Gulp. Gulp. Gulp.

Water, Water, everywhere

Nor any drop to drink.

Can you tell me who wrote these famous words? If you said Foghorn Leghorn, you are wrong. That is the rooster from Looney Tunes. If you said, Samuel Coleridge, you are correct! 10 points for your house! (if you don't understand the Harry Potter reference please read the books!) Water is essential to all human life. While this varies depending on age, weight, height, and health, the rule of thumb is that humans cannot survive without water for more than 3 days. Yikes, better drink up!

Growing up, my dad always stressed the importance of drinking water. I used to not love water, I preferred its sugar counterparts, soda and juice. But as my soda intake soared, it really began to take a toll on my body. I gained weight, felt sluggish, and always had back pain. When I cut back on soda and started drinking more water, I started to feel immediately better. 

If you're not a water drinker, I implore you to become one. An easy way to ease into drinking more water is to add some flavor. Try drinking flavored water like Propel instead of soda. Or add flavor to your tap water with Mio. And if you really love fruit and have some on hand, you can always add slices of fresh fruit, like oranges or lemons or even cucumber, to liven things up. Also, I have heard that coconut water has a lot of added benefits. Personally, I can't really stand the taste but if you can, jump on that! To keep me on track, I drink from a cup or a water bottle that says how many oz it holds. I love my Camelbak water bottle. I have the 750 ml one. I fill it up all the way and try to drink at least 3 full bottles before I leave work. A good rule of thumb is to drink at least 8-8 oz glasses of water (which is 64 oz) OR half your weight. So if, for example, you weight 120 pounds, you should drink at least 60 oz of water (because 60 is half of 120 - there is your math lesson for today!). Note: while it's good to drink water, try not to drink it all at once. You'll feel sick if you don't pace yourself. Water intoxication is a real problem my friends. 

Word of warning though. You will spend A LOT of time in the bathroom. But that's good - you will be flushing out the toxins in your body. I know it's gross but if your pee is clear, you're in the clear :-)

While I'm sure this is refreshing, I suggest you drink it BEFORE you douse yourself with it :-)