Sweetheart Health Challenge: Week 1 – Hydrate!

Welcome to Week 1 of the Sweetheart Health Challenge, everyone! If you’re not quite sure of what this is, or you want to sign up, go here to read all about it! It’s not too late!

So…. our first weekly goal is to drink the required amount of water every single day this week. We’ve all heard of how important water is and the fact that we should drink it to be healthy, but how many of us actually drink enough of it everyday or drink it at all?

Yup, I’m guilty too. But one of the things I’ve realized about trying to live a healthy lifestyle is that you really need to get to know yourself and your habits. I’ve noticed that when I start my day with coffee or tea, I don’t drink enough water. I’ll sip on my coffee until it goes cold, re-heat it, and keep sipping until lunch time. Then from there, I move on to my daily green tea. The fact that I’ve noticed that about myself is a great first step to CHANGING that bad habit. No matter how we try to get around it, water is necessary and we have to drink it to live.

For this week, we’re going to hydrate, everyday. The necessary amount of water to drink is 8-10 glasses a day. Another way to measure the correct amount is to drink half your body weight in ounces of water every day. For example: If you weigh 140lbs, you’d drink 70 ounces of water, every day.

If you’re having some trouble downing the clear stuff, here are a few tips:

Aren't these cute? They actually filter the water as you drink it.

• Get a nice, cute, sporty, decorative re-fillable water bottle. Sometimes, when folks put things in a prettier package, it’s more appealing to consume.

• If you can’t stand the “taste” or need it to “taste” like something, try adding some fruit. Lemon, lime, cucumber, orange slices, pineapple, etc. Try to avoid adding anything with extra sugar in it. It kind of defeats the purpose and benefits of drinking clear, pure water.

• Drink a glass of water first thing in the morning, when you wake up. I don’t know about you, but I’m usually pretty thirsty when I first wake up. Keep a glass of water by your bed, or while you’re making your coffee drink a cup of water. That’s one glass down already!

And if you need any further motivation or explanation, the video below features a doctor who breaks down all the health benefits of drinking water. Those of you who are looking to lose 15 pounds or tone up during this challenge, water will be your best friend! Check it out!

I’m definitely up for the challenge! Are you? This Tuesday night on Twitter, we’ll have our #SHC chat to discuss and officially “announce” this week’s goal. Let’s make it happen! Drink up!

Be Renewed!