Jump Start: Self Care September: Day 3
Hope you’ve been taking extra good care of yourselves so far this week, especially if you’re the sort of person who’s always running around putting others first. Don’t forget, if you miss a day these tasks are all designed so that you can catch up. For example, you could do them all together on the same day at the weekend if you like, and for now we’re carrying on with one new thing every day.
Today’s activity is to stay off the soft drinks (not including the healthier ones such as natural juices and water). So we’re talking about avoiding sweetened and fizzy drinks for one day. Some of us are going to find this easier than others, but remember, this is only for one day.
The ‘avoid’ list includes:
- Colas (regular or with artificial sweeteners)
- Lemonade (regular / low calorie)
- Fizzy fruit flavoured drinks
- ‘Juice drinks’ (drinks that contain added sugar or other sweeteners and flavourings as well as fruit juice)
- Squashes and cordials
- Mixers (tonic water, ginger ale)
- Milkshakes (unless it’s just milk + pure fruit and nothing else)
You can have a glass of pure fruit juice that’s labelled ‘from concentrate’ if you like, but remember to water it down a little, maybe by 25%, so it isn’t too concentrated.
It’s very easy to get into a soft drink habit, but they’re not something you want to be drinking lots of every day. It’s okay to have a glass or can of one every now and then as a treat, but there are health risks if they become a significant part of your regular fluid intake. It’s actually jaw-dropping how much processed sugar some of them contain, along with various other additives that might not be good for your long term health, including some of the ingredients in ‘diet’ drinks.
The completely free option today is to not buy the usual soft drink, and to stick to tap water. Otherwise you can have mineral water (still / sparkling), pure juice, milk or herb teas instead. I know some people say they can’t stand water because it’s boring, but if that’s you then try adding a slice of lemon, lime, orange or cucumber or a sprig of mint and see how you get on.
