As part of the 21 day healthy habit challenge w/the Christians w/ 100 lbs to lose team we were to choose a healthy habit to focus on and to read an article and share it w/others...

Since I'm restarting my weight loss journey after having a baby 5 months ago I decided to put my focus on water. It had been fairly easy for me to drink my 64+ oz of water daily prior to the pregnancy but I had lost the habit. I had read most all of the articles about drinking water here on SP but I did find an "Ask the Expert" concerning the benefits of water. I knew some of the benefits of being hydrated but some did surprise me.

Here are my faves:
I knew that water improves complexion...my dh always comments that he can tell by rubbing my upper arm if I've been drinking my water...w/o water I get dry skin bumps and w/water it's smoother. It's one of my faves b/c my dh always notices! =)
I also new that it prevents water retention...my legs have still been slightly swollen since the pregnancy and c-section but just from drinking my water this week they are smaller!!
It also helps control my appetite (another reason it's my 1st healthy habit to work on!).
I didn't know that it metabolizes fat, (now if I could just direct it to the fat I want it to metabolize first!) carries more blood and oxygen to my face (wrinkle prevention? lol), helps me be less irritable, less stressed (me? irritable and stressed? ) and regulates body temp.

There's a whole lot more b/c the effects of dehydration are a lot. So drink up!If you're curious here's the link:
www.sparkpeople.com/comm
unity/ask_the_experts.asp?
q=41