Water
is essential to life and yet most people simply do not get enough
water every day. It is recommended that we all get eight glasses of
water each and every day, which can be challenging in our busy lives.
Another
challenge for getting enough water is when something else takes it's
place in our diet, such as soda. I would never recommend quitting soda
cold turkey. That is basically setting yourself up for failure.
Gradually kicking the habit is more reasonable and more people tend
to achieve their goals when they set their own pace.
I
also would never recommend giving up completely something you enjoy.
I believe in moderation. If you drink eight glasses of water every
day for a week and decide that you would like one soda, it will not
kill you. It really won't hurt anything at all. Soda contains
phosphorus which is beneficial. And treating yourself once in a while
is beneficial to your healthy lifestyle.
One
way to kick the soda habit is to take it one week at a time. For
example, let's say you drink eight sodas each day and want to start
drinking more water. For the first week simply replace one soda each
day with a glass of water. For week two, replace two sodas with a
glass of water each day. Continue this pattern until you have
completely replaced soda with water. If you started out drinking
eight sodas a day, it will take you eight weeks to completely ditch
the soda habit. Slow and steady wins the race!
It
helps if you keep a progress chart. You can make a chart at home to
track your soda and water intake. A lot of people are not actually
aware of how much soda (or other less healthy foods and beverages)
they are consuming in a day. If you believe you could kick the soda
habit even sooner than expected, be my guest. Just remember that
going cold turkey is probably not the best idea.
Getting
enough water every day does not have to be stressful or complicated.
I recommend drinking a glass of water as soon as you wake up.
Drinking water upon waking is a great way to kick start your day and
you'll already have one glass under your belt!
The
easiest way to get enough water each day is to drink eight ounces
every two hours. If you wake up at 6am, go ahead and drink a glass of
water. Then have another glass at 8am, 10am, 12pm, 2pm, 4pm, 6pm, and
one last glass at 8pm. This technique leaves room in your lifestyle
for other beverages such as tea, coffee, and alcohol but still allows
you to get plenty of water, which is essential for optimal health.
I
recommend investing in a heavy duty, reusable water bottle. This is
not only positive for our planet, but also our wallets! Healthy
lifestyles do not have to be a burden on our budgets. In fact,
investing in a healthy lifestyle is an investment in yourself and can
help cut down on future medical costs. Thank you for reading and I
hope you have a fabulous day!
What are some of the negative effects that could happen from quitting cold turkey?
ReplyDeleteHello! Thank you for your question! Quitting cold turkey can cause caffeine withdrawal headaches. I was a soda drinker and every time I tried to quit, I would quit cold turkey. I would get headaches and end up giving up on my goal.
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