MONTH ONE
Drink one gallon of water every day.
Everyone knows we are supposed to drink eight 8 ounce glasses a day, so why did I choose a gallon?
Well, I figured this way, if I drink most of it, I’ll be ahead of the game, right? It may seem like a cop out, or a silly way to start my journey toward thinking healthy not thin, but being hydrated is the foundation of good health.
When I mentioned this goal to a few people, however, I got mixed responses.
“That’s too much! You know too much water can kill you, right?”
“I love water, why don’t you like water?”
“Why do you need to make that a goal? Why don’t you just drink water?”
OMG people, why am I talking to you?
Jeesh, you can’t die from drinking a gallon of water unless you try to drink it all in ten minutes. And who would drink it all in one sitting anyways? And I NEVER said I hate water. I mean, that’s like saying I hate oxygen. I love water and I drink it every day. And to simply say, just drink water, is totally annoying. The whole point is to make sure I’m drinking enough.
I’d like to think that I am drinking my eight 8 ounce glasses but, the reality is, I have no idea if I am getting my daily recommended amount or not.
While planning the months—remember I like to plot things out—I wanted each change to be something I can do for the rest of my life, not just another fad that falls the way of the dodo where I drop twenty pounds then go right back to noshing on potato chips.
Yeaaaah, confession time. After all that champagne last night, I killed a bag of Lays. And some Cheese-its Darn New Year’s Eve. Believe me, I need water this morning.
Good thing for me, I have to drink a gallon, LOL
But isn’t that part of life? Challenges, parties, drama. There will always be something to stand in the way of getting healthy, and frankly, everyone cheats once and awhile. No matter how organic I like to be, there is no ignoring the alluring siren’s call of a Mickey D’s double cheese burger.
Can I get an “Amen, sista!”
Life is why I did not want my first month of change to be unrealistic. Yes, it is going to take some work, but I left room for the human factor because drinking a gallon of water is the only change I am concentrating on. My goal may seem daunting to some and easy to others, but I am looking forward to seeing how much better I feel at the end of a month. I’m positive this will put me one step closer to thinking healthy.
In order to achieve this goal, I needed to determine what situations could keep me from success. First, I need a way to measure the water, so the easiest solution was to stock up on water bottles.
Easy enough, right?
But what happens when I get lazy after work and don’t go to the store when I run out of bottles? That could be a potential hurdle. Then I gotta recycle the empties. We don’t have recycle pick up where I live, so I’ll have to pack them up and drive to a recycling station. But what if I’m running late for work? I can already envision my car swimming in a million empty water bottles crackling all over the place, or my husband complaining that my trunk is full… blah blah blah!
No thank you. You can save that drama for your mama.
Who am I trying to fool? If buying water takes too much time and money, I know that I won’t do it forever. The novelty will wear off and I’ll be back to having no idea if I am drinking enough water. This chan
ge is supposed to be attainable, not a burden. It is supposed to be a change for life, not just the duration of this blog series.
Tap water it is!
Now before anyone gets all riled up about the impurities in tap water, save it. I grew up drinking water out of a garden hose, and I’m not dead yet. I’ll be fine, seriously. I mean, why would I spend money on something I’m already paying for anyways? Maybe I’ll get one of those filtered pitchers, but for now my 2 quart Tupperware pitcher will suffice.
Last night I filled it up then put it in the fridge. After I drink it, I’ll refill and repeat.
Easy peasy lemon squeezy, right?
I’m really looking forward to seeing if I notice any physical improvements. My digestion should improve, my skin, my hair… everything about me should feel…dare I say it…healthier.
Not only will I be doing something good for me, but every day I’ll be thinking about it, too, which will remind me of my mission to learn how to think healthy not thin. I heard once that if you do something for three weeks, it becomes a habit. Hopefully after a little time, drinking a gallon of water will become automatic, a part of my new, healthier lifestyle.
On a side note—yeah, I do a lot of these, you will see, LOL—I want to share something I’ve been doing for the last couple months. If any of you follow me on Facebook or know me personally, you know how much I love to can and preserve the food I grow in my garden. In my recipe searching and Pinterest perusing, I have rediscovered the benefits of cider vinegar. I’m not gonna post links because y’all have a Google search engine so you can check out the health benefits if you want. Cider vinegar is extremely healthy for all sorts of things going on inside you, from digestion to cholesterol, and it’s loaded with vitamins and nutrients.
After about a month of taking a teaspoon every morning, I realized however, that I was not drinking the right kind of cider vinegar.
What?!
There is a right and wrong kind of vinegar? I was doing all that for nothing?
Yeah, the cider vinegar bought at a regular grocery store has been distilled….thus removing all the health benefits!
Ugh, talk about a disappointment.
Here I am, trying to make a change for the better, then I discovered I was doing it all wrong.
I suppose that is just the first of many hurdles I will face on this journey to living and thinking healthy.
Rather that throwing in the towel, I drove my butt over to a health food store and got raw, unfiltered cider vinegar. I’ve heard that you can even get it at an apple orchard, but I haven’t tried it.
Trust me, drinking straight vinegar is torture, and can even cause canker sores. So you don’t wanna try that. I put mine in 12 ounces of water with a tablespoon of honey, thus making it extremely palatable.
**Remember**
When buying honey always try to purchase honey harvested close to your home. The bees are making the honey from the pollen in the plants growing where you live. Therefore the natural immune benefits are tailor made for you.
Kinda cool, right?
Okay, first aside over, back to the goal of the month LOL
With my one gallon of water and my cider vinegar and honey water in the morning, I think I’m well on my way to achieving my goal for the first month.
Fingers crossed month one is a success!
I’ll post an update on my progress in a couple weeks. Until then, if you are a pinner, check out my new board Think Healthy Not Thin on Pinterest.
You can also sign up for email subscriptions to my blog in the left column of this page.
Feel free to post a comment and share your success or any tips you have as well. I would love to hear from you.
Signing off now, my glass is empty and I gotta get a refill.
Wish me luck!
~Deanna
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