Do You Want to Be Healthy? Drink Water!

I love drinking water! I wasn't always this way, but I have grown to love and appreciate the taste of water over the past six and a half—almost seven—years.

Growing up, my mom tried to get me into the habit of drinking water on a daily basis. My dad explained to me the downsides of consuming too much sugar, but to no avail. Growing up in Saudi Arabia at the time, I should have been cognizant of the given the extreme heat and humidity.

In November 2012, I went to work at Bank of America as a Quality Analyst. As a Quality Analyst, I listened to 30 to 35 calls per day, ranging anywhere from three to 10 minutes, evaluating whether the associate I was listening to:

1. Greeted the customer, and indicated whether or not the associate provided their first and last name and NMLS number,
2. Violated any federal policies or procedures,
3. Violated any bank policies or procedures,
4. Completed the actual request made by the customer,
5. Documented any complaint according to the bank's definition of a complaint, and
6. Provided a high level of customer service, including being polite and courteous to the customer they were talking to.

This is the repetitive process I went through, day in and day out. At the beginning, I drank a lot of sodas and other sugar-filled drinks as a means to stay alert. It ended up having the opposite effect. I would get a sugar high and then crash. My colleague astutely pointed out a simple fact: I wasn't drinking enough water.

I started drinking one soda a day, during lunch, and eight glasses of water. The more water I drank, the less sluggish and the better I felt as a result of the toxins that were being disposed of through waste. The more water I drank, the less sugar I craved.

I have found that when I'm working on weight loss, drinking water accelerates the process. Why? Drinking water helped to make me feel full, reducing my appetite.

Now, obviously, beyond drinking water, it is also important to:

1. Have a balanced diet,
2. Exercise at least three to four times per week, and
3. Eat dinner by 6/6:30 PM, the latest.

Why is it important to eat by 6/6:30 PM the latest? It's simple. Your metabolism is at its lowest rate towards the end of the day. The more food you eat at that time of the day, the more likely that food isn't going to be burned, but will sit in your stomach as you sleep overnight and eventually turn from unprocessed carbohydrates to fat.

The majority of the human body is water and drinking water is critical to maintaining a balanced diet. When you're exercising, oxygen is transported to the cells through blood, and water is the means by which the body gets rid of toxins that result from the processing of food and exercise. It is critical that the water in your body is consistently replenished.

If you drink water on a consistent basis, that's great! If you don't, start today.

—Kubvo/Patrick