We are constantly hearing, “Don’t eat anything with chemicals, don’t put anything that contains chemicals on your skin, chemicals are bad for you!...”
The truth is that not all chemicals are bad for you. The one chemical that first comes to mind is WATER.
The dictionary will define water as a “tasteless liquid that forms the seas, lakes, rivers and rain, and is the basis of the fluids of living organisms.” But, the reality is that water is a chemical made up of hydrogen and oxygen. Chemistry lesson over. Period. To make my point yes, but also because that is the extent of my chemistry knowledge...
I could continue to write about all the benefits of water but I am certain that you have all been inundated with all sorts of highly scientific stats and pro-water lists. So, I limit my thoughts to this very basic comment: Water fills you up.
Many of us typically think that when we get a craving it means we are hungry. Sometimes this is true but the reality is that many times we are just thirsty.
Water is a great source to reach for to satisfy that urge to eat. Try it out. Drink a glass of water and wait about ten minutes to see if you are still hungry. If you are, then eat something. If not, get out of the kitchen already!
Something that has worked for me in my journey to losing over 100 lbs and maintaining my fitness was to increase my water intake. Many of us feel that we alerady drink a lot of water but, most of us do not! I often get asked, “how much water should I drink each day?” My common response is to first get to the point where you are drinking one-half of your body weight in ounces. So, if you weigh 150 lbs. then try to drink 75 ounces of water daily. That's about 9 - 10 cups of water.
This sounds like a lot and you might think I'm crazy for suggesting this but remember; you don't have to be at this point from day 1. Gradually increase your water intake a few ounces each day to get to that point and allow your body to adjust. It will happen surprisingly fast and you'll soon start to experience other benefits of water that were listed on those articles...that you never read anyway.
If you have any medical or health concerns I strongly suggest seeking the advice of your health care practitioner to be certain that increased water intake will not cause you harm.
P.S. You may find the need to go to the bathroom more frequently. Big deal. It's good to get up and walk once in a while!
With this post, we are launching an all new series of fitness, health & nutrition posts by Craig Marshall, Hynt Beauty's CEO, Co-Founder AND Meryl's husband! He is a certified personal trainer who also has a special certification in training older adults and is en route to getting another in nutrition. He's always giving us so many smart, easy-to-integrate advice that we had to give him a platform to share his best.