I have honestly lost track of how many years it has been since I made the switch to only drinking water. The only time I break that rule is when alcohol is involved and I am out for drinks with friends. A lot of people profess the magic of water and how everyone should drink more so I wanted to give my experience on how it affected myself and also cover a few tips on how you could make the switch yourselves.

Water Helped me Lose Weight

Now water is not a magic weight loss trick, but there are a few subtle benefits that you will see on your waist line if you make the switch. First of all be replacing those sugary drinks you are cutting out calories from your intake, as well as a huge amount of sugar. Not only that but often when you feel hungry it can also be thirst, it is very common for people to get these mixed up and eat when really a glass of water could suffice. Since food contains water it usually does the trick to resolve that thirst but what you have actually ended up doing is taking in more calories than required. A good tip is to make sure you are always drinking water as you go through your day, and when you sit down for a meal make sure you have a glass of water before eating. It sounds simple but it has always been a good trick for me to reduce my intake to just what I need.

My Energy is not Dependent on Caffeine

I was lucky in the fact I first tried tea when I was quite young and sugary food and drink was all I knew. I hated the taste of tea and I assumed coffee was the same. Come forwards to the present day and I still have not tried coffee, nor do I ever plan to. I know far too many people who are dependent on coffee for getting them through the day and their energy levels but what I have found is generally my energy levels are consistently good with spikes and dips that you generally see from caffeine. I have competed in a few hackathons and water saw me through without issue in comparison to other attendants who had to top up on coffee or energy drinks consistently and looked like they were about to drop by the end of the 24 hour periods. I'm also no Doctor but from what I have read water helps maintain the pH balance in our bodies, which in turn can boost our energy levels. So it seems like a win-win all round to me.

Hydration Helps the Skin

I struggled with my skin for a long time, but there was a noticeable improvement after I made the switch - although I will admit there was an even more noticeable improvement once I reduced my junk food intake, and started a proper skin care routine. Despite that there have been plenty links found between water intake and improved skin health so it is something to consider. I apparently look quite young for my age according to most people I know, while I can't say it's because of all the water I drink - who knows it may have played a part in it.

Water is Free

Before you start, yes - technically you pay for water but that's taking away from the point. If you are reading this post I can more than likely assume that water is probably fairly easily accessible for you. You can turn on your tap, and have a drink. You don't have to worry about running out or having to go to the shops to spend money to buy a 2L bottle. So in general you can save a fair bit of money over your life time by making the switch. I will say that if you do switch you will potentially get a hatred for cinemas when they charge you £4 for a 500ml bottle of water - so definitely take your own.

Water is a Migraine and Headache Killer

Have you ever been told to drink more water because you seem to get headaches or migraines a lot? Well the simple fact is dehydration can be a cause commonly, a hydrated body will out perform a dehydrated one and water is one of the best ways you can hydrate your body. I can tell you I have not had a headache since I made the switch (outside self-inflicted hangovers) and I have never had a migraine. I attribute a lot of that down to the amount of water I drink. If you don't believe me here is a study done in the Netherlands on the topic. So if you are a person that regularly suffers from either, maybe this is the solution for you.

Tips for Switching

So I said I would end this with some tips for switching and I will but first I want to make it clear. Tips are not magic, everything in your life is a choice. It ultimately is down to you if you make the switch or not, you can blame external factors all you want but all that does is act as a limiting belief for yourself.

But without further ado some tips:

Stop Buying Other Drinks

If they are available in the house, then it becomes a lot easier not to drink them and get use to drinking water. Reducing the barriers to any new task or goal goes a huge way in making something stick.

• Carry a Water Bottle
  This is another way to reduce the barriers to you. Carry a water bottle, the bigger the better and keep it with you throughout the day. Since it's the closest thing to you, when you are thirsty it will be the first thing you go for, so you can build up the habit of drinking water instead.

• Do not have Flavoured Water
  This is a mistake a lot of people make. Flavoured water is filled with more sugar than you probably realise it is actually really bad for you. Also the sweetness is going to make it harder for you to make the switch. People often say water is bland, but what that usually means is that water is not filled with the sugar you are accustomed to. To me water tastes amazing and by comparison things with high sugar content do not. There is nothing better than coming back from a run to an ice cold glass of water, nothing is more refreshing. So if you make the switch drink water and reduce your sugar intake so you get a sense of taste back that isn't just for overly sweet food or drink.

• Set a Daily Goal
  My final tip is to set a daily goal, you know you need around 2 liters of water per day. So set yourself the goal of consuming that much, you could set reminders on your phone, buy a drinks bottle that contains 2L or has marking on it to let you know how much you have had. Make yourself a nice tick list for the days of the week that you get to cross off at the end of each day, ticking items off a list is generally a very satisfying thing to do and it can definitely help you stay on track and keep motivated.

To Conclude

Water is great, switching over to drinking it solely has been one of the best investments I have made into my health. You could spend all of today researching and reading medical documents on the benefits that water can give you - but my honest advice is to instead just try it for 30 days and see what the results are for you. People spend far too much time thinking about these types of things instead of taking action and doing them themselves and being their own judge. I hope this helps you finally decide to make the switch or at least try it, because it really is worth the effort.