The Husband doesn’t get it. He mercilessly teases me about the fact that I’m always racing to the bathroom. He’s like “Why do you always wait until you can’t hold it anymore? Why don’t you go pee when you first feel like you need to?”
BECAUSE I’VE BIRTHED TWO GIANT CHILDREN and the first moment I need to pee is seconds before the moment I can’t hold it anymore. And I haven’t gotten a Yoni egg yet (it’s been on my list for yearsss now). Kegels alone just aint cutting it for this mama. Do you Kegel? Do you Yoni? How’s your bladder holding up?
I do pee about 194,284,458 times a day. I drink a ton of water every single day, its the best skin secret and also the general health secret! That’s a win-win if I ever heard of one! I can’t stand to be thirsty, it’s probably one of my biggest fears. I literally take multiple waters with me if I’m going to be gone from home and not at a restaurant for several hours.
Did you know that you should be drinking half your body weight in water (in ounces) every single day at a minimum? Say what?! Let me break that down for you, because I know that sounds confusing. Let’s say you weigh 200 lbs. That means you should take half of that number, which is 100, and drink that many ounces of water every day. 200 lbs in body weight equals 100 ounces of water down the hatch. Start early! Most people don’t drink enough water. I know that for most of my life I wasn’t. I started massively increasing my water intake when I was pregnant the first time. It was one of my cravings, believe it or not! I craved a lot of junk too, so I’m glad that at least one of my cravings was good for me… And fortunately, that was a habit that stuck long after nursing and babies were done.
If you’re thinking “Bianca, you’re CRAZY to think I can drink that much water!!” just hold on and hear me out! If you’re not drinking the amount of water your body needs, then you’re dehydrated. Dehydration can lead to fatigue, headaches, brain fog, inability to focus, problems with digestion, the list goes on and on and on. Fun fact- the brain mechanism for thirst and hunger are the same! That means that sometimes when you feel hungry, what you actually are is thirsty. Try drinking a glass of water next time you have the munchies and wait a few minutes. If you’re not hungry anymore, you were just dehydrated! And of course there’s the age old saying “If you’re thirsty, you’re already dehydrated.” I don’t know who said that originally, but it’s true. Once you feel the dry mouth, you’re already dehydrated.
Ok, so now you know that you probably need more water in your life. Take action towards higher empowerment by adding more water today! You’ve calculated it and maybe it seems like an impossible amount. Any steps in the right direction is going to get you closer to where you need to be, right? So start slow and work your way up to the amount you need. If you drink no water whatsoever, try adding in 1 glass or water bottle a day. Your body will still thank you! After a few days or even a week, try adding in a 2nd glass or water bottle. If you are drinking other fluids that are not water (soda, hot/iced tea, coffee, frappuccinos, whatever) try replacing one a day with a water.
Tracking how much you’ve drank can get a little complicated sometimes, but there are a lot great ways to do it! You can figure out how many ounces your favorite water bottle holds and just calculate how many times you need to fill it to reach your goal. You can get a GIANT water jug that’s the right amount of water for your day and just sip away at it all day. Or you can use empty bottles you have around the house and fill up what you need every morning and use that to fill your water bottles, cups, etc. I keep 3 glass bottles that are 25 ounces each on my kitchen counter everyday. They used to be full of Ningxia Red, but now they are my water vessels. I fill all 3 of them and use them throughout the day to fill my glass or water bottles. Then when I’m done, I make a last bottle of Red Drink (aka water flavored with nutrients, minerals and vitamins) and that’s my last water for the day!
Totally bored by all the flavorless water in your life? Would you be surprised if I told you that I don’t drink any plain water at all? Out of all those waters, zero are unflavored. In the first glass of water I drink, I always always always add several drops of Lemon Vitality essential oil from Young Living. It’s the first thing I drink every morning. You know how its good for you to have a slice of lemon in your water? Boom. Except for much easier and I don’t have to slice lemons. It’s amazing! After my lemon water, I usually switch it up for other flavors, depending on what i feel like. Some of my other favorite Vitality oils to use in my water are Citrus Fresh, Grapefruit, Lime and Tangerine. Are you sensing my theme here? Usually in the afternoon, I’ll add a squirt of Vitality electrolyte drops. I work out a lot everyday, so I definitely want to make sure I’m replacing what I’m sweating out! The flavors on those are amaaaaazing too, and I usually squirt some into the rest of my waters for the rest of the day… I’m definitely not low on electrolytes you guys! Normally, you’d want to be careful with overdoing it because a lot of those types of flavorings are full of sugars. And don’t even get me started on the colorful electrolyte bevies from the grocery store… they are super full of sodium, not healthy and actually dehydrate you over time! My kids do NOT drink any of the “-ades” after their sports activities and we’re just gonna keep it that way. Thankfully, we have a safe alternative! Sometimes I’ll even use my SodaStream and flavor the bubbly water. That always satisfies my need for something different. I don’t crave sodas anymore, but I do crave that flavored bubbly water! So that’s how I get in all the water I need while not being totally bored by water!
Do you drink enough water? What is one small step you can take towards increasing your water intake if you need to? Drink your water! Your body, brain and skin will thank you!