Kicking off my A.M. with 8 oz of H2O…Does it help my “flow”?

Consistent water intake is a challenge for many, including myself. I can’t tell you how many phases I’ve gone through in the last 10+ years where I’ve woken up and said “ok, I’m really going to be more mindful and measure how many glasses of water I drink each day”. It lasts a day…maybe two and then life gets in the way and I forget about my goal until months later when I wake up sick and tired of feeling “dry” and say the same thing again. Am I the only one?? Why is it such a struggle?!

So instead of the typical, “let me try and get 8 solid glasses of water in me a day”, I decided to try one small change each day to see if it made me feel better.

I’ve recently gone off birth control and through that process, have been focused on my endocrine system and learning how to make sure it functions at peak performance. The first step in the process is maintaining your blood sugar throughout the day. Starting with…you guessed it…water. Specifically drinking a tall glass of water first thing in the morning. UGH first thing…does coffee count?! Sadly no. In fact, part of the rule is that you can’t drink coffee until AFTER breakfast. Double UGGH. The idea is that you wake up, drink a glass of water, eat breakfast within 90 minutes of eyes opening and then you can enjoy some coffee. A positive side effect…apparently, this water rule gets your digestive juices flowing and helps you “go” first thing…typically within 20 minutes of water consumption. Now that is something I can get behind!

This small change seemed easy enough. I committed to try this for a week and see how I felt. So here I am, a week later and I can honestly say WOW. I noticed quite a difference.

1. Drinking water first thing was kind of nice. It felt refreshing and consuming 8 oz of water in the morning helped me awake naturally. I (almost) didn’t need coffee! Though admittedly I just enjoy the taste so much I still had a big cup of it following breakfast.

2. Most days it did help me “go” before I even consumed food. This was a nice change for me. Typically, it wasn’t until I had half a cup of joe that I would “go”. It was a great way to start my day!

3. I’m not sure if it was the consistent breakfast schedule or the water but I do know that my 3pm afternoon slump went away.

4. AND…this was the first water challenge that I did each and every day for more than a day or two. This is HUGE for me. Could this be a sustainable habit?!

I couldn’t believe how this tiny easy change made such a difference. Not just for my morning but for my day. If the habit of drinking a glass of water first thing in the A.M. helps me that much. I can’t help but wonder how other small water habits could affect my body and mind. I’m thinking of trying to include an 8 oz glass of H2O as a standard appetizer to my lunch and dinner meal as well. What do think? Has anyone out there tried a small water habit that changed your life and one which you could sustain? Share any tips and tricks!