Are You Drinking Your Water Yet?

I’m going to warn you up front… the topic of this post might get annoying. But Chris told me to do it, so you can blame him, OK? He wants me to remind everyone reading the Reshape the Nation fitness and weight loss blog to drink your gallon of water. If it’s morning and you’re reading this, have a glass of water before heading off to work. If it’s the work day and you’re reading this post, keep a glass of water or a full water bottle sitting on your desk, and keep drinking and refilling it throughout the day. If it’s the evening and you’re reading this blog on the couch while watching TV, make sure you put a nice, full glass of ice cold water on your coffee table so you can keep drinking while you surf.

Why are we spending so much time reminding you to drink your water? Because building new habits takes repetition… and maybe a bit of guilt. Prepare yourselves, folks… it’s personal anecdote time!

When I first started working with Chris, I never drank enough water. It wasn’t because drinking water was hard. By then, I’d actually stopped drinking sodas and juices, and drank mostly water at meals anyway. But I didn’t drink enough. At the same time, by working with Chris, and always seeing him carrying around his gallon jug of water, I got a daily reminder to drink water. Maybe the right word isn’t “reminder.” Maybe the right word is “guilt.” By seeing Chris with his water every day, I felt guilty. Why wasn’t I drinking enough water? It’s not hard. I like water. Drinking water doesn’t take any sort of time commitment. Drinking water doesn’t change my schedule or cost me more money. It’s just a matter of remembering to drink it.

Luckily, the simple act of having a daily reminder to drink water (in the form of Chris doing it) helped me remember, “Oh yeah… where’s my water?” And now, every day at work, I drink an extra half gallon or so of water by always keeping a full glass on my desk. It’s that easy. It’s now a habit… and a great one.  I noticeably lost about three pounds over the course of a month, and the only change I made was drinking water at my desk all day. Sure, some of that weight loss may have been “water weight,” but three pounds is three pounds… and it’s motivational. If one little thing that takes absolutely no effort can help me lose three pounds in a month, what other simple lifestyle habits can I change to help me lose weight?

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. For now, we’re going to focus on one minor lifestyle change at a time, and that change is drinking at least a gallon of water a day. So consider this post your daily reminder. Fill up a glass of water and start drinking!

Thirsty yet?
Aaron