Hustle & Shine Strategy #1: Drink More Water

I know how important drinking water is, I just can't get myself to make it a habit. I try and try but often end up going the entire day without a sip of water. It’s weird though; I have no problem maintaining adequate intake levels of both wine and coffee.

I’ve tried everything, and despite my best efforts and awareness of importance, haven’t been able to develop a healthy water-drinking habit. I'm even constantly getting scolded by my friends with excellent water-drinking habits- yet not even that works.

I notice my dehydration affecting a few things too - I took a barre class last week and my feet and calves were cramping up so bad it was terrible! I also feel sluggish around 2:00 every day, definitely caused by a lack of water. I also notice the difference in a run based on how much water I've had that day (common sense, really). And I love the simple statement that's part of lululemon's manifesto: "observe a plant before and after watering and relate these benefits to your body and brain"  So simple when you put it that way.

 

So, I thought this the perfect first start to my Hustle & Shine Strategy series:

 

I love the Albert Einstein quote: “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” And that's what I've been doing (with all of my bad habits, in fact) - expecting things to change and not actually doing anything differently. That's what the Hustle & Shine Strategy will be all about - mixing things up and getting outside my comfort zone to make REAL and LASTING changes. I don't know how crazy I can really get in my efforts to drink more water, but let's start small shall we?

In the past to drink more water I've:

1. purchased a few cute water bottles, thinking that might help me drink more water if I had something fun to drink out of (it actually does help a lot)
2. infused water with my homegrown grapefruit mint or cucumber (delicious and very spa-like, but still no longstanding success).

While both of those tactics worked to some degree, I really must following Einstein's advice and need to shake things up to see different results. Here's my new strategy:

1. Bring my water bottle everywhere, no exceptions

I typically leave my water bottle on my desk and drink when I think of it. I will start to carry it around with me everywhere so that I always have access to water, not just when I'm sitting at my desk.

2. Embrace technology

I've downloaded the app Waterlogged to help me track my water intake. Tracking my attempt towards 64 oz  of water is a concrete and manageable goal that I can easily see my progress. The app also allows you to set a reminder. I set mine for 2:30, when I'm most likely to let my water drinking slide (and also most need a glass of water).

So here we go working on my first 2 tactics as part of my Hustle & Shine Strategy to drink more water - I'll report back soon!