Introducing: Wellness Wednesdays - On H2O

After a gluttonous Labor Day weekend in Maine (lots of lobster rolls, ice cream, s’mores, etc.) I feel like I need to detox and up my water intake. I’m not feeling motivated enough to do anything drastic (and really healthy) like cut out refined carbs or sugar, so I’ll start with my tried and true feel better basic: H2O.

Back in high school I read in a magazine (maybe Seventeen or Cosmo) that drinking lots of water is the key to great skin, weight loss and more. I don’t know if guzzling 3 liters of water each day is all that effective – but I do know that I feel better when I drink tons of water. So I’ve been doing just that consistently (and kind of obsessively) since high school. Back then I stocked my car with Poland Spring sport bottles and downed them throughout the day. Today I stock my desk at work with 1.5 liter bottles from Gourmet Garage. (And at home I refill them from our Pur water filter – which I highly recommend.) I think my extreme water consumption is worth the excessive amount of pee breaks I take throughout every day. And recently this notion was (once again) reaffirmed by a magazine: this time, Self. Self’s September issue devotes a section to “10 foods for radiant skin” and includes a side-note on water:

Is water really a miracle potion?

Short answer: Yes

We know it’s not earth-shattering advice, bit if you want great skin, guzzling H2O is nonnegotiable. Beyond doing its obvious job—water dissolves nutrients from food and helps transport them to skin cells.

How much do you need?

The Institute of Medicine suggests up to 11 cups a day. We know! But don’t freak out. Remember that many veggies and fruits contain a lot of aqua. (An apple provides about ½ cup.)

I don't eat an apple a day but hopefully my high intake of water will continue to keep excess weight, dry skin, etc. at bay.

P.S. I realize that using plastic bottles isn’t all that green. But rest assured I do recycle – despite Justin’s annoyance at having an extra bag of disposables in our tiny kitchen.