Agua

It's that time of year! Yes, Easter and yes Spring and yes gardening and yes longer days and ...

But I mean it's THAT time of year!

Shorts weather!

Shorts season arrives long before swimsuit season. You can always choose not to need a swimsuit (e.g., not swim or just swim in the-ahem-buff). But not to wear shorts is just unthinkable to me. I hate Summer, I hate the heat, and live in shorts late Winter through late Fall.

But with shorts season comes the horrifying realization that my pasty white legs are, well, pasty white. And that I'll either have to start a depilatory regime again or live unapologetically au naturel.

But far worse than any of these ... far far worse ... the trying on of last year's shorts. Gah!

And in preparation for that horrific event, I've been working on my diet this week. I'll be posting more about that in the coming weeks, because I'm serious about re-embracing holistic nutrition. I'm so sick of being sick, with the lupus and the neuropathy and the everything. Eating foods that heal is something I used to do and am now doing again.

First change, which we can all do (and you probably already do): drink more water! I love icy water beyond belief. I don't know how I fell out of the habit of always having a bottle of chilled water with me. I'm not quite brave enough to drink filtered tap water (I was premed, remember, with plenty of micriobiology education to freak me out about what's in my pipes), but I do love Odwalla water (the best ever!), Crystal Geyser (great price and very good water!) and Fiji (super expensive, but darn, it is worth the occasional splurge). I do filter tap water for cooking and for ice.
















Here's my trick for increasing water consumption, if you've been wanting to do the same.

• I keep a few bottles in the fridge (I buy it in bulk and store in a dark place to avoid algae growth) so that I always have cold water on hand.
• I grab one battle every morning on the way out the door to work, and finish it in the car. I kid you not, this makes a HUGE difference in my day. I drink more water consistently, feel more clear headed, and just feel better overall.
• I drink a couple of bottles throughout the morning and afternoon.
• And then at home, instead of my addiction of peach fresca (I'm out right now ... serious DT's), a couple of huge glasses of water over ice and citrus slices (blood orange, tangelo, lime, lemon, you name it, yum).

Many health practitioners believe that most chronic pain and even disease is the result of not enough water. Many also believe that back pain and headaches are the result of chronic dehydration. The last time my blood was drawn, the nurse commented that I'm chronically dehydrated, since it's so difficult to find my veins.

As a benefit for shorts weather, all that water is flushing toxins from my system! I feel less bloated (yay) and the same shorts that I could barely button up two weekends ago are very comfortable right now.

What are your favorite ways to drink water???

Coming up tomorrow: The F word - five (or more) tips for painlessly increasing fiber in your diet.