Why Simply Drinking More Water Should Be Your 2018 New Year's Resolution

By SheSpeaksTeam Dec 28, 2017

It’s that time of year again when many of us are thinking of how to improve ourselves in the new year. Most New Year’s resolutions revolve around getting healthier and can be difficult to follow, espcially resolutions that involve cutting out calories and favorite foods. But there’s one possibly overlooked resolution that is sure to improve your health and energy levels. Vowing to drink more water in 2018 may sound a little too easy, but if you actually stick with this resolution you will soon see big improvements to your health.

CNN’s Lisa Drayer reports about the major health perks to adding more water to your diet in the new year which include less fatigue, a major boost in metabolism and staving off those hunger pangs. Since many people replace water intake with soft drinks, juices, coffees and tea - switching to water will immediately eliminate extra sugars, chemicals and calories that you get from other drinks. Drayer explains, “If you replace every 150-calorie can of soda consumed daily with a glass of water, you save more than 1,000 calories per week, which translates to 15 pounds lost over a year.”

Also, if you drink a big glass of water just before a meal it will fill you up and you will consume less calories, If you start planning your water intake the same way you plan daily meals it will soon become a part of your routine. Caroline Passerrello, a registered dietitian and spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, explains how you can make drinking more water an easy part of your new year. She says, “I used a water bottle that had a hook on it and hooked my keys on it ... so everywhere I go, I now have a water bottle. It becomes part of your routine.”

If you need a way to remember when to drink you can do something as simple as drink two glasses of water with each meal and one full glass with each snack. You can even keep track of your intake in a journal or with an app like the WaterMind app. Whether you need the recommended 8 glasses a day or a little more or less depends on factors like age and activity level. And if plain water is really difficult for you to enjoy, you can lemon slices or other fruits to your glass. Passerrello suggests, “There are countless options of flavored sparkling water and seltzer on the store shelves these days. Select ones that are naturally sweetened and have zero calories.”

Do you think you would benefit from drinking more water in the new year?

Please share your New Year’s resolution below!