If life gives you lemons...

Pop quiz: What is the cheapest medicine you can get?

Water

Yup, water does so much good for your body that it's sad that most people do not drink enough of it.  Since the beginning of the year, I have been trying hard to drink more water.  Not only does it just generally do my body good, it's also been known to help lower pain levels when the pain is in your fascia.

My goal to begin with was to drink 2 quarts of water a day.  But that didn't happen - ever.  So, I lowered my goal to 1.5 quarts a day.  That is very doable.  According to Ming Chew (the author of the Permanent Pain Cure), 1.5 quarts is the least amount anyone should be drinking.  Yay for squeaking by at the bottom of the pack!

But, like most people, I do get tired of drinking just plain water all the time.  It's boring.
How do you get it all down when you are bored of drinking it?  Here are a few tips I've found that help.

1)  Always carry a water bottle with you.  You take sips of this all day without even thinking about it.  Personally, I don't carry the disposable water bottles that you buy at the store with water already in them.  Why, you ask?  World Vision published a statistic one time that said if only half the people who bought bottled water took that money and gave it to water relief programs, everyone in the world would be able to have access to clean water.  It really struck me and I decided to stop buying bottled water.  I use this Nalgene bottle (I took out the valve).  It's the perfect size and there's nothing to open up on the lid in order to drink the water.  Since I'm usually driving when I drink out of it, I wanted that hands-free feature.

2)  Add ice.  Water is much easier to drink when it's cold and not room temperature.  When I fill up my water bottle, I fill it almost all the way with ice, then put water in on top.  Unless it's a really hot day, this keeps my water cold for hours.

3)  Drink through a straw.  You drink more per sip when you drink through a straw which helps you drink water faster.  If you drink it faster, you can drink more per day.  I heard this on the radio the other day and tested it out.  It's totally true!  When I stick a straw in my cup or drink through a spout, I go through that cup of water much faster.

4)  Add a (sugar-free) flavoring to the water.  There are a lot of flavorings out there that you can add to water (and, yes, you can easily add them to a reusable water bottle too).  I have tried the powdered packets and I've tried the liquid drops and I don't like either of them very much.  I think I just don't like artificial sweeteners.  But what I do like is lemons.  I bought fresh lemons and cut them into slices and put them in my fridge.  Now, I can squeeze a slice or two into my water to make it a little more interesting.

Lemons in the fridge also keep life interesting in other ways.  Like when your kids ask to try a slice.  And, being a good mother, I grabbed my camera first and said "sure."

At least I know my lemons will be safe from any would-be lemon thieves.  Drink an extra glass of water today and start reaping the benefits of the cheapest medicine around.

What about you?  Do you like lemons in your water?