Water

    I think one of the hardest things I do for my health is to drink at least 16 ounces of water right after I get out of bed in the morning. Honestly.  It took me weeks to get to the point of doing it without feeling uncomfortable. And months to get into the habit.
    Seriously, when I wake up in the morning my first thought is not, "Gee, I can't wait to fill my stomach with a sloshing flood of water. Plain, plain water." Rather, it is usually, "Coffee. I need my beloved coffee."  Yes, coffee is my vice, though not much of one really. I do drink my coffee nearly black, just adding a smidge of organic, free-trade raw sugar (yes, I am one of those people).
    Water. It is vital to life. Without adequate amounts our internal organs will be sluggish, muscle recovery will be poor, brain function will be hindered. No, I am not one to cart around a gallon container of spring water, I think that is bit excessive. I know that our body is very good at processing water out of any beverage we consume, including coffee, so I am not neurotic about counting liters of H2O consumed during the day. I do have a stainless steel water bottle with me at all times, filled with my delicious well water. I always drink water during and after workouts, never sport drinks. I never drink soda, and rarely alcoholic beverages. In the evening I usually have several incredibly large mugs of herbal tea so I go to bed well hydrated. I drink about 8 ounces of water in the middle of the night when I get up to pee away the vast amounts of herbal tea consumed before bedtime.
    I know I am getting plenty of water, in one form or another. So, why the early morning hydration? I could say it is because I read somewhere that it helps kickstart your metabolism in the morning, or that it gets your digestive track moving, or that it wakes up all the internal organs. Because I have read all that somewhere. But just because I read it in one of the multitude of articles I peruse online, does not make any of it true. I think I do it because, just like with my car, I like to keep my tank topped off. You never know when you might hit a long stretch of road with no filling station in sight. A well filled tank, sloshy or not, will let me get a little further, maybe a little faster, without running out of steam. But it is definitely a hard habit to maintain.