Hi! So, if you have read my “about me”, then you would know that I am a college student, starting my second year this fall majoring in dietetics! At the beginning of this year, I made a resolution to myself to be more minimalistic, natural, simplistic, and healthy. So far, I seem to be meeting these goals and have wanted to share my journey with others to hopefully inspire and motivate people to do the same!
Anyways, I just finished reading this book I picked up at Book Exchange when I was at Virginia Beach a few weeks ago. The author, Elaine St. James, provides tips and solutions on how to live a more simplistic life. While every tip is extraordinarily helpful, only a few applied to me, currently being a college student. I decided to pick out 10 of the ones I have tried and experienced and thought they would benefit others as well!
#5 Make Water Your Drink Of Choice
Never drink your calories! (unless its like a smoothie or pressed juice every now and then). If you were to substitute water for pop, diet pop, alcoholic beverages, milk, carbonated fruit drinks, or sweetened teas, you could easily lose 15 pounds in a year.
If you are use to drinking all of the above, water could be a struggle to swallow but there are many tricks and ways to spruce it up and make sure you are staying hydrated!
Hint: “Remember that coffee, energy drinks, and carbonated drinks are highly addictive so you will need to brace yourself for the physical and psychological effects accordingly. Even if you are not a heavy coffee drinker, quitting cold turkey can sometimes cause severe withdraw symptoms such as headaches, depression, and nausea. Start by cutting back by half for the first week, then by a quarter the second week, and by the third week you should be able to quit altogether with out adverse effects.”
The first thing I would recommend when trying to drink more water is to get your self a cute water bottle. I personally have a water bottle obsession, I really need to downsize my collection, but from my experience, having a cute or pretty water bottle will force you to drink more water through out your day, mainly because you’ll want to show it off… It might even encourage you to work out!
I know water can be boring, so my next tip would be to add fruits and herbs. I love putting blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, cucumbers, and lemons in my water as well as mint and lemon leaves! This is an easy way to drink your water and get some fruit in your diet at the same time…plus it tastes great and is refreshing!
The benefits of drinking water are endless but my favorites include clear skin, healthy hair, and that it is hydrating. Hydration is so important, especially as a college student running to and fro from class and working out.
Drink when you’re bored or “hungry”. Sometimes, when I feel like I am getting hungry, half of the time I’m just thirsty. Your body can trick you into thinking it is hungry when in fact, you just need water. I suggest drinking a glass of water before each meal to avoid over eating while staying hydrated. Also, when ever your body begins telling you that it is thirsty, that’s the time when you are starting to become dehydrated, so, you should be drinking water throughout your day to avoid this common issue!
I hope changing up your drink of choice will help you have a simpler and hydrated lifestyle while also saving money! (restaurants can charge a fortune for soft drinks and teas whereas water is mostly free…you even could start bringing your new cute water bottle out to eat!)
May peace, joy, love, and gratitude be with you always.
happyhealthyhannah 