You are not a stupid person. Not by any means.

Are you getting enough water?

In fact, it’s my guess that you’re healthier than most.

You probably exercise regularly. You watch what you eat. You keep up-to-date on the latest health concerns. You don’t binge on sugar.

And you never – ever – eat fast food. Well, almost never.

But you do have a few unhealthy skeletons in your closet -ones that you probably aren’t even aware of.

The following 5 Stupid Things are frequently committed by health conscious people. Once you break these bad habits, you’ll find that achieving your weight loss goals just became a whole lot easier.

1. You’re Dehydrated

• It has been said that 75 percent of the population is chronically dehydrated. Would you disagree? When was the last time that you actually drank 8 glasses of water in a day?
• Dehydration occurs when more fluid leaves your body than is taken in. Symptoms include: fatigue, irritability, headaches, nausea, rapid heart rate, and, in extreme cases, even death.
• Dehydration also slows your metabolism, which hinders weight loss.

You shouldn’t wait until the feeling of thirst or dry mouth hits you, at that point damage has already been done. Instead, constantly rehydrate throughout your day to avoid dehydration.

The best way to do this is to incorporate water into your daily schedule. Have a water bottle at your desk and train yourself to sip on it often, and get into the habit of drinking a full glass of water with each meal and snack.  The rule to aim for is…

• 1/2 ounce of PLAIN water PER pound of body weight PER Day (i.e.  a 150 pound person would drink 75 oz per day)
• This DOES NOT INCLUDE water consumed during exercise
• It also doesn’t factor in other dehydrating factors such as alcohol, caffeine, medications, or extreme environmental conditions.
• MORE water needs to be consumed to compensate for these factors
• The water should be taken in small amounts throughout the day…otherwise you will just pee it out!

You Are What You Eat!

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