plan for working out and cutting back to 1,000 calories per day. You hit the ground running with a workout that has you sore the rest of the week and go to bed feeling like you haven’t eaten in years. In less than a week, you feel so run down that you start questioning whether that Victoria Secret body is all it is cracked up to be. Maybe you are just not made to be fit, and you should just settle in and enjoy life the best you can exactly where you are.
If you have had these thoughts, you are NOT alone.
We have a tendency to put too much pressure on our willpower and think that having enough motivation is all we need to establish a healthy lifestyle. The truth is that making small, sustainable changes is key to lasting success.
Focus on one change at a time. Once something becomes a habit and requires less of your attention and willpower, you can move on to the next healthy habit.
Start by drinking more water for a simple, positive change.
Water is one of the easiest healthy changes to make. You can do it anywhere and it is a lot easier to make a positive change, like drinking water, than it is to make a negative change, such as quitting a soda-drinking habit. Start with the easiest change to give yourself some willpower practice and a win to power yourself up for the next change!
Most of us are not drinking enough water and do not even realize how much water we should be drinking.
When I was pregnant with my second daughter, I participated in a healthy mom and baby program through our insurance company. During a phone appointment, the nurse asked me how much water I was drinking, and I proudly responded that I was usually able to drink at least 30 oz each day. I was absolutely shocked when she told me that I needed three times that amount! That conversation led me to do some research and establish a healthy hydration habit that was the kickstart to a complete lifestyle overhaul.
You are going to see results just by drinking enough water each day.
I always thought of drinking water as one of those things that I “should” do, even though I really did not understand why. Hydration is not something that I ever thought I would see results from. Just by drinking enough water, you will start to see and feel a difference.
Feel fuller, lessen cravings, and boost your metabolism.
Reduce bloating and water retention. Improved digestion and regularity.
Increased energy levels.
Clearer skin.
Prevent headaches and hangovers.
Use this easy trick for setting your daily hydration goal.
Use your body weight for an easy rule-of-thumb for determining your target water intake. Take your body weight (in pounds) and divide that by two for the number of ounces of water to shoot for each day. For a person weighing 160 pounds, the water-drinking goal is 80 ounces of water each day.
Please note that everybody is different and your body, environment, diet, activity levels, even the weather, affect the actual amount of water that your body needs. Work to hit your water drinking goal each day and pay attention to how your body responds. Simply adjustment as needed. Notice the color of your urine to determine if any changes need to be made. Ideal is a light, lemonade yellow. Clear suggests overhydration while a darker yellow suggests dehydration.
Make drinking more water easier and enjoyable for yourself!
Get a head start! Start your day with a glass of water to jump start your water for the day as well as help you feel more awake and alert!
Make drinking water easy and convenient with a water bottle or tumbler that helps you keep track of how much water you have had to drink. I like to use 30 oz tumblers or shaker bottles, because I know I need to drink about three of them each day. If I am on the go, the shaker bottles are great because they seal so I don’t have to worry about my water spilling.
Have a backup plan! Do not rely on your water bottle so much that you ditch water altogether if you don’t have it with you. If you forget your favorite water bottle at home, ask your host for a glass of water or pick up a disposable bottle of water for the day.
Make it fun! Experiment with adding ice, flavoring (I love PURE lemonade!), or fruit to make drinking water something you enjoy. I used a lot of flavoring packets with artificial sweeteners when I first started and then worked towards drinking more pure water as the habit became more natural. Remember that progress is more important than perfection.
When all else fails, CHUG!
How is your hydration??
Are you drinking half your weight in ounces of water, or are you not even close? Is there one of these tips you can add to your regular routine to increase your water intake? Share this post with a friend and challenge each other to up your hydration game!
