What you probably don’t know about me is that I don’t drink enough water. It’s not that I’m one of those people you see on TV who cling to a bottle of Mountain Dew 24/7. It’s that all of the water I have access to on a regular basis tastes like trash. The water in my apartment tastes like a mouldy basement, and the ice it makes is like concentrated basement flavour mixed with stale fridge. The water at my office is better and filtered right in front of me, but the ice is pretty awful-tasting. We can never keep enough gallon jugs of water and I just need to invest in my own filtered bottle–I know, I know.

Anyway, when I got sick a month or two ago with a stomach bug, I was drinking Gatorade and other fluids a lot and I’ve kept it up since then.

What happened next will probably not surprise you.

I feel great! I really looked at myself in my close-up mirror a couple mornings ago and noticed that my skin is looking pretty darn amazing. The crappy skin under my eyes is more filled in and less dark. My eyelids are way less puffy when I wake up. I’m even less achy!

How am I staying hydrated now, even though my water sucks and Gatorade is no way to live?

• Iced green tea: My boss bought me a Keurig machine (I’m sorry, Earth) and it came with green tea K-cups. I brew it on the 6oz setting, then add ice and a smidgen of honey. Of course, the Keurig isn’t necessary to do this. Why green tea? I’m from the South, y’all. If I brew black tea, I expect it to be like a good man–strong and sweet. Green tea helps me consume a lot less sugar.
• Gigantic bottles of fizzy water: Fizz makes everything easier. I normally steer clear of bottled water, but I choose litres of carbonated water that’s bottled in non-drought regions so that makes me feel better? The bonus of this is that I can make my own flavoured pops without a machine.
• Iced coffee: This goes along with the Keurig. While it’s a myth that caffeine is an effective diuretic for most of us, a strong cup of hot coffee tends to make me poop. XD I choose iced coffee because it’s less strong, it’s way more refreshing and I can sip it for really long periods of time. I brew a cup of coffee on the 6 ounce setting on my Keurig right into a cup full of ice, then stir in some milk and sugar. (You can also just freeze your milk or leftover coffee for a better drink.)
• Fruit: Forget drinking water when delicious, delicious fruit exists. I’d take an apple over water any day.