The Watering Hole

I was one of the lucky people who always liked water. That is lie. I did not always like water. I use to drink just diet Pepsi and coffee. It was the 80’s that is what we did. It was what Molly Ringwold did in Sixteen Candles. Every girl in the mid 80’s wanted to copy her. It wasn’t until I attended my first weight watcher’s meeting that I was told I need to buy their humongous mug to drink my water. If I wanted to be thin. I had to drink water.

Faithfully every day I would fill that ugly thing up with water and drink it as fast as I could because I hated the taste of water. Once I did that I would go on with my diet Pepsi and coffee routine because I was being healthy. I slammed my 16oz of warm tap water down for the day. I did this for years. I also endured pimple problems worse than puberty, irregular bowls, afternoon sleepiness and my favorite symptom of all anxiety. Good times. I was drinking water to be healthy.

In my 30’s I thought I was much smarter and started drinking “flavored” water filled with chemical sweeteners. I had a friend who called it “colored water” he was closer to the truth than both of us realized at the time. Now I was on the right track to being hydrated. Not so much. I still had irregular bowls and feeling lethargic by the afternoon. I cannot leave out the wonderful anxiety. I liked to think of it as my nervous energy.

In my 40’s, I had what I like to call a “true come to Jesus” moment. I made some huge changes in my life. I slowly gave up my diet Pepsi addiction. It took a fun field trip to urgent care during the holidays for that to happen. Long term diet Pepsi use wreaks havoc on your bowls among other things. I increased my water. I didn’t just slam my water down in that ugly water mug from years ago. I started drinking cold, filtered water. I found the colder the water the more refreshing. I also found if I added lemon or fruit that was starting to get soft such as oranges, melon, and even berries to a pitcher of water it gave it a natural healthy flavor, unlike those chemicals in flavored water. I made water a treat and not something I had to endure so I could drink crap in a can.

I noticed on the days I was not drinking a lot of water I was very tired, sluggish, and developed a headache by early afternoon. The most interesting thing I learned on the days my water intake is low is my anxiety. I was much more anxious on those days. To compensate for not drinking the water my body needed I would get into sugar, lots of sugar. Yeah, that is a good thing.

The physical benefits of drinking water are more than worth it for me. I no longer have irregular bowl problems. I have more energy when I drink water. My complexion is clear and healthy. Those are just the outside rewards to drinking water. The most important benefit of water for me is the relief from anxiety. It allows me to honor the pause, stopping to drink a large glass of water while I evaluate what I feel and why has become a very valuable tool. It allows me what I like to call my mini-meditation. I also do the same thing with green tea. If my day was stressful (it typically is) I will take a few minutes to fix myself a cup of green tea and savor the smell. I will just let my mind float while I drink my tea. It is a good way for me to slow my pace. When I slow my pace my anxiety drops dramatically.

Tips for acquiring a taste for water:

Drink it cold
Add lemon or lime to your cold water. It gives it flavor and detoxifies the body naturally. Not like those chemical detoxification’s people use.
If you’re a high stress person add cucumber or fresh mint to your water. It will naturally help you to relax.
Try different flavors of natural herbal teas. You can drink them hot in the winter and cold in the summer. Most are caffeine free so they will not dehydrate you and will add natural antioxidants to your diet.
Remember experiment with different vegetables, fruits, and herbs in your water. It doesn’t have to be boring. No one should be slamming water in an ugly mug.