I have a long-standing non-relationship with water. I mostly drink tea, coffee, fizzy cool drink, cordial, beer, wine, spirits, milk, hot chocolate etc. etc. A while back I did start getting into the habit of buying a bottle of water with my morning coffee, so that’s a typical 600ml per day water intake.
water is boring and sometimes tastes funny
I’ve always found water, well, boring to be honest. In particular, water from a tap is often lukewarm and/or has a funny taste. Domestic drinking water bears no real resemblance to fresh, cool, sweet-tasting spring water taken straight from the source. That said, it can become more attractive when you’re hot, thirsty and the water has been chilled.
but it’s good for you
Everywhere you look, experts advise on drinking a decent amount of water every day. It keeps you hydrated, good for the internal organs, good for the body overall. It always seemed to me that it’s another one of those things that ought to taste better, to encourage you to do the right thing; another instance of choosing between “healthy” and “tasty” or “satisfying”.
In any case, because I know I need to drink more water anyway, regardless of the fact that I am now being more active, efforts have been made to increase the amount of water consumed each day.
it grows on you, then changes you
Britt told me to persist and that my body would start to “crave” water. I laughed.
Funny thing is, I think she’s probably right. In the past couple of days I’ve noticed a shift in my attitude towards water, and a definite impact on me as a whole. Firstly I’ve begun to reach for a glass of water frequently throughout the day, because I’ve actually WANTED to drink it. This is partly because I am establishing a habit, partly because my thinking is changing and partly because my body is benefiting from it (though maybe not yet craving).
Secondly, I have noticed that I don’t get thirsty in the same way as I did until very recently. I tend to keep “topped up” with the water, so it’s more of a “want” than a “need” to drink. Previously I would feel really thirsty and drink one of the many non-water options listed above. The thirst would be quenched for a while, though often not entirely satisfactorily.
On reflection, I’ve been operating at “barely hydrated” levels for a very long time. The best way to describe the inner feeling I have now is this; it must be how the land feels when rains finally come after decades of drought.
More water vicar?