By Alison Walker, Colleen McTiernan and Nicole Irving
Before you go for your morning cup of joe or even get out of bed, there is a step you should be taking to fuel your body. Drinking at least one glass of water right when you wake up is reported to help rehydrate your body after six to eight hours sans liquid as well as jump start your metabolism and increase your alertness. Sounds like an easy enough way to get a healthy start on your day, right? Two members of the Wellness360 team decided to put it to the test! Nicole and Allison both tried to drink a glass of water every morning to see how easy it was and if they felt any of the purported benefits.
Nicole’s Experience
I have never been a fan of drinking water. I know it is good for me, but it is just not my drink of choice. So, when I was challenged to drink an 8-ounce glass of room temperature of water every morning for a month, I knew it was going to be a struggle. And, yes, the struggle was real!
In all honesty, it was harder than I thought it would be, and I probably earned myself a D+. However, with a few tweaks, I was able to down a couple of glasses through the month.
- I do not like warm water, so waking up and drinking a big glass of it was not appetizing. I began trading out my warm water for ice-cold water that I would put in my yeti right by my bed. In the morning it was still cold and refreshing.
- After a long day of work, I usually settle the kids and climb in bed like a zombie. Preparing my water at night for the next morning always escaped my brain. So, in order to not forget, I would try to keep my Yeti and cellphone together. When I would plug in my phone at night, my Yeti would be there, too.
Long story short, I am not a morning water drinker. However, I did find myself drinking more water through the day during this month, maybe out of guilt of not drinking it in the morning, or maybe just because of the crazy Florida heat.
Alison’s Experience
When I first heard about a water challenge that just required me to drink water every morning, I thought to myself “easy peasy — I’m in!” Even knowing all of the benefits of drinking more water, I still found it extremely hard to get into the habit of remembering to put water by my bedside each night and drinking a full glass before my feet hit the ground. The first few days I made a conscious effort to remember to fill my glass in preparation of the next morning’s task of guzzling it down. Turns out it is easier said than done. I was not used to drinking anything when I first woke up, much less an entire glass of water. I also found that my prior habit was to sleep as long as possible, then jump out of bed and start the day running, literally. Because I was forced to stay in bed a few extra minutes, I felt that I was able to wake up more gradually. I could plan my morning out in my head, and I did not feel the immediate sense of stress that I was used to feeling. It got easier as the days went on, and I really felt great all over.
