Water Wednesday | Wake up and Smell the Addiction

Has coffee become the nation’s scourge? My beloved pubs are taking a battering in light of societies palpable shift from Carlsberg to Costa (other watering holes are available) and at the current rate of growth, researchers expect coffee shops to outnumber pubs by 2030.

Charlie and I have too much of a steak dependency to embrace 'No Meat Monday' but I can get behind the new Water Wednesday initiative set by Aqua Optima. It's aimed towards encouraging more people across the country to give up their caffeine fuelled beverages and calorific drinks in exchange for water every Wednesday. 

Coffee is like any form of ritualism. You must first recognise your dependency, and accept the substitutes will be more beneficial. Replacing water with these drinks borne out of a fraught medley of societal dictum and egregious commercialism, will be no mean feat. Going against the grain; breaking patterns, I know, it's time to start moving to a strange new rhythm. 

Breakfast: Coffee? Of course. How many of us hit the kettle before we pull our eyes into focus? Drinking water stimulates the metabolism which is far more productive for your body.

The six to eight hours of recommended nightly sleep is a long period to go without any water consumption. "Drinking a glass or two of water right when you wake up, however, is a good way to quickly rehydrate your body," says Rania Batayneh, MPH, a nutritionist and the author of "The One One One Diet," about the potential benefits.

"Most people have their coffee first thing in the morning," she says. "Although it is a good source of antioxidants, it is also dehydrating. You can offset this with water."

Lunch: Oh coffee. Let's just meet for coffee. Of course you drink soya milk which is an extra 50p in every damn coffee house. Of course you want to try a hazelnut cappuccino because it's the most expensive damn thing on the menu.

Let's just reign in it shall we with this lunacy. Let's also stop turning everything into a damn hashtag, no one is interested in your flat lay laptop and coffee Instagram pictures. Knock that off millennials, please. 

I switched my flat white to a cup of hot water with lemon, and when my lunch date arrived I ordered a bottle of large Evian for the both of us. I offered her a hot water with lemon and of course she ordered a macchiato. What can you do, I tried. 

Afternoons: I normally take a bottle of water to my KOBOX boxing workout, but sometimes slip into vending machine mode. They say you shouldn't shop in a supermarket when you're hungry, same goes. Don't hit the vending machine and think that sugars going to be the antidote for your dehydration. 

I know a blogger that has given up alcohol that talks about hidden triggers. What lies down the track that could cause imminent derailment. The vending machine is one, the McDonalds on the way home is another, and the cinema! Don't get me started. Well actually, let me finish with that. 

Evenings: I've been feeling good all day. I haven't lapsed into a coma or felt like my eyelids are tied to 10k dumbbells. In the evening I took a friend to the cinema, and I figured out why I love the cinema. It's just a glorified Willy Wonka Factory for adults. There is a 100g of Sugar in a large 32oz post mix Pepsi. It's lunacy. 

Of course every assistant encourages the bumper bundle large drink and popcorn deal, that should come with a list of all the local dentists you'll need to fix the holes in your teeth once the movies over. 

I ordered a bottle of water and snuck in some apples slices, of course my friend had the sugary treats and I just cried all the way through the movie. Maybe I should move movie night to the Weekends. 

It's a great idea, 'Water Wednesday'. Shame it's only once a week, but it’s a start.