Fulfilling My Purpose

I’ve never been a coffee drinker. Can’t stand the taste. I’ve tried all different kinds of coffee and added all kinds of stuff to it–even cocoa. Just don’t like it. Give me coffee cake or coffee ice cream any day, but you can keep the drink. I’ve never been a tea drinker either–cold or hot–until now.

For the last few years, the media has hyped up green tea. I would listen and think, “I should probably drink that. It sounds like it is really good for you.” The only thing that kept me from trying it was the color. It’s green. I honestly thought it would taste like asparagus, green beans, broccoli, and brussel sprout juice. I love green veggies, but the thought of drinking green vegetable juice made me avoid green tea.

But recently, I read an article from my chiro about the boatload of benefits from green tea. It can fight cancer, boost your immune system, increase resistance to stress, and help maintain a healthy metabolism and cholesterol levels. (That’s just a few of its super powers.) Isn’t it funny how you can hear something ten times and you don’t believe it until someone you trust tells you it’s true?

So I tried it. And I was very surprised it doesn’t taste like green juice. It just tastes like…tea. Go figure. I actually like the taste of it. So now Kevin and I are big tea drinkers. When the kids go to bed, we’re like two old people sitting at the kitchen table chatting and sipping our hot tea. My grandmother would be proud. She drank tea every day. I can still hear the sound of her spoon clanging against her cup as she stirred milk into her tea.

How much water do you drink a day?

Before I started chiropractic, I drank 30-40 ounces of water a day. I knew that wasn’t nearly enough, but I thought it wasn’t too bad since water is basically all I drink. When I started chiro, I weighed 148 (I’m 5′ 11″). My doctor said I needed to drink half my body weight in ounces every day, which would be 74 ounces. Yeah, right. I knew that would be nearly impossible.

Then, about a week into treatment I overheard one of my doctor’s assistants talking to another patient. She explained how toxins are released into your body when the doctor adjusts your spine. That’s why it is so important to drink lots of water–to flush out the toxins to prevent infection. Also, your body needs that much water to replenish fluids and function optimally. That got my attention! I started drinking 74 ounces of water every day.

An interesting thing happened. I started losing weight–one pound each week for ten weeks. I didn’t change my diet or exercise routine. I was eating a little less–not because I was trying to eat less–but because I wasn’t hungry all the time like I used to be. I read an article a long time ago that stated most Americans are dehydrated. When we feel hungry, we are actually thirsty, but our bodies can’t tell the difference. So, we are munching all the time when we should be drinking more water. Check out this article for more details.

After 7 months, I have kept those ten pounds off, I’m still drinking lots of water, and I feel great!