I am not ready to completely give up my soda. I don't drink coffee. I am not a smoker. I will enjoy an occasional "adult" blender treat. Two Cokes a day I don't think is unreasonable.
Water is good for you. Your body is 60% water. Your brain is water. Your blood is water. You get the picture. I have been trying to drink at least 64oz a day. I have my first 16oz as soon as I wake up. Before even my "sparkling coffee", as a college friend once dubbed my AM soda.
I found this interesting graphic that speaks to the benefits of those first 16oz.
Another nasty side effect I am chalking up to my increased soda consumption is breakouts. I never had bad skin as a teenager. In college still no problems. Suddenly, at 41 zitopia has sprung up on my face. I do not like that at all. Actually what I am blaming is the increase in sugar I have been consuming through soda. In general I am not a big cookie, candy, dessert person. I LOVE savory foods. I would rather eat a cheese stick than a dish of ice cream. With the exception of Coca-Cola I generally don't consume very sugary products.
I have set a mini goal for myself in that I plan to drink this Detox "tea" 2x a day for the month of February. Two cups of tea will be another 16oz of water. That puts me at half way towards my overall 64oz minimum goal.
I pinned this from Food.com. The note says to have one cup in the morning and one cup before you go to bed. Results should be visible after one week and to continue the treatment one week a month.
Glowing Skin Detox Tea
2 1/2 tsp honey
1 lemon slice - 1 inch thick
1 cup boiling water
Add honey to mug of boiling water and stir until completely dissolved.
Add slice of lemon and allow to brew for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Drink 2x daily for 1 week. Once upon rising and again before bed.
Since I will be purchasing lemons for the tea, I also thought I was flavor the remaining 32oz of my daily water. I originally pinned this detox water recipe from Toned and Fit. They call it Skinny Water but I don't like that. Sweet Simple Life calls it Sassy Water. I like that much better!
Sassy Water
1/2 cucumber
fresh mint
fresh ginger
Thinly slice lemons and 1/2 cucumber and place in the bottom of a 1 gallon pitcher. Crush mint leaves and add to pitcher. Finally ginger can be very strong so start with 1-2 paper thin slices from your fresh ginger root.
Let sit overnight in the refrigerator and drink the next day. I have seen on other sites not to keep a batch longer than 2 days as the mint will begin to mold. However, if you are drinking 64 ounces of water a day you should have no problem going through a gallon in 2 days.
I found this article on FitSugar that discusses the benefits of the individual ingredients.
- Lemon: Lemon juice helps to cleanse and alkalize the body. Add one thinly sliced lemon to a large pitcher, or squeeze fresh lemon juice into your glass.
- Mint: Mint adds a touch of sweetness without the sugar to your water, and it also helps settle your stomach and aids in digestion as well.
- Cucumber: Cucumber water isn't just for spas. Adding a few slices of cucumber to your water makes for excellent rehydration, and cucumber contains anti-inflammatory properties, as well.
- Ginger: The spicy root helps cleanse out your system, aids in digestion, and settles your stomach. A little goes a long way.
So February is water month for me. Sort of appropriate being that it is a Water Sign month. Here are a few more good reasons to drink water.
Hopefully by March it will have warmed up enough for me to start walking again. I found some fun fitness pins I am super excited to try out. Until then I will be doing more Just Dance on the Kinect.
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