Your body says "more water please"!

Sarah and Duck are partial to a cup of lemon water.
(image source)

I have never been a water drinker.  Fruit juice and squash appeal to me much more than a glass of wet fresh air.  However, we all have to learn whats best for our body, and unfortunately water is just that.  Over time, I have noticed the effects on my body of not drinking water.  The main one being; headaches, as well as sluggishness and bad skin.  The headaches alone were enough of a reason for me to attempt to drink more water. Lack of water, or dehydration, causes your brain tissue to shrink and pull away from the skull, which triggers a headache.  Also, blood pressure becomes lower as a result of dehydration.  If you are struggling to consume more liquid, I have put together 5 tips that really helped me to up my water intake when I was transitioning from water hater to water lover (okay 'lover' is a bit strong but you get the point). 1. Water down your squash. Put simply- less squash, more water, add ice.  The ice counteracts that watered-down taste and makes the drink more refreshing so you wont even mind the weaker taste.  Ribena tastes wonderful drunk in this way.

2. Choose flavoured water. Volic and most supermarket brands do flavoured water.  It is still water for all you nay-sayers out there, its just a cheats version. Hey it works!  My favourite is Volvic's lemon and lime or Asda's plum and cherry flavoured water.

3. Lemon water Lemons give a great flavour to water and also provide many health benefits.  Lemons contain Vitamin C, Magnesium, Potassium and Fibre.  Drunk regularly it will reduces the level of acidity in your body, boosts your immune system and for you all caffeine fiends out there it is a good replacement for your morning caffeine fix.  Add two/three slices and a good squeeze to your water bottle.  You can usually re-use your lemons by just adding more water once your bottle is finished.  The lemons will still have lots of flavour after two/three rounds.

4. Filter your water Invest in a water filter.  It will make your tap water taste so much better!
5. Try different varieties Some people may disagree with what I am about to say, nevertheless I want to proclaim that all water does not taste the same.  Volvic is very different to Evian which tastes different to Buxton etc etc.  I have found that I do not like Volvic because it tastes like tap water.  It is silly to force yourself to drink something you do not like the taste of, so find a brand that tastes half decent to you,


Glass of water anyone?