3 Tips To Drinking More Water
Added by Jennifer on February 08, 2010
After I had surgery, my doctor informed me that it was vital that I drink at least 64 ounces of water a day. At the time, I thought that this goal would be an easy one to reach and to keep. After all, I drink water and stay hydrated just like everyone else. I was wrong. After recording my water to see what I actually took in, I was shocked. I found that I hardly drinking more than 24 ounces of water, and satisfied my thirst with other things. Although I am not a big soda drinker, I found myself drinking more juices, milk, and occasional sodas more than indulging in the purifying rejuvenation of water.
Now that I had a wakeup call, I needed to diagnose why my habits were so far off. I discovered a couple of things. First, I wasn’t paying attention and giving water attention in my diet. Second, I didn’t like all water; it is not all made equal. And third, I wasn’t bringing water with me as I went about my day. For those of you who have similar issues, let me share with you my discoveries on how to make it easier to meet your water goals.
Pay Attention!
Record your water intake! Find a method that works best for you. Some water bottles have tickers on the lids to help you track how many times you have drained it. Other people use a marker to make a tick mark on it as they drink each bottle. I use an iPhone application as I don’t use the same container all the time. But find a method that works best for you. The important thing is to record what you are doing so you know what you need to do to improve. If you don’t know what you are drinking, you can’t reach your goals and be certain you are supplying your body with the hydration you need.
Choose Wisely!
My post-surgery days were highlighted by an increased sensitivity with taste. I discovered in my quest to drink more water that not all water tasted the same. In fact, some of it was down right gross! Different bottled water tastes metallic, while some taste pure or refreshing. Also, water tastes different depending on the temperature. Some water tastes much better ice cold, while some is just fine right off the shelf, room temperature. So try different waters and see what you like! I found that Fiji water was my candy water. I loved it! Although it cost more money, it helped me get my ounces for the day. Another fun way to improve the taste is with flavored water. There are lots of different products on the market to try out. Propel, Special K, and Crystal Light are all ones to try. You can buy them straight from bottles or buy those packets to add to your own water. I prefer Propel packets for my water, as I think the premixed drinks are a bit strong for me. I can dilute it as much as I want and use it with any water I may have.
Take it with You!
When you are sent home after surgeries, hospitals give you these huge 32 ounce mugs for your water. A swell idea, but for me, not at all practical. I can’t drag around something like that with me wherever I am. Also, I found it discouraging as I didn’t see quick progress in finishing a glass of water. I like smaller containers to bring with me. They are more portable and easier to carry. Call me shallow, but I drink more out of a container that looks nifty too! (Another perk about Fiji water, as I love the shape of the containers!) So find what feels good in your hand, that you are willing to take with you. And take it wherever you go. You’ll drink more if it is with you.
Good luck in your efforts and make water part of your day!
iPad will fuel a TV revolution
Added by Tim on February 01, 2010
There are lots of iPad nay-sayers out there. I think they’re comments are all based on what they thought Apple was supposed to be doing. I think their criticism is more closely tied to a lack of recognizing a big piece of Apple’s vision than inherent flaws of the new product. So here comes my speculation.
The iPad will alter TELEVISION. Yup, TV. Everyone’s trying to fit it into their preconceived notion of a Kindle killer, but that’s not it.
If you don’t follow, go watch the 50-second clip of the keynote [at timestamp 50:09] where MLB.com show streaming video of a baseball game with extra stats and such shown as overlays in the app, and then think about the obvious customizations you’d be able to make in that interface.
For decades people have talked about interactive TV, but waited on standards and connectivity. Apple innovates without waiting, and I think they’ve built a platform which will finally make interactive television possible and commonplace, and completely customized to the kind of video content being delivered.
What iPod did for music (moved it from the home stereo to a personal experience in your headphones with your personal music collection), iPad will do for video (personalize it for my viewing wherever I am, with my American Idol app with my friends’ live commentary on the live stream we’re all watching from separate locations, or my 24 episode that progresses according to my choices and preferences, or perhaps a self-broadcast like a call-in show).
This could be the rebirth of television because TV ad revenues are declining and with apps like these media producers could have much more targeted advertising in custom apps, or allow people to purchase ad-free access where you pay per episode or season.
The iTunes distribution channel is huge, and worldwide. Lately people have suggested Conan should sell his show direct to the public. With iPad, that seems easy, AND they wouldn’t need Neilsen ratings to know about viewership, they could track when people bail on the show and improve the retention and writing. Imagine how easy you could get international shows like Britain’s Got Talent if you wanted, without needing your local network or satellite company to negotiate rights to broadcast it. Think of ridiculous problems people who loved watching Mountain West sports had when the conference created their own channel to air their games, but couldn’t get anyone to pick it up. Now MTN could produce their own iPad app and target fans worldwide and bypass entirely the satellite companies that negotiated them way down in price by making their channel now “Only available on iPad”.
That puts Apple in position to take a cut of all $$ going from consumer to creator. They become the enabler, but instead of rejecting almost every TV show pitch like Hollywood or Direct TV, everything is available to every consumer. This is easy for them because they don’t have the limited bandwidth of a fixed number of channels or only so many time slots per day. Media companies can now run multiple shows at the same time, streamed from their servers to iPads, freeing them up to chase more hits. And consumers don’t get stuck with 900 channels and nothing to watch. They have the apps for the shows they love and nothing else.
For media producers, now they’d just have to convince the public to buy, not some media company. It’s easier to understand that opportunity as an iPhone app developer. Our simple Waterlogged iPhone app has been purchased in Denmark, Japan, United Arab Emerites, Australia, England, Canada, and the US. We didn’t have to convince any big software company to invest finite resources like TV time in it. The AppStore is an open ecosystem. It’s no panacea, but at least I don’t have to negotiate with Comcast.
Creating niche apps or content will allow much more creatively targeted media to come to the right consumer markets, and everyone benefits. Then the competition sets in because individual media companies can now compete on how interactive and engaging their shows are. Again, no standards dumbed down to simple remotes and video displays. Creators have TONS of freedom to innovate within the platform. That gives us all the potential benefits.
Looking at iPad from it’s potential, I think the world of 2-3 years from now will see that start in force and start to look a lot different than we once imagined it. And Apple’s subtly positioning itself as the middleman in what could be a gigantic emerging market that they make possible.
