Every year, one of my resolutions is to drink more water. Sounds great in the beginning, we all could benefit more from it. After all, our bodies are made up of 60% of that good ‘ole H2O. But a few weeks in, I always seem to hit a wall. Trips to the potty every 20-30 minutes and feeling bloated in between tends to put a damper on consuming those large quantities; and cold weather blues call out for a warm cozy beverage instead. You get the picture. A few weeks ago, I came across some information that helped me, and I think it will help you too!
If you’re like me, headed to the bathroom constantly, bladder feeling miserable and feeling like you have to pee all day long - then your’e drinking too much water, too soon. I know that sounds counter productive but here is why. Our bodies are like a sponge - those of us who aren’t drinking mega doses tend to have a body like a hard dry sponge. When you first run a hard dry sponge under the water, it doesn’t absorb that much and the water droplets bounce off it. But the longer you hold the sponge under the water, the more the sponge absorbs. Before you know it, it’s able to soak up and retain all of the water. Our bodies are much the same.
In the beginning of our quest to drink more water, we need to start with smaller quantities, allowing our bodies to absorb it rather than running straight through us. As our bodies get used to the smaller quantities, we can increase our intake and before you know it, we are up to our daily goal! I tested this out and it really worked!
Instead of trying to drink 16 to 32 ounces of water each morning, I started drinking just 8 and worked up to 16. Then rather than trying to down a water bottle every time I thought about it, I kept a glass of water or a cup of warm lemon water by my desk and I’d sip on it through out the day, making my goal to finish one glass or cup every 2 hours. After work, I’d drink another glass while cooking dinner and have another to sip on in the evening making sure I didn’t drink too close to bedtime. Before I knew it, my body started getting used to the quantity, absorbing much more of it rather than just running through me.
Now, I have less trips to the potty and don’t feel nearly as bloated as I did before. My bladder thanks me for not drowning it, and my body is loving all the hydration too! I’m still not a megahydrater yet, but it’s still early in the year. With this ‘lil hack, I’m bound to keep this new year resolution and I bet you can too!