MORNING WATER

Health and wellness trends pretty much mean nothing to me. Plain old health and wellness, period, are super important in my world, but it’s trends themselves that I’m skeptical about. I’ve jumped on board to plenty of them in the past (juice cleansing, Bikram yoga, juice cleansing, carb cutting, and juice cleansing, to name a few), but I usually end up burnt out or frustrated or on the verge of insanity (is this normal?) from a lack of results.

Speaking of juice cleanses, if you’ve ever done one, you know what I mean by feeling frustration by the end. There is nothing more downright ANNOYING than depriving your body of solid (beautiful, delicious, decadent) food for three-plus days while drinking fruits and vegetables in the hopes of slimming down and detoxifying your body.

I always came out of a cleanse feeling extra-toxic, ironically, from the hangriness that had been stewing inside me for those few days. Plus, any weight I might have lost by starving myself from real nutrition always came back immediately, and then some…

Because obviously you need to treat yourself with chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream for making it through a juice cleanse.

 

So, as you can probably tell, I’m somewhat of a cynic when it comes to health fads, thanks to my negative experiences with them. If I read an article or blog post about something I “need” to do to feel or look better, odds are it will take a ton of research and convincing for me to subscribe. So usually, I don’t.

But one trend I have always been a major fan of is water. Water, water, water. I guess this isn’t so much a trend as it is a vital necessity — potato, potahto. But actually, it is trendy in the sense that celebs alwa-a-a-ys list water as one of their main components in weight maintenance and skin health. I drink probably close to a gallon a day. And, yes, I pee nonstop.

I’m not saying that because of my excessive water intake I’m a celeb or anything, but I’m also not NOT saying that…

I bug my friends and boyfriend to drink more water all the time. If someone complains to me about a headache or says they think they’re getting a cold, I’m that annoying person who instantly asks if they’ve been drinking enough water. (And, of course, guess who else does this? My mom. I am SO HER daughter, and it becomes more abundantly clear every day.)

I’ve read article after article about how drinking water helps with digestion, skin, weight loss, and on and on, and in many of those articles, they suggest waking up and drinking 1 to 2 glasses of water at the start of each day. I’ve never consciously, consistently given that one a shot — usually, I sleep with water next to me, and I might have a few sips before getting started with my day.

But one morning a couple months ago, I woke up and randomly decided to drink an entire 32-ounce water bottle. Maybe I had had one too many glasses of wine the night prior — who knows? After gulping the water down, I did some other morning-routine stuff for about a half hour before making breakfast and having coffee.

My morning was transformed immediately; I actually felt different, better both physically and mentally, throughout the entire day.

Getting my body to work first thing in the a.m. — by drinking a big bottle of water before eating anything — kick-started my metabolism into gear before I ever ingested anything substantial nutritionally. I’ve been doing this practically every morning since, and I have seen a dramatic change in how I feel and even in my weight. I’m not necessarily trying to lose any weight, yet, without changing my diet or exercise routine, I lost three pounds in a few weeks’ span.

I shoot for 16-plus ounces of water each morning, and I always drink it, then wait 20 to 30 minutes to eat anything (though, I do have my coffee with the water). I have so much more energy throughout my day, and let’s just say my digestion is healthier than ever. Give it a shot (or 16 to 32 shots every morning, har har har), and let me know what you think!

How do you start your day in a healthy way? Shoot me an email at audrey@audreyjoann.com to let me know, or a shout out in the comments below or on social media (IG, Twitter, & Snapchat: @audswan).

VEST // SHIRT // LEGGINGS // SHOES // WATER BOTTLE