6 Simple Actions to Take TODAY Toward a Healthier You: Number Three

This morning I am writing while sitting in a hospital room waiting for my husband to return from a stress test.  We came to the Emergency Room yesterday afternoon with shortness of breath and dull chest pain.  Our third trip to the ER since his heart attack last February and second overnight stay.  Having a heart attack changes a family's life FOREVER.  You question even the slightest twinge.  Is this the beginning of another heart attack?

Even more this morning than yesterday, I cannot stress enough the importance of taking care of yourself.  Making changes can feel impossible and overwhelming when habits are ingrained into our routine, bur I found that once I got the ball rolling it wasn't that hard to make the wise choice.  The perfect example is drinking more water.

I used to drink a lot of coffee, pop and Kool-Aid.  Throughout the day I would guzzle coffee and pop because I "needed" the caffeine to stay awake.  Plus, that fast food burger I was picking up for lunch everyday tasted so much better with a large cup of ice cold pop.  Then when I got home, I would switch to Kool-Aid filling four tall glasses to serve my family with our dinner.  Today, I drink one cup of coffee to start off my day and then switch to water.

Photo from APEC Water Systems

 There are many health benefits to drinking water such as

• lubricating your joints
• delivering oxygen throughout your body
• promoting strong function of your digestive system
• maintaining your blood pressure
• boosting skin health
• regulating your body temperature (www.medicalnewstoday.com)

"Water is also critical for your heart health. Your heart is constantly working, pumping about 2,000 gallons of blood a day. By staying hydrated – that is, by drinking more water than you are losing – you are helping your heart do its job." The Heart Foundation (For more information on how important water is to your heart health, check out this article from The Heart Foundation https://theheartfoundation.org/2019/03/08/the-importance-of-water/) 

So you know the important role water plays for your health, but how do you put that into action?  Here are four simple ideas on how you can drink more water during the day:

1. Set a water goal for yourself (Make sure it's a SMART* one!).  If you are one who normally drinks anything but water, this can be hard at first.  Start small - two or three glasses a day - and then build yourself up to more.  You can do it!

• I will drink water with all of my meals this week.
• I will only drink water in between meals this week.
• I will drink four glasses of water a day this week.

2. Add fresh fruit to your water - lemon or lime wedges, berries, apple slices, watermelon balls or a combination of different fruits!

3. Buy yourself a new cup or water bottle.  You don't have to buy an expensive one.  I get myself new ones seasonally.  I love searching for my new cup when I'm out and about.  New cups make me happy - may sound bizarre, but try it!  Right now I'm using a Halloween Cup that I got at the dollar store.  

4. Try sparkling water or flavored water.  There are so many different options in the stores these days.

One of my favorite water bottles - a gift from my sister!

What is one simple action you can take TODAY toward a healthier you??  Go drink a glass of water!  And then another and just keep going from there!

*I mentioned earlier about making sure your water goal is a SMART one.  I'll talk more about SMART Goals later this week, but here's a sneak peek at SMART goals.