I don’t write a lot about water.

It’s an easy thing to take for granted.

Here in the U.S., we turn the handle of a faucet and clean water spews forth. We drink it, bathe in it, swim in it, and flush it away.

How often do you stop and truly appreciate this incredible gift that is so critical to your life and wellness?

It’s a little mind-boggling that something so simple that we acquire so easily is so vital for all known forms of life. You can go a long time without food—as long as you are hydrated. The only thing you need more than water to sustain life is the oxygen that you breathe.

I love the factoid that water covers 70.9 percent of the Earth’s surface, and the human body contains roughly the same percentage. It feels like cosmic connection.

To function properly, your body needs between one and seven liters of water per day, depending on the level of activity, temperature, humidity, and other factors. Most advocates agree that about 2 liters (6 to 7 glasses) of water daily is the minimum to maintain proper hydration.

Access to safe drinking water has improved over the last decades in almost every part of the world, but about one billion people still lack access to safe water.

I am grateful that I have more than I need at my fingertips, and that I pay so little for it.

How much water do you drink?

Most people forgo water for coffee, a soft drink, or other beverage.

Today, I encourage you to think about water—the water that makes up your body, that you drink, that you wash your hands and dishes in.

And don’t just think about, but actively appreciate it.

Appreciate the sensation of it on your skin, the cool smoothness of it on your tongue, the beauty of light shining through it, and the benefits that it brings to each cell in your body.

In the hustle and bustle of your holiday errands, appreciate the peace of consciously sipping a glass of water.

Appreciate this substance that is so simple, yet so profoundly important to your wellness—and getting the body you want.

As Dr. Masaru Emoto from Japan has shown, water molecules are impacted by our thoughts, so imagine the benefits of the water you are drinking when you appreciate it.

Now how does that water taste?

How much more willing are you to reach for another glass?

Today, drink to your health.

Together we can do it!

Want to share the gift of water this holiday season? Here are a list of organizations making a difference.

My blog is moving! On Thursday, I will be shifting my blog to my new website LoveYourWaySlim.com. For the next month, I will post both here and there. To keep following my posts after January 15, you will need to follow my new blog. I look forward to continuing the journey with you!