Water, The Drink I Once Hated Is Now My Drink Of Choice

As a child, my mom always stressed the importance of drinking plenty of water and eating our vegetables. Vegetables were tolerable but water was not my drink of choice.  I loved soda, orange crush to be specific! As I got older, I began to take my health much more seriously. But it wasn’t until I watched a video by the late Dick Gregory that I took an assessment of what I was drinking. He explained that our body is composed of the same amount of water as planet earth. To sustain life, we must all drink a sufficient amount of water.  

That made sense to me and I began to read more about how soda wasn’t good for me. 

Soda contains a lot of sugar.  That sugar is linked to strokes, heart disease, damaged kidneys, and tooth decay.  

By the time I turned 30, I stopped drinking soda completely. At first, it was a habit that was hard to kick, but after a while, I had no desire to consume it again.  Part of it was the side effects mentioned previously, but the other part was the tickling sensation that you get in your nose and throat.  That tingling sensation is not just carbonation, the acidity comes from phosphoric and other acids. Research has suggested that too much of it could be harmful to our overall health.

To fill the void of not consuming soda, I began drinking more water.   I carried around a container of water to quench my thirst on cue.  But I still drank orange juice almost every day, multiple times a day.   I mean, who can resist orange juice?! 

But then the unexpected happened and I went to the doctor for a medical complication and discovered that my blood sugar level was extremely high. I immediately cut orange juice and drank nothing but water for a year straight.  It certainly never gave me a jolt of energy like soda or orange juice, but I managed.  

Thankfully my blood sugar stabilized and I began drinking water and occasionally almond milk.  

But since we are now working from home during the pandemic, I found it hard to remember to drink water. Typically I’m just consumed with other things and hours pass by before I remember to drink water. Not only is that detrimental to my health, but I don’t want my kids to pick up this bad habit.  

One day in conversation, my mother-in-law suggested I drink three glasses of room temperature water before each meal.  I followed her advice and began drinking 3 glasses of water first thing in the morning before I get my day started.  Initially, it caused a sudden rush to the bathroom, but now my body has gotten accustomed to the routine.  I have now been doing this for 2 months and I feel great.  

Drinking water sustains life.  I started out resisting the need to drink water, but as I’ve grown older and learned about the importance of drinking water, I’ve tried to incorporate it into my daily routine. Often times I would forget, but now I have developed a consistent routine of drinking 3 glasses before each meal. Who knew this would be the thing to get me committed to increasing my water intake.

What steps have you taken to change a bad habit?

With Intention,

Sean and Simone

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