Just Add Water

If you over did it yesterday, get back on track today with a big glass of water. In case you haven’t heard, water is pretty great for you: It can improve the look and feel of your skin, give you more energy, and keep you feeling full. If you skip one caloric beverage per day in favor of a glass of water, you can lose 20 pounds in a year without doing anything else. Think water is boring? Add some flavor—while adding zero or just a few calories—with these three strategies.

Cucumber, lemon, or cucumber and lemon High-end spas have known this for years: Adding a few slices of cucumber to a pitcher of water turns the beverage from blah into blissful. Cucumber can also increase libido and improve your skin. Adding a bit of lemon can enhance the flavor further, and it perfectly compliments the cucumber taste.

Add bubbles and herbs Sparkling water offers the same hydration benefit as water from the tap, but with those nose-tickling bubbles that make it feel like a pleasure beverage. Add some herbs or flowers to increase the scent and near-soda experience: Try some powdered or freshly sliced ginger with a squeeze of orange for a spicy zinger, add a few chopped mint leaves for a refreshing scent that can actually help you eat less,or add lavender for a floral hit that’s loaded with Vitamin C and can help ease joint pain.

Eat a salad instead Many vegetables are 80 to 90 percent water, anyway. Piling a bowl with unlmited serving vegetables including lettuce, cucumbers, onions, broccoli and radishes can give you a big, filling extra meal that’s completely guilt-free, full of nutrients your body needs, and fiber to keep you full. Oh, and the water you’re after, too.