You know that rule? The one that says you should get eight to 10 glasses of water a day? What do you do if you don't actually like drinking water? Hey, some people don't. After all, it is, by nature, the most bland beverage out there. But drinking lots of water is important for your health and losing weight, especially during the holidays.

If plain old agua isn't your thing, try ...

• Eating lots of produce. It's mostly water!
• Making or ordering soup. Again, it's mainly water, but try to stay away from high-sodium canned soups because they will cause you to retain water as well.
  
• Warming up with herbal tea. Vanilla, peppermint ... there's an endless variety of flavours to choose from, so choose one and drink up.
  
• Drinking juice. Most juices have a ton of sugar, but if you're not getting any other sources of hydration, juice will have to do. Add some carbonated water to give it a kick and up your water intake at the same time.
  
• Adding stuff. Things like lemon wedges and mint leaves will add a bunch of flavour and none of the calories, so it can't hurt to try.
  

How do you drink your H20?

If you're looking to slim down, one of the first tips you'll probably get is to drink more water. But for those of us who diligently down our 64 oz a day, here's some bad news: Recent studies out of the UK suggest that drinking water to slim down could be a waste of time. In a study of 1,000 young women, researchers found no link between waist size and drinking habits -- regardless of what participants regularly drank, be it soda, juice, coffee, tea or water.

However, there was a link between waist size and water consumption in food -- meaning that women who ate foods high in water content -- think fruits, veggies, soups, rice, etc -- tend to be smaller. Read the full findings here.

Still, I would take these findings with a grain of salt. Not only does your body require water to function, I think it's great for weight loss because it helps flush out your system and can take the edge off your hunger. I swear by it anyway -- what about you?

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Each week, we'll be naming a Super Food and offering unique ways to use those Super Foods that pack nutritional power. After all, you are what you eat -- make it count!

This week's superfood is not technically a food. It's a beverage. But it's the mightiest of all the beverages out there. It's refreshing, calorie-free, inexpensive ... and essential for life. Are we talking about Diet Coke here? No way. This miracle drink is, of course, water -- you know, that clear stuff that comes out of your tap and is sold in plastic bottles on stores.

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When we exercise, it's that much more important that we drink enough water. But hold on a second - just how much constitutes enough? For one, a simple rule to go by is that if you're thirsty, you've already waited too long. Your initial signs of thirst are a relatively benign indicator that you're already slightly dehydrated. However, in case you're not really into simple rules, Women's Health magazine published a handy article that spells out just about how much water you lose (and, therefore, how much you will need to replace) for a variety of physical activities.

1 1/2 hours of Singles Tennis: 25 ounces of water lost

35 minutes in a Spinning Class: 35 ounces of water lost

2 Hour Bike Ride: 57 ounces of water lost

Skiing for 7 hours: 89.6 ounces of water lost

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As you probably know from the day you forget to bring your waterbottle to the gym, even mild dehydration can affect athletic performance. But were you aware that not drinking enough water can also affect your cognitive ability?

Water is vital for optimal brain function, as the dehydrated brain causes the release of cortisol. This stress hormone, which is also linked to an increase in fat storage and muscle depletion, can negatively affects the brain's capacity to store and create information.

Though the jury is still out on whether it's necessary to drink the previously suggested eight glasses a day, you'd do well to still drink at least half that amount. Your body and your brain (which are made up of 70 and 75 percent water, respectively) will thank you for it.

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Looking just a little too puffy these days? Part of the reason why may be related to what you're eating. Another part could have something to do with how much you're exercising. And another part may based on something a bit less expected: How much water you're drinking.

It seems to make sense that the more water you drink, the more bloated you will become. Although this is probably true if you're talking about ridiculous (and potentially dangerous) amounts of water consumption, it's not true at all when you just mean average daily intake. In fact, the opposite is actually true. If you don't keep yourself properly hydrated, your body begins to retain water, making you look and feel more bloated.

