Day 74: Respect Water #P90X3Dads

After working out for 73 days, I've learned at least one thing...wait for it...water is important. It's important; nay, vital, for many reasons. Let me explain.

I hate water. I don't mean to get all scientific and whatnot, but  like my previous post, I've learned some things in the last 73 days. I'm a different person for a lot of reasons, but one of the main reasons is water. 

What's the big deal about water? Water serves important functions in your body. Of course you know this, but are you drinking water? No. To convince you about this whole water thing, I did some research (gasp). Water aids the body in several ways by:

• removing toxins
• increasing metabolism
• helping breakdown and transport nutrients
• regulating body temperature
• lubricating joints and
• increasing overall energy.

Water is awesome. I still hate it. But, water is literally changing my life. 

How is water changing my life? The biggest way water is proving worth my drinking is that it's decreasing my appetite. My appetite is much greater by dinner if I haven't taken in enough water during the day.

Most times when I think I'm hungry, I'm not. My "hunger" is really me being thirsty. Before grabbing a meal or snack, ask yourself: am I really hungry or do I simply need water. Odds are good water is all you need.  

Said differently: Most of my hunger is mental. I eat not because I need food, but because I want to taste food. It's mental, not physical. Knowing this is half the battle.

How am I making myself drink more water? If you are like my non-water-drinking self, you probably aren't drinking enough water daily. Here's what I've found is helping me guzzle at least 100 ounces of water per day:

• Drink green tea: While I love coffee (and it's cool because there's water in coffee!), I substitute my afternoon coffee with green tea.
• Carry a water bottle: I carry a 25-ounce water bottle on my person everywhere. This bottle hasn't left my side for months. 
• Set at alarm on your phone (see image in this blog post): Beachbody, the geniuses behind P90X3 say: Set an alarm to drink water every two hours. It should be the first and last thing you put in your body each day. This helps remind me to drink throughout the day before I get hungry and then possibly lose the mental game and eat something quickly. 
• Pick water instead of soda. I'm either on the wagon or off the wagon with soda. If I drink a 12-ounce can of soda, I want more. It's best that I don't give in and drink that stuff. So, I drink water with meals and at night. Oh, yes, it sucks. There's something about the taste of soda with a meal. Actually, writing about soda is making me want soda. Dropping the drinking of soda with meals has been the most difficult. I crave it. But, soda has sodium and sugar; which makes it self-defeating to drink it while wanting to lose weight.
• Add stuff to your water: add lemon, lime, raspberry, cucumber...I haven't tried any of these things yet, but I have every intention to do so. Doing this will change up the taste so you might drink more water.

How much water should you drink? Half your body weight in ounces. For instance, if you weigh 200 pounds, make it a goal to drink 100 ounces of water per day. Yes, that's a lot of water. But, once you see the above benefits, you'll be more intentional about drinking that boring, non-soda stuff. 

How many ounces of water did you drink yesterday?

Note: No dad was paid for this post. We were, however, given a base kit and two kits to giveaway because the Beach Body folks are so awesome. Use #P90X3Dads on social to win a free base kit of the P90X3 program, provided by the generous folks at BeachBody.