If you know me, you know I rarely leave my house without my water bottle. I LOVE WATER and do my best to stay hydrated throughout the day. One because I live in the desert and two because I am still breastfeeding so need to keep my liquid intake up and three because I drink too much coffee and lastly because I exercise everyday so know that I sweat a lot out. When I say sweat, I mean I SWEAT:-) My daily consumption goal is approximately 10 cups of water with a bit more on heavy exercise days. I used to find myself confused on how to actually track this as what is considered a cup exactly? Is that a small water glass or a baking measuring cup? So I decided to take my 20 ounce Camelbak bottle and work to get 4 of these in each day and that is a number I can wrap my head around.
I recently came across this image and I was just shocked! Actually seeing the amount of sugar in the above beverages made me stop in my tracks. We don’t regularly have these in our house but I will probably conjure up this image next time we consider purchasing something at the store. You would never spoon this much sugar directly into your mouth, but if you grab one of these on the run, you are essentially doing the same thing. Luckily I don’t have a problem with the taste of water but I know some people struggle to get it down so they tend to reach for other, high sugar options such as soda, juice, energy drinks and so on. These can wreak havoc on your internal body, waistline, mood, energy level and even brain composition. The last one there really shocked me but when you think about the fact that our brains are made up of over 70% water, dehydration can make you lethargic, irritable, have a lack of focus and on and on. So drink up!
Next time you feel thirsty, try one of these fun takes on the basic glass of water. The flavor combinations are limitless and fun to create for you and your family. At home it is easy to slice up some fruit and place with a handful of herbs in a pitcher of water for drinking throughout the day. This can be done while out on the go as well, you just need to do a little planning before you go. Select your ingredients and fill the container at night so there is time for total infusion. In the morning you will have a delicious treat that is loaded with vitamins and minerals. Reuse the fruit throughout the day to keep the the health benefits going. I also have one of these handy portable water infusers from Amazon which makes this so easy.
Take advantage of all the antioxidant and detoxifying benefits of gorgeous summer fruits. My favorite is to add acidic fruit such as lime, lemon or orange slices to my first 20 ounce drink of the day. This will help to get the digestive system moving and also help with any muscle fatigue you may have. Then I begin creating based on what was on sale and in our kitchen. Here are some but honestly just the tip of the iceberg.
*slice or cube fruit and drop in. Maybe try to freeze berries or fruit cubes to keep water cold throughout the day. For herbs, slightly muddle, chop or put in whole leaf.
