Water, Water, Everywhere
I got home with enough time to spare to squeeze in a 5k before dinner. The sun was setting, it was in the 30’s so it turned out to be a very comfortable run. I didn’t push myself, just enjoyed getting out there.
So, something weird has happened… I stopped drinking soda. This is no small thing. I grew up drinking as much cola as I liked. No limits. I was pounding 8 cans a day of regular Coke in my 20’s. As a married man I was drinking 4 cans a day easy (cost prohibited any more). I switched to Diet Coke and would drink bewteen 3-6 cans a day. Then I started running and learned the value of drinking water, but continued to indulge in my thirst for Diet Coke.
I’m not sure what happened, but about 4 weeks ago I just stopped the “pop” (ok, I’ve had 2 cans in that time). I’m drinking a lot of water. With my meals, with my snacks, and get this… when I’m thirsty! Weird huh? Just a few months ago it was hard for my to consider enjoying some of my favorites foods without a sweet carbonated beverage. But now - it’s all I want. Like right now, I’m sitting on the couch with my wife watching the Biggest Loser with a shot-glass full of almonds and a tall glass of water. The idea of drinking coke does not appeal to me at all. Weird. It’s like, as I’m learning to run, I’m learning to drink as well.
Of course this matters because drinking water is - well, good for you! How good? Here are a few reasons you should drink water taken from a few sources (here, here, and here). There are more reasons that the following 7, but as a runner who still has a few lbs to loose, these are the ones I care most about.
1. Drinking water can help maintain a healthy body weight by increasing metabolism and regulating appetite.
2. Drinking water can increase your energy levels (The most common cause of daytime fatigue is actually mild dehydration.).
3. Drinking (enough) water can decrease the risk of certain types of cancers.
4. Drinking water can significantly reduce joint and/or back pain.
5. Drinking water flushes out wastes and bacteria that can cause disease.
6. Drinking water can prevent and alleviate headaches.
7. Drinking water aids in the digestion process and prevents constipation.
Follow the links above to read on. Good stuff.
I was a regular pop drinker through college and for the first few years after. Never liked coffee, wanted the buzz, though. Finally after a few years at a desk job I knew I had to kick the regular pop, so I switched to diet.
For several years I would stop at the convenience store on the way to work every morning and fill up my 52 oz insulated mug with Diet Pepsi. No lie. It would usually keep me through lunchtime or so.
Earlier this fall, though, one day something in my brain just switched, and I realized, you know, I’ve got to get off this diet pop. I switched over to coffee and haven’t looked back. Sure, I’ve still consumed a diet pop occasionally with pizza or a burger, but my intake has been severely limited. I think it’s helped me feel better, even if I haven’t lost huge amounts of weight. (There’s these things called diet and exercise that I need to work on, too…)
A friend of mine once remarked offhand that he’d like to get to the point where the only beverages he consumed were water, coffee, and beer. It sounded like a noble cause to me.
Yeah, I think I’m feeling better as well. I should add my diet coke was also caffeine free, and though I drink coffee, it’s an Americano (less caffeine than regular coffee). So caffeine has been greatly lowered for a while. I am very happy for this switch to water.
Last Feb I realized that I hadn’t had diet coke in about a week and so I figured I would see how long I could go. I didn’t have a diet coke for about 6 months (when I went on vacation) and have done another 4 (so far). I still drink too much coffee, but have reduced it to only a cup a day.
When I was a kid I used to drink 6 cans of regular coke a day… coupled with a fast food problem = obese kid. I lost a bunch of weight (50 pounds) in high school when I switched to diet coke, stopped fast food and exercised… and then this past Feb I switched from diet to more and more water and cut back some excess calories… and lost another 15 pounds (some of which was weight gained back).
Needless to say on days that I exercise, I end up drinking 90-100 ounces of water a day.