What you can do for yourself – part 4 of 10

Drink more water and less caffeine
Our bodies are about 65 percent water, with our brains being closer to 80 percent water. This tells us that, in order to function, we need water. The most effective way to provide your body with water is to drink it. When your liquid intake is in the form of sweetened, carbonated, or other drinks with additives, it requires our bodies to process out all of the non-water ingredients before we are able to use it. The result is often a fatigued digestive system and less than adequate amounts of water. Add on to this the fact that caffeine is a diuretic that acts to remove water from our bodies, and if the drinks we are drinking are filled with caffeine, we may be creating a significant imbalance in our bodies – one that can contribute to the development of chronic diseases. Consider the following healthy habits:

• Drink at least 30 ounces of water a day. Count it if possible. If you don’t have a habit that allows you to account for the amount of water you are drinking each day (i.e. you fill up your water bottle 3 times at day at the water fountain), you are likely to drink LESS water than your body needs.
• Assess the amount of caffeine you are drinking on a daily basis – this includes soft drinks as well as coffee. Can you reduce it by 10 percent for the first few weeks? Then, reassess how you feel and, after the first two weeks of a 10 percent reduction, reduce by another 10 to 20 percent.