Do you ever feel overwhelmed by your health goals?

We live in such a rush-around modern society that sometimes our excitement to get healthier is totally obliterated by the to-do list to get there.

The human brain can only hold onto so much at once. We have work commitments, extracurricular schedules, families, pets and households to care for. There’s finite hours in the day, and we can only do and think about so much.

Trying to do too much, too soon, is one big reason why our health goals falter despite our best intentions. If we try to change everything, we often change nothing. And what bigger buzz-kill is there for motivation than failure?

Small, steady changes tend to be far easier to sustain. A softer path of self-kindness and slow change will actually get you further… and make for a much nicer journey.

Stay Hydrated

Do you feel chronically tired and sluggish? You might have considered the more obvious reasons like stress, sleep or poor nutrition. Yet your solution might actually be a lot more subtle… Are you getting enough water?

At a fundamental level, water is used in one of our body’s main biochemical processes to produce energy. Water is literally required to release energy in our cells for many, many bodily functions.

Water is our lifeblood. It forms at least 60% of our bodies and the kidneys will begin to shut down after 24 hours without it. Although there are recorded cases of some people surviving without water for a week, most people will perish after 3 days of no H2O.

Whilst mortality is a serious consequence of severe dehydration, our body will not work at full capacity unless it is well hydrated. Even at lower levels of dehydration, your body cannot produce optimal energy, flush toxins from your kidneys and function at your highest mental capacity.

The solution? Drinking more might sound easy but many people do struggle to fit in the recommended 0.5 to 0.8 gallons (2 to 3 liters) per day. Here’s some of our hints to hit up that H2O!

•Drink 2 glasses first thing upon rising.

•Use meal times to remind yourself to drink. Whilst it may not be ideal to drink with large meals, it’s still preferable to being dehydrated. If you aim to drink a glass of water before and after each meal, that’s 6 glasses towards your daily quota!

•Keep a drink bottle within easy sight to remind you to drink.

•Set a timer or reminders on your phone.

•Flavor your water naturally. Did you know that only some people are ‘water tasters’. That is, not everyone is born with the tastebuds to detect the flavour of water (yes, water does have a natural taste!) Non-tasters may therefore find water harder to get down. If this sounds like you, try lightly flavoring your water with some mint, ginger, berries or citrus to give your mouth a little pop of somethin’ somethin’.