Drink Your Water!

We've all heard it said before that we need to drink more water but up until a few weeks ago, I didn't really make it a priority.

I've tried in the past to drink as much water as possible throughout the day but eventually, I would always go back to old habits.

Well. almost six weeks ago I decided to make a change. I was waking up every morning with chapped lips and a throat like sandpaper and I decided enough was enough.

The first step I made was to buy a 2 litre bottle from Amazon. When it arrived I thought, "Bloody Hell, there's no way I'm going to be able to drink even a whole one of those in a day!". It was seriously daunting.

But I stuck with it and started with planning to just drink the one bottle. After a couple of days, I decided it was time to take it up a notch and go for two. And let me tell you, its one of the best decisions I've ever made!

The benefits to drinking plenty of water are numerous but here's a few of the benefits I found from my experience.

1. Better Sleep

It didn't happen right away and one of the reasons may have been because I felt the need to get up at least three times a night to go pee-pee. But after a while, things started to settle down and let me tell you, my sleep has been blissful!

2. More Energy

With better sleep comes more energy! If you're like me and you've always struggled with your energy levels you might be surprised to hear that doing something a simple as drinking more water can do anything at all but you'd be astonished at the results.

Before I began drinking more water, I was always sluggish and always needed an afternoon nap. I could sleep twelve hours a night and still need those moments of shut-eye on the sofa when the baby was down!

Now? I can sleep as little as six hours a night (I wouldn't recommend doing this regularly) and still have enough energy not to need that those afternoon Z's.

3. Less Cravings & Hunger

I've been on a restricted diet recently and just tried to be healthier in general. At first, I didn't really look into my water intake too much but once I did, I noticed a marked improvement.

A glass of water first thing in the morning helped settle my stomach for breakfast (something I didn't often eat before) and sipping water while eating allowed my body time to realise when it was full. It's a great way to stop yourself from overeating!

Whenever the craving to open up the fridge for a nibble hit, I'd instead reach for my water bottle first. A little known fact is that the body can often mistake thirst for hunger. Giving my body the chance to realise the difference by having a glass of water helped me to figure out which I was actually in need of; food or water. If I was still peckish afterwards I'd make myself a snack but half the time my body simply needed some of the good liquid stuff.

4. Less Constipation!

It's not a very nice thing to discuss but we've all had problems when it comes to going to the toilet. Upping my water intake has made things go much more smoothly.

5. Clearer Skin

Nobody's skin is ever flawless, no matter how it might look in pictures, but since I started drinking more I've seen a noticeable change.

6. Better Exercise

We all know that exercise creates sweat and water lost from sweating must be replaced but before I began my water journey I would only concentrate on taking in enough water during exercise rather than before and after. Half-way through a workout, I'd find myself desperate for the toilet and it would eat into my prime exercise time. Now, I find I need to drink less during my workouts and in turn, I need to go to the toilet less!

7. Manageable Period Pain

Our muscles need plenty of water to function properly and many women forget that our muscles have a large part to play in our time of the month. I used to get severe menstrual cramps that would leave me bed-ridden all day or crying on the sofa because I just couldn't hack it. Now I'm up and about, doing what I want whenever I want without worrying about what time of the month it is.

8. Better Weight Loss

As I mentioned before, I have been on a restricted diet for a few months now and before I upped my water intake I was 1-2lbs a week. Now I'm losing 2-3lbs a week!

9. Less Bloating

As a woman, there are certain times of the month when bloating is a real issue but before now I was suffering all the time with that overripened stomach! I'd be so bloated that it physically hurt. Now, a few weeks in, I'm almost entirely bloat-free!

I'm sure there are many more benefits to be had from drinking more water but these are just a few that stood out to me.

If you're looking for a simple health benefit with all-round results, my recommendation is, drink more water!

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