Water

How much water should one drink? A lot of people subscribe to the 64 ounces a day theory. Personally, I try to get around 100 or more. For a lot of people it's very tough to drink enough water. One of the best pieces of advice I could give is to just carry it around in a little container. Maybe something around 16 ounces. I have two that I use. One I have here at my desk all day everyday. The other goes with me from to the gym and anywhere else I end up. I try my best to get in 16 oz. before I have shoes on in the morning. Some days, I pound it down very easily. Others, I have to take it with me and sip on the way to work. Either way, I do everything I can to drink that before I eat or have any other beverages. I don't touch my daily orange juice unless I have had my water first. It kick starts my day and gets my flushing my system. I also try to get in one more bottle before bed no matter how late or what I recently ate or drank. It might wake me up in the middle of the night, but between those two bottles, I have 32 ounces right there. Here are a few other tips for drinking more water.

• Add some lemon or lime to your water. It adds a taste to it that might make you want to drink more of it. Be careful not to make it too sour.
• Instead of a Coke at lunch, try a glass of water. It's a whole lot better for you since you're not gonna be drinking around ten teaspoons (50 ml) of sugar.
• Fill two 32-ounce bottles in the morning and make sure you have emptied the contents of both by the end of your day. It also helps by giving a sense of accomplishment as you can see exactly what is left for you to drink for the day.
  
• Drink water 20 minutes before meals, preferably cold water. The cold causes your stomach to shrink somewhat, which will make you feel full more rapidly. This helps two ways in that you get extra water and that you also tend to eat less.

Of course, it is very hard to drop juices and sodas completely. I still treat myself to a Pepsi One or Coke Zero around once a night. As long as I am staying active and getting enough water, I justify it. I am doing all I can to eliminate liquid calories. If I am gonna have 15o calories, then I might as well eat some chips right? Diet sodas are great because they taste very similar to regular drinks and they are "better" for you. After a while, you don't miss the originals as much. Besides, a lot of companies are offering new variations and flavors all the time.