This water conservation occurs naturally once our bodies switch into survival mode. If we're depriving ourselves of enough water, our body responds by replacing water at the first opportunity and then storing it. The end result can mean a bit of puffiness and softness to your physique.

The good news is that this is a very fixable problem. Drink more water -- at least 2 to 3 liters per day.

What if I told you there was a way to knock 200 calories out of your diet with almost no effort or change to what you eat? Care to find out how? If you do, turn to page 126. If you don't, turn to page 241. Sorry, I digressed to one of those "Choose Your Own Adventure" books from my childhood. What I meant to say is that if you do, simply join my in the next paragraph (Besides, if you chose page 241, you would have ended up falling off of a cliff and landing in a pool of volcanic magma).

Great, you made it safely. Now, back to what I was saying about the 200 calories being stripped from your diet. Before I tell you how, keep in mind what it takes to even burn 200 calories. It could mean a 30 minute jog, 20 minutes of Tao Bo, or 25 minutes in the pool. The bottom line is that it's not exactly easy to burn 200 calories. Now, the opposite of that is what it takes to consume 200 calories. Needless to say, that's much easier -- to the extent that listing foods that contain that many calories or more would take hours. Going full circle and returning to my initial question, researchers at the University of North Carolina last year tested almost 5,000 people and found that if you drink 7 cups of water daily, you will consume 200 less calories per day than people who drink less than that. Maybe 200 calories doesn't seem like a lot to you, but over a year's time, we're talking about 73,000 calories -- or about the equivalent of 20 pounds!!

Vitamin water, Propel, Kellogs K20 -- these are all examples of water with a touch of "enhancement." They're popular too, because sales of designer water have boosted beverage companies' revenue over the billion dollar mark. But an interesting question is being posed: Are these bottles of H20 worth the cost, and the extra calories?

Sure, it's better than downing a can of soda. But big businesses have found out how to make normal water look even more appealing. The result is a bottle of water which they claim is healthier than its bland alternative. However, don't be fooled: some of these "vitamin waters" are packing additives that aren't even water-soluble.

So basically consumers are getting a bunch of sugar water for the $3 price tag. If you're an athlete, this can be well worth the cost. But for everyone else just trying to get their H20 for the day, you might be drinking down extra calories without even being fully aware. Sobe Life Water, for example, weighs in at 150 calories per bottle! This may not be an issue for some people, but others may want to pay more attention to the nutrition facts next time.

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Looking to get stronger? Wondering if supplements are right for you? Well, before you shell out big bucks at your local GNC, let me tell you about a very popular drink that has been shown to increase performance in the weight room. Best of all, it's free.

By now I'm sure you've guessed that I'm talking about water. In a University of Connecticut study, researchers discovered that men who drank plenty of water before lifting weights were able to complete 17 percent more reps in their sets than men who were not properly hydrated.

Because the central nervous system slows down your muscle activation when you're thirsty, drinking water before, during, and after your workout will keep you from falling short of your goals due to this physiological response.

For many, Thanksgiving this week doesn't just mean a day of giving thanks, eating turkey, watching football, spending time with family and enjoying a day off of work. I'm sure that for a lot of you out there, one of the best things about Turkey Day is that it also signals the beginning of the holiday shopping season. I'm Canadian and we celebrate Thanksgiving at least a month before our neighbors to the south, but I know enough about American traditions to know that the day after the big event is traditionally one of the biggest and busiest shopping days of the year.

Unfortunately, not all of us deal well with malls that are packed to capacity with bargain hunters. I'm not a good shopper and admit that I'd rather pay more for just about anything, if it means that I can avoid a tugging match with a frenzied shopaholic over the last cute hoodie or pair of yoga pants on the sale table.

So what are we non-shoppers to do at this time of year? Most of us can't just ignore the craziness altogether and show up at a family gathering empty-handed. While it really is better to give than to receive, I'd still like to see the looks on all of our mothers' faces when, after gratefully accepting some lovely new slippers and an expensive set of sheets, we announce that this year we're just giving the gift of love and good cheer. However, I still don't want to have to spend hours of my precious holiday time duking it out for the best deal at Linens-n-Things.

