Why do we need water? Everyone knows our bodies are made up of mostly water. Children and babies have more water in their bodies than adults do. How important is water to primping yourself? Well…it’s something we all need to survive so it’s pretty important on the list. I drink more water currently than I used to. Lately there’s all this talk about hydration. I watched Jerry Seinfeld live a few years ago and he was hilarious! He did this bit about how we all need to “hydrate”. He kept saying that everyone said to him, “Hydrate Jerry, Hydrate! You gotta hydrate Jerry!” It was so funny of course and you all missed it but the point was that everyone knows the importance of water. You’ve got to watch this if you haven’t already seen it for a good laugh about drinking water.

I’ve made a few discoveries about how “hydrating” directly effects my life and I want to share what water has done for me. There are hundreds of cures to ailments that water will fix. The next time you experience a headache, instead of reaching for the first pill you can find – grab a tall glass of water and sit down to sip it slowly. Why put something into your body unnecessarily? If water doesn’t do the trick you can always grab the aspirin. New option – try something free first.

Okay so now let me tell you what I have experienced in my own life that really works. I have had my share of health issues. I’m not a doctor, I’m only sharing this info incase anyone can benefit from it. I get tired. (okay, so does everyone right?) When I get tired I want to go to sleep, but I have found that sleeping during the day only upsets my sleep at night and that is when I really want sleep the most. I discovered 4 years ago when I felt tired I tried sitting down and put my feet up. I got a tall glass of water and slowly sipped it for 20 minutes until it was all gone. After the 20 minutes passed and the water was gone, I felt GREAT! I had more energy than I had previously had all day. Seriously try this the next time you feel a little worn out. I’m not kidding it has helped me so much and so often. I don’t know if it will help you but I thought I would share my breakthrough! It’s free and won’t cost you anything so just try it the next time you feel sleepy or worn down. (I also select healthy food options that you can read more about on my blog which I feel is playing a big part in my energy boost as well.)

So after this discovery (which may seem small to some of you) I decided to do the same thing in the morning. I figured, even though I don’t feel thirsty after 8 hours of sleep, why not start my day with water upon awakening each morning to see if it helps me? Every day when I wake,  I have a large glass of water by my bed that I drink before eating and getting up and moving on with my day. I have found that I do not get tired like I used to because of this easy start I’ve made in my day. I sip my water and pray each morning. I wake up early too! (Usually 5:00 am) Water has always been my number one choice for drinking (green smoothies are second on the list and I try to drink one every morning). Water is my favorite drink of choice. You can read all about how much I love water on this post. I need it when I sing! Water is a miracle. We all need water for cleanliness and drinking and without it we would be nothing – obviously duh… we wouldn’t be alive. Oh how I love water.

I also wanted to share with you what I do to flavor my water. Water is well… water. It’s plain, and delicious just the way it is, and some say it’s too boring? I am one of those people who can drink water plain.  Give me clean fresh water and I’m happy. Sometimes however, it is fun to change it up a little bit and encourage a new excitement and thirst for plain old water. Here’s what I do to enhance the flavor of my water. Try these ideas if you are interested in finding ways to drink water more often in your life.

I make water infusers. You can make this ahead and let it sit in the refrigerator overnight in a glass container, or make it whenever you are thirsty. I usually make this first thing in the morning and drink it all day as I’m doing my daily morning routine. Here are 7 recipes to get you started drinking water every day of the week. This method adds no sugar only a slightly different flavor. Remember the point is to drink water because it is good for you and this is a great way to encourage more drinking. If you get too caught up in the flavor and have to add sugar you are defeating the purpose, which is to increase your intake of good precious agua.

1. Orange Morning Water: To one tall glass container of cold water cut up sliced oranges and add 8 (or more) mint leaves. 

2. Lemon Raspberry Liquid: To one tall glass container of cold water add half a container of raspberries and a half of lemon cut in wedges

3. Lemon Basil Healer: To one tall glass container of cold water add one whole lemon cut in wedges with 6 or more large sprigs of basil leaves. This is so delicious and smells divine.

4. Rosemary Refresher: To one tall glass container of cold water add 3 stems of fresh rosemary and a mix of fresh berries.

5. Lavender Lemon Drink: To one tall glass container of cold water add half a lemon cut into wedges with 4 fresh stems of lavender. (Be careful with the lavender, this one is good for bedtime)

6. Cherry Lime Ricky: To one tall glass container of cold water add half a pint of sliced fresh cherries and one small lime cut in slices.

7. Cucumber water: To one tall glass container of cold water add one pealed sliced cucumber. (Yes it’s as simple as that!)

Drink up! Primp up! Get it? Got it? Goooooood. 🙂