I take a bare bones approach to being healthy—no fancy gym equipment or gadgetry required. So it’s no surprise that the single biggest thing that’s made a difference in my health is also one of the most common things, like, ever: a water bottle.
I fill up my bottle (the Starbucks one pictured above—it’s so cute and keeps my water ice cold) before leaving for work at 8:30 a.m. each morning. As soon as I get to work, it’s more water—and I keep drinking throughout the day.
I know what you’re thinking, though: Drinking water is soooo boring. (I can almost see you rolling your eyes as I suggest it.) But honestly, when I do this, I feel such a difference in my body. I can tell when I don’t, too; the effects of dehydration—cloudy headedness, lethargy, a general feeling of blah—are not fun.
My trusty water bottle also helps me stick to my intermittent fasting diet.
I hit a weight-loss plateau a few years ago—I’d already lost 40 pounds, but I slowly started to gain back belly fat despite exercising daily and eating healthy.
I decided to try intermittent fasting—I wake up and fast until noon or 1 p.m. Monday through Friday— for 60 days, and the results were amazing.
Along with strength training, it helped completely change my body composition. I lost two sizes and maintained the results even a year later. I’m so happy with the results, I’ve been doing intermittent fasting ever since.
The key to it working, though, is proper hydration. Otherwise, not only do I feel terrible, but I’m hungry, too. If I’m hydrated, I can make it from the time I wake up to lunchtime, no problem.
That’s why I like to keep it fancy with gorgeous glasses and water bottles that I keep at home and at work. No plastic bottles allowed.
When I roll out of bed with crazy bedhead, I grab a cute vessel to make it feel special and show extra love to myself. At work, when I look at it and see it empty, I know to fill it back up. For me, hydrating is the ultimate form of self-care.
Find Josie on Twitter @YumYucky
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