Become a binge drinker (of water)

Most people know that the human body is made up of approximately 65% water. One thing that people are less frequently aware of is that water is a critical ingredient in the process through which the body breaks down nutrients, and that an inadequate supply of water will actually slow down the rate at which your body burns and processes fat. If that isn’t enough reason to start drinking more, water also helps you shred extra pounds by keeping your stomach full. Water fills up all the space in your stomach that is otherwise empty and causing you to feel hungry! This allows you to feel fuller more quickly, and after having consumed less food. 

Water substitution is particularly important if you love to drink soda. The average American consumes an entire 650mL of soda every single day, and as you already know soda and other sweetened drinks contain an extraordinary amount of sugar. Unsurprisingly, this extra glass of coke per day adds up to a whopping 23.5 lbs of additional body weight every single year. This could very easily be saved by swapping the coke for water. It doesn’t take a great deal of imagination to see how much an extra couple of glasses of soda per day might add to your waistline on an annual basis. Far better to make the switch to water right now!

Water is critical to many of your main bodily functions – digestion, absorption, circulation, the creation of saliva, transportation of nutrients and maintenance of body temperature are all dependent upon keeping up your fluids! Think of water as gas in your car’s tank – you’ll stop running fairly soon if you don’t keep filling up!

Water also keeps your kidneys in tip-top condition, helping to cleanse your body of blood urea nitrogen, a water-soluble waste that passes through the kidneys to be excreted as urine. Your kidneys will take care of all the blood urea nitrogen and other toxins so long as you keep them topped up with water!

Failure to maintain a good level of water in the body can cause muscle fatigue, which will hinder your attempts at exercise. A lack of water plays havoc with your electrolytes, and greatly reduces your performance!

Lastly, water keeps your gastrointestinal system running smoothly, ensuring normal bowel function. This helps you avoid nasty phenomena like constipation! Couple this with healthy fibre intake and it should be all smooth sailing in the rear.
Action Plan: To make sure our bodies are functioning at an optimal level and burning as much fat as possible buy a large 1L or 1.5L high quality water bottle and fill it up at the beginning of the day, and then again at 3pm. Drink from it constantly, and aim for consuming 3L of water a day. If you are initially finding it hard to only drink water you can try either unsweetened tea, or flavored seltzers for an occasional tasty alternative. You will almost instantly see your complexion improve, appetite get smaller, and your energy skyrocket!
Set yourself a challenge to consume 3L of water a day for 30 days – the first step on your way to
Shape-Up Shortcuts success! Follow a schedule like the one below:

1. Drink a glass of water as soon as you wake up to get yourself feeling refreshed. Combine this with turning the tap cold at the end of your shower to make for a super-easy wakeup!
2. Keep a drink bottle handy throughout the day – you can keep it on your desk and with you in the car. Drinking cool water is a great way to keep yourself focussed and fresh when you find your mind wandering.
3. Get accustomed to drinking water with every meal. It seems as if many people choose to entirely forgo beverages with their meals, and they are certainly missing out! Simply choosing to drink water with your meals over the course of the day could see you consuming as much as 1.5L more water each day.

Warning! Make sure that you are not consuming ridiculous amounts of water. Whilst water is great for all of the reasons that I have espoused above, it can be extremely dangerous if consumed in very large quantities. Water intoxication results in a fatal disturbance in the brain where the normal balance of electrolytes is pushed to extremes by over-hydration. This is to be avoided at all costs!

Did you know What is Veganism ?