Whole30 Day 3: The Elements- Water

Hydration is so important for your body. The body is made up of 60% water and helps with so many of your bodily functions such as absorption, tears, sweat, circulation. Water helps keep your skin and organs hydrated and nutrients flowing to and from them. I have read on several articles that drinking two glasses of water to get your day started helps control your cravings and calorie intake as well.

With my busy schedule, juggling two full time jobs, chores around the house, maintaining a consistent work out routine and ensuring that I take time for myself and loved ones, I have found that sometimes I forget to grab a drink of water. My body totally feels it- my skin feels tight, my mouth is dry and my lips crack, I feel lethargic, and want to snack all the time. For the past year, I fully cut out soda, Mios, and juices to also reduce the amount of sugar in my diet so my go to for hydration is water which is not always an exciting drink and does not come in a variety of flavors. My mother actually helped with making water a more desirable drink for me.

Flavored water can be accomplished in several different ways and can help with those "cravings" you may sometimes get for a sweet drink or alternate taste. My mom started with a cucumber, lemon and mint water- still water and there are additional nutrients from the citrus and vegetables. After that I looked up several other recipes on Pinterest and asked my friends what were some of their favorite flavors. My favorite is still my mom's recipe thought I have tried several with different berries, different herbs (basil is really tasty) and ginger.

Tip for the Day: Here's a few recipes to get you started that I like:

1 whole lemon, washed and sliced into rings
1 whole cucumber, washed and sliced into rings
1/4 cup rough chop of mint

Fill a pitcher with all ingredients with a cup of ice. Give it a quick stir to release the oils in the mint and fill the rest of the pitcher with water. Keep refrigerated. The water, if you can keep from drinking it all at once, will keep for 4-5 days.

1/2 box of raspberries
1 whole lime, washed and sliced into rings

Same as a above for instructions

Enjoy!