WATER.
You know you're supposed to be drinking the famous "eight glasses" but c'mon, that's a lot of water. It's just plain ol' water anyways, nothing special, right? Nope. Not at all. If you're not striving to meet your daily fluid intake, you're missing out on one of the easiest and quickest ways to improve your health.
If you're dieting, water is your best friend. Drink a tall glass of water a few minutes before a meal, and you probably won't eat as much. The concept is stupidly simply, but it works. Replacing sugar-laden, nutritionally void drinks with water cuts out a significant amount of calories per day, which will help you lose a lot of weight in the long run! Just check out this study from the Center for Disease Control: Consumption of Sugar Drinks in the United States, 2005-2008
Another newsflash that isn't new at all? Water is good for you. Humans are mostly water. It is a vital part of how our bodies function, and we must vigilantly replenish ourselves to function optimally. Read WebMD's article Why Drink More Water? and you'll see just a couple of the organs that rely heavily on water.
Are you worried about the cost of so much bottled water? Try picking up a water bottle with a built-in filtration system and fill it up with tap water! Brita makes these bottles in four different colors, Another one that I've heard great things about is the Bobble bottle.
"Eight glasses per day" is just a general rule of thumb. For a better idea of how much water you should be drinking, try this Water Intake Calculator. According to this estimation, I should be drinking the equivalent to three Brita bottles per day. If you just carry some around with you, drinking water will become habitual. Remember, some of your daily fluid intake comes from food!
