Did you know that only 1 in 5 of us drink at least 8 glasses of water a day? Most of us only drink about 4! And the experts are saying that we need to be drinking half our body weight in ounces each day! That's a lot of water! (I weight 130 lbs. so I should be drinking 65 ounces of water?!) Wow. I'm on day 5 of doing that and I feel great! I challenge you to do the same! Half your body weight in ounces every day for the month of January. Why half your body weight? Well, first of all, our bodies are 75% percent water and our brains are 85% water. Without adequate hydration, our metabolism slows down, energy levels drop , toxics build up and cells are deprived of vital oxygen and nutrients. Signs of dehydration that we have before we even feel thirsty are subtle like feeling sleepy, achy and hungry. What do we usually do? Reach for a snack or a second cup of coffee. Instead, grab a glass of water.....less calories, and it will speed up your metabolism by 3% (according to a study at the University of Utah). Imagine that! Losing weight just by drinking more water?! Some more reasons to drink up:water helps the digestive system operate more efficiently and helps you absorb more nutrients and lessens cravings and water also fights fatigue induced hunger.

Take the January water challenge with me and I promise you will lose weight, have more energy and save money buying coffee at Starbucks!