Have More Energy Than You Know What to Do With

Last week we learned about increasing our energy levels by eating certain foods and keeping them up by avoiding others.  This week we’ll talk about how to increase your energy by drinking!

I’m not talking about energy drinks; I’m talking about water!  It’s the third most crucial necessity of life.  We can survive less than a week without it!  Water comes in many forms, some good and some bad.  Let's sort out some of these.

First, let's look at soft drinks, which are mostly water; however, you can’t use them for hydration because all of the sugar and salt in the drink will actually draw water out of your body. With their sugar content, they’re really liquid candy. “Diet" soft drinks with artificial sweeteners have the same effect.  

So, soft drinks aren’t for hydration.  Unsweetened iced tea is a hydration drink, though I don’t recommend it as your sole source of water.  Many people enjoy the flavor of tea without sugar.   I have advice for those who don't.  First, avoid sweet tea at restaurants. Many restaurants mix 5 pounds of sugar into 3 gallons of tea.  That comes out to 379 calories per 16 ounce glass!  That’s more than a soft drink, and you’ll be thirstier than before you drank it.  So, sweeten it yourself. Even if you put four teaspoons of sugar into a 16 ounce glass of tea, you still only have 64 calories and it won’t have enough sugar to dehydrate you.  You may go “stir crazy” getting the sugar dissolved, but you’ll be healthier and have more energy.

Coffee is very similar.  If you use creamer, use cream instead.  That's much healthier and keeps the hydration qualities intact.

Now for milk, which is a hydration drink. It is a solution of bubbles of proteins and fats floating around in water.  Here’s the best news of the whole post:  Chocolate milk is the ideal recovery drink after a workout!

Now water:  Well water is best; filtered city water is next.  After that is reverse-osmosis water.  Avoid distilled water because it can dilute your electrolytes and cause problems with your heart.  There are many exotic waters out there from glaciers and whatever.  The important thing is that you drink water.

Overall, you need to drink about 1 ounce of water for every 2 pounds of body weight.   Less than half of that should be tea, coffee and milk.  Nothing else counts!  By changing your drinking habits, you will be able to Increase Your Energy and

Live Healthy, Stay Active, and Fulfill Your Dreams!