Tap water.
Few things have such a boring and unglamorous image.
Of course, it’s hard to sell regular tap water in a cool and expensive way.
So it becomes boring as nails and concrete. But just as useful.
One healthy habit I’ve had for just about all my life is to drink water. A lot of water. And mostly tap water. For more than one reason. Actually, I’ve found nine of them.
But first, how much water should you drink? Recommendations seem to fall somewhere between 2-3 liters (that’s 67-100 liquid ounces) of water a day. And that does not include the 20 percent of your daily water that you get through food.
If you are pregnant, exercising or in a hot and/or humid environment you may need more. It’s quite a bit of water to drink every day. So it may not be so surprising that 75 percent of Americans do not consume the recommended amounts.
If you want to drink more water my three best tips are:
- Always carry a bottle of water with you (at school, at work etc.). As soon as you have emptied it, fill it up again. And drink on.
- Substitute what you are drinking with your daily meals – maybe juice or soda – for a glass or two of water instead. If you really like your juice, try to at least replace it with water for a meal or two a day.
- Put a glass of water next to your bed. You may be quite thirsty when you wake up after a long night of sleep and no water. This is a simple way to replenish some of your fluids after the alarm goes off.
Now, on to the reasons why you should drink more tap water:
1. Soda is bad in more than one way.
One small can of soda – about 12 ounces or 33 cl – contains 10-12 teaspoons of sugar. This will not only help you put on pounds of fat. It will also damage your teeth. And going to the dentist isn’t cheap. If you on the other hand drink more water and less soda you can both lose weight and use your dental money for something more pleasurable.
2. Juice is healthy but contains sugar.
There are a lot of vitamins and healthy goodies in fruit juice. However, there is also quite a bit of sugar that will add to the weight and teeth-problems described above. So don’t drink too much of the stuff.
3. Bottled water isn’t good for the environment.
Americans buy 28 billion water bottles a year. Then you have to add the rest of the world. That’s a whole lot of bottles. All that plastic and the energy used for manufacturing and transportation wears and tears on the environment. Adding to the problem is the fact that few bottles are recycled or reused but instead just dropped in the nearest trashcan.
4. You’ll save boatloads of money.
Here’s another good reason to switch from bottled to tapped water. And you’ll not only save money by buying less soda, juice and water in a bottle. You can also avoid costs that come with the health problems caused by putting too much sugar into your body. You may save hundreds of dollars a year by drinking tap water instead. Over a lifetime you can save a whole lot more both health-wise and money-wise.
5. It tastes great.
Here in Sweden the tap water is pretty delicious. You may have a different situation where you live. You can however often improve the quality of the water by getting a filter for your faucet. Or spruce up your cold glass of water with a slice of lemon or lime.
6. Better skin.
I first heard about this one in a Cindy Crawford interview a long time ago. Drinking enough water keeps your skin hydrated and washes out toxins from your body.
7. More energy.
If you keep your body properly hydrated you’ll have more energy. You’ll avoid the headaches, nausea, fatigue and concentration problems that come from not consuming enough fluids. And that’s not just after a hard workout in the gym. It you feel a slump in energy in middle of the day that may be because you are becoming dehydrated.
8. Reduced health risks.
Drinking more water isn’t just about improving your health. You can also also prevent a few health problems besides the ones with your teeth and weight. According to studies you can slice the risk of bladder cancer or dying from a heart attack in half by consuming the recommended amount of water. Drinking enough water can also lower the risk for constipation and kidney stones.
9. It’s convenient.
You don’t have to go to the store or supermarket. You get just walk over to the nearest tap and get some.
