Despite the importance, it can be easy to fall behind on your daily water intake. Hydration is one of Dr. Wayne Andersen’s Habits of Health because it’s calorie free, and speeds up metabolism and helps your liver convert fat to energy.

Here are six smart tips to help you stay hydrated during your busy day.

• Drink a glass of water as soon as you wake. Drinking water on an empty stomach jump-starts your daily hydration and helps your body flush out toxins.
• Take your H2O with you. Carry a refillable water bottle at all times. Drink during downtimes like waiting at the bank, sitting in traffic, etc.
• Track it. Make a chart and check it off each time you drink a glass. Creating a 30-day chart will help make drinking water part of your daily routine.
• Bathroom breaks. After each trip to the restroom, drink an eight-ounce glass to replenish your system.
• Ice is your friend. Fill up a large cup with crushed ice or ice cubes and snack on them throughout the day.
• Make it interesting. Try adding a sachet of Purposeful Hydration to add taste, flavor and vitamins to your water. They’re refreshingly delicious and OPTAVIA Plan-friendly. Ask me, your OPTAVIA Coach, how to add Purposeful Hydration products to your next order!

The OPTAVIA program recommends drinking 64 ounces of water each day. Staying properly hydrated is vital to making your transformation journey a success. So drink up!

* Talk with your healthcare provider prior to changing the amount of water you drink as it can affect certain health conditions and medications.

Every year in late October, the temperature begins to chill and the outside air turns crisp. This time of year also means that school is back in session, Halloween is right around the corner, and holidays are drawing near.

Knowing our calendars are so busy at this time can be a bit overwhelming and stressful at times. However, just because summertime is gone, and vacations have past, doesn’t mean relaxation has to come to a screeching halt.

Try some of these activities to relax so you can enjoy everything the autumn season has to offer:

• Get away with a relaxing drive. Tour the scenic foliage and get lost in the mesmerizing colors of fall. Roll your window down and cruise, while enjoying the fresh, crisp air. Take a day or long weekend trip somewhere where the scenic drives are well known – witness the leaves changing color, and focus this time on leaving your stress at home.
• Adventure to a local pumpkin farm. Bring back childhood memories as you embark on a mission to find the perfect pumpkin for Halloween or Thanksgiving. Play an active role in autumn seasonal celebrations and reward yourself with the perfect pumpkin.
• Explore seasonal corn mazes, hayrides, and haunted houses. Become a kid again and get lost in the moment. Challenge yourself to a corn maze or enjoy a hayride or haunted house with kids and family.
• Take in a fall fairs or festival. These pop up everywhere throughout the season so search the internet to find a fall festival or Halloween themed event near you.
• Get crafty, fall style. Spend time embracing your creative side. Focus your mind solely on what you are doing and have fun. Try taking a walk and collecting something to incorporate into a fun fall art project for your kids.
• Enjoy fresh seasonal vegetables. Fall produce is abound so be sure to savor the different flavors of seasonal vegetables like kabocha squash, cauliflower, delicata squash or cabbage.
• Get active outdoors. Feel the breeze, smell the leaves and listen to trees. There are so many fun ways to participate in healthy motion this season, like taking outdoor yoga or exploring regional parks and hiking trails.
• Have an outdoor bonfire. Sit and enjoy the calming sensations of the crackling fire. It’s the perfect way to enjoy a crisp autumn night, while also reconnecting with friends and family.

Ask me, your OPTAVIA Coach, about other ways you can enjoy this time of year, while also achieving Optimal Health and Wellbeing.

A Newfound Freedom Within.

“I found OPTAVIA through my wife, who is an OPTAVIA Coach. She told me flat out that I needed to lose some weight, so I decided to listen and got on OPTAVIA Plan.”

John started his OPTAVIA Program at 237 pounds. From there he got down to 200 pounds, and from there he decided to lose another ten pounds, then another ten pounds, and then another. *Fast forward five years and his weight range is currently between 165 – 170 pounds, meaning he’s shed approximately 72 pounds in total*.

“Last October, I fell and injured both my legs and it's taken me seven months to walk easily again. If I had been my old size, at my old weight, I'd still be in bed with this injury. I am very thankful I listened to my wife and lost the weight.”

John was also a diabetic before beginning the OPTAVIA Program. Because of losing weight the OPTAVIA Program, his diabetes improved which has made both John and his doctor happy.

“After successfully losing so much weight, my transition into OPTAVIA Coaching began. At the time, I was working as a General Manager for a family owned company, and I managed 50 employees.”

The economy was at a low point at that time in California and one afternoon John was forced to lay off all 50 of his employees. “I told the owners I didn’t need my job as General Manager either. I told them to save it for their immediate family, and I laid myself off too.”**

John informed his wife Joyce about what happened, and the next week he started helping her with the OPTAVIA Coaching business.

John has enjoyed his time working as an OPTAVIA Coach and says, “the best part about Coaching besides helping our OPTAVIA Clients, is that we had the flexibility in our schedules to adopt an English Springer Spaniel puppy. We named her Jenny.”

From the day she came home, John’s brought her into his office to work with he and his wife on a daily basis. Jenny attends every OPTAVIA Happy Hour, and greets every OPTAVIA Client with a smile.

John loves having the flexibility and freedom to have his “fur-baby” as another one of his “business partners” with OPTAVIA. “I couldn’t ask for more, plus, I continue to get excited about paying it forward with OPTAVIA, and sharing this program with everyone in need!”