9 in 2019 – Just add water

There are all sorts of studies about the benefits of drinking water. The obvious is the role water plays in physical fitness. If you have never been dehydrated on the range, consider yourself fortunate. Dehydration can make you feel tired, foggy and even dizzy. Worse yet, you can suffer from a heat or cold injury that could affect you for the rest of your life. Simply put, staying hydrated helps you keep your body in top form.

There are plenty of other benefits to staying hydrated.  After an unpleasant bout with kidney stones last winter, water is even more important to me. In fact, drinking water is #1 on this Harvard list to prevent kidney stones. Drinking water also helps boost the metabolism. H 2 O is essential in converting what we consume into energy. An efficient and effective metabolism isn’t just ideal for losing weight, it helps our bodies reach their full potential.

The Fads

• Lemon water
• Warm lemon water
• Apple cider vinegar water
• The gallon challenge
• [Insert latest water fad]

Many a Youtuber has shared a before and after of their water drinking adventures. With plentiful internet resources on the topic I confess, I’ve even tried a few of them. Making lemon water or some sort of apple cider vinegar concoction in the morning became a chore. Lugging a big water bottle around all day didn’t work for me either. I always ended up leaving it somewhere. Finally, and probably why I didn’t stick with them, I found that these water-drinking habits just weren’t tasty. Whether it was the additives or the taste in the different types of water bottles I tried, I find I like plain water, in a glass.

Keep it simple, silly! (KISS)

One of my 9 things to do in 2019 is to drink more water. In keeping with the KISS principle, I needed it to be easy and doable. I started with drinking 2 glasses of water first thing. That’s it! Well, actually for me it’s just one cup. We use 16-ounce Mason jars for glasses. They make it very easy to either fill from the tap or the filtered water spout on the fridge and chug it down.

I’m confident it’s a habit I can keep up with on the road too. I don’t need to pack anything extra and I’ve already proven I can do it. Drinking water first thing before I hit the SHOT Show floor certainly helped me stay hydrated. I am sure it will be beneficial when I compete as well.

DRINK WATER!

Those two words were a singsong chant when I was going through basic training in the summer at Ft. McClellan, Alabama. To ensure that the privates stayed hydrated, the Army drill sergeants scheduled the task. To help me stick with my 2 glass habit, I am too. I track drinking water in my bullet journal. No, I don’t use fancy bottle drawings, hashmark per cup grids or anything elaborate. It’s a simple chart with “drink a.m. water” and ✔︎’s.

Where coffee (the other elixir of life) used to be my first sip in the morning, water has become my go-to. Plus, according to Lifehack, when you drink water on an empty stomach “8 amazing things” will happen. The jury is still out for me on that, but you know what? I feel better and I know it’s good for me. That’s a win/win.

If you don’t drink enough water, perhaps this post will move you to pour some into a cup. At the very least, let it inspire you like this quote:

I’m an instant star. Just add water and stir.

David Bowie