New Year’s Resolutions – Weight – Is Easier This Way!
One of the most common New Year’s Resolutions – weight – is also one of the most difficult to keep.
You might consider one of the many diets available to lose weight – and diets do work (if you stick to them). But most people put back on the weight they lose on their diet (and often gain even more weight). That’s not much fun.
There’s also a lot of advice about how to lose weight, especially around the time of New Year’s Resolutions.
And a lot of it conflicts.
So here’s a nice easy, eco-friendly method to help with this resolution.
One thing that everyone seems to agree on, is to drink water. Lots of it.
Now, will just drinking more water make you lose weight? Probably not. (Sadly)
But it will help.
- Sometimes when you feel hungry, you’re actually thirsty, and your body isn’t good at communicating the difference to you.
- Water has no calories, none at all
- Drinking water instead of eating food can help you feel fuller (without the calories of food). When you feel full, you’re less likely to eat junk.
- Water helps to flush toxins from your body and improves your health.
So, water won’t help you directly to lose weight, but it can help you to eat less, and if you add healthier foods and some exercise to the mix, you should lose weight.
But Water’s Boring!
Yes, it’s true, water can be boring.
So, liven it up!
One way I do that is to add some freshly-squeezed lemon juice, and a couple of slices of fresh lemon, to the water.
(Lemons are really useful around the house too – see this article for some great tips for using lemons.)
In addition to making you feel like you’re having a different drink, lemon water has several health benefits. Lemons contain vitamin C which helps to boost your immune system which can prevent you getting colds and flu. Lemon also contains pectin fibre which helps to fight hunger cravings. If you suffer from heartburn or constipation, lemon water may help to make your digestive processes more efficient.
Something else I enjoy, which also gives me a break from plain water, is to drink green tea with lemon. I found I didn’t enjoy the taste of green tea, but I know it’s got huge health benefits. Mixing it with lemon gives it a flavour I enjoy, so now I get the benefits and the taste.
You can also add fresh or frozen fruit to your water. Slices of cucumber add a refreshing zing to water, and berries add sweetness and colour. And of course, goodness too – berries for example, are full of antioxidants.
Drinking sparkling water also helps to mix things up – just remember that if you’re buying sparkling water, it shouldn’t have any additives or flavors – they add calories, or even if they’re zero-calorie, they probably contain artificial chemicals (e.g. aspartame) that are bad for your health if you drink them often.
All of these stop you getting bored with drinking plain water.
Is Drinking Water Eco-Friendly?
To be eco-friendly, you need to drink tap water (filtered if necessary) not bottled water. Even if your tap water is bad, you can get a filter to get rid of the nasties. It’s SO much cheaper – and more convenient – than bottled water.
Bottled water is a truly terrible scourge on the environment (and why pay for and then carry heavy water bottles yourself when it’s almost for free from your tap or faucet?)
(Need a water filter? See How to Choose the best Water Filter).
If you prefer sparkling water, no problem, a Soda Stream is much more eco-friendly than bottled water (and you don’t have to carry big bottles of water home from the store all the time). They’re easily available, check out the options here.
Tip: Remember also that if you want to keep a stash of water aside for emergencies, it doesn’t have to be bottled water. Your filtered tap water can also be stored as an emergency provision.
Whether one of your New Year’s Resolutions is to lose weight this year or not, it’s really worthwhile to be eco-friendly, and one of the best ways to be green is to avoid bottled water.
Related: Make the biggest Impact with your New Year’s Resolutions
How to Keep your New Year’s Resolutions
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Photo Credits: Microsoft
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