Battle for the Best Water

Appetizer
Don't waste your precious daily calories on high-calorie drinks.

Main Course
Your personalized recommended daily calorie intake is based on your sex, height, weight and activity level. It may also take your Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) into consideration if you have access to that information.

Despite all of the mixed messages we hear in the media every day, the secret to success is actually quite simple. If your body gets more calories than it needs to function day-to-day (by eating too many calories or not burning off enough calories), you will gain weight. If your body gets exactly the number of calories it needs, you will maintain your current weight. And of course, if you take in less calories that your body needs or if you burn extra calories through physical activity, you will lose weight.

When dealing with this type of somewhat delicate balance, it's best to consider every calorie carefully. With only a limited number of calories with which to work each day, try not to waste them on drinks. Use them for nourishing and fulfilling meals instead.

Dessert
Nearly two years ago, I wrote a Cafe Physique post about utilizing too many calories on drinks rather than food which typically provides more nutrients and keeps you feeling full longer. Back then, there were relatively few low-calorie drinks on the market that actually tasted good, but some companies have listened.

I still favor water over any other drinks, especially before/during/after workouts, but when you're really committed to increasing your daily water intake, it can get repetitive and boring... In comes the new craze of flavored water. HOWEVER, most of these "waters" are nothing short of watered down sugary Kool-Aid with tons of empty calories. Make sure to read the label rather than fall into the trap of thinking that anything that says "water" is good for you. I haven't tried them all yet, but right now my personal favorite is Propel because it has only one-fifth of the calories normally found in other vitamin waters.

I'm usually skeptical of changing anything in my routine, but I replaced my normal water with Propel last week after seeing this video http://youtube.com/PropelFitWater, and I must admit that I was impressed. Check it out, and let me know what you think!