I've discovered that the answer, at least as far as I'm concerned, exists online. While a mere few years ago I was skeptical of anything I could buy on the web, online shopping has become my savior. So in the interest of the spirit of the holidays, I'd like to share with those who may not yet be in the know, two of my favorite companies to find the gift of beauty, online.

The first is the fabulous H20+, a company that has several freestanding stores across the US and Canada, but which isn't as widely available as a brand like the Body Shop or Bath and Body Works. I've had the chance to visit H20 stores in Las Vegas, Vancouver and even Sydney, Australia, and every time I walk through the doors, I feel completely relaxed. The company specializes in 'sea-derived skincare', offering products for hands, feet, face, body, hair and more. They've got a pretty fantastic men's line for those looking to find something nice for a special guy in their life, and also carry a few nice, light fragrances that smell great but don't overwhelm. I've loved pretty much every product of theirs that I've ever tried and one of the best things about H20 is that, while some of their stuff gets a bit pricey, they also offer fantastic, reasonably-priced gift sets, give away 'gift-with-purchase' items and shipping is free for any order over $100.

My second favorite place to find great beauty items online is at the site for Vancouver-based spa company Skoah. The relatively new company only has three physical locations (2 in Vancouver and 1 in Calgary, Alberta) but will ship their products all over the United States and Canada. Like H20+, their stuff doesn't always come cheap, but as far as skincare products are concerned, they're pretty reasonable -- plus in my opinion, everything they sell smells great. I've tried a number of their products and a few of the best include the luxurious dewlux face kream, the eye kandy moisturizer and the lip dip, which at $15CDN for .5oz (15g), is an awesome deal --seriously, it will last you for years.

I'm sure that there are loads more excellent online sites where you can find some great beauty products without having to leave the comfort of your home or office, but these are just two of my personal favs. If anyone else out there has an excellent site that they've frequented, those of us hoping to avoid the mall rush this season would love to hear about it!

Recently I came across this very interesting article in the New York Times about a woman who was seemingly addicted to water -- she would carry several water bottles with her everywhere, never going more than a few minutes without a drink and making frequent visits to the bathroom. Overnights she would even drink, sometimes more than a gallon, before morning.

The scary thing is that she had been that way as long as she could remember but had never understood why -- it took a doctor taking a special interest when when she was 38 years old and in the hospital for something else to finally solve the mystery.

For that woman the issue was a hormonal deficiency and the fix was as simple as a daily nose-spray prescription. But can a person actually be addicted to water? According to the article the answer is yes -- it's called psychogenic polydipsia and it's defined as an uncontrollable compulsion to drink, usually due to mental illness.

And to think that most have a hard time making ourselves enough water!

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Sometimes the simplest ideas are the best ones, although I'm not sure about this one. Pretty much everybody these days needs to drink more water, and this is one way you could encourage yourself to do that: hook the water right on your belt. This bottle holder would probably be great for anybody who does a lot of walking and moving around during the day (think college kids, and adults who don't use an office or have a desk at their job), and of course it could work great for walking or jogging also, and even for travel and vacations. Except one concern: even while walking won't it bounce and bang around and get annoying?

Via Book of Joe

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Have you ever wondered if carbonated water was bad for your health? I've heard both sides, that it's good for dieting because it can help you feel fuller, and that it might have negative side-effects due to acidity and lack of fluoride. So is it or isn't it a bad idea? Honestly, there haven't been enough studies looking at just water (as opposed to other carbonated beverages) to really know for sure, but experts say that all arrows point to a very small risk, if any, for negative health effects. A bigger risk? Not drinking enough water of any kind, period.

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I'm one of those religious water drinkers. I always have a reusable water bottle with me, and if by the end of the day, I haven't met my 64-0z minimum, you'll see me furiously chugging it before bed (never a good idea.) I'm lucky that I love water so much but even I'll admit that there are days where drinking your water isn't nearly as exciting as having soda. So here's a couple of ways to add some zing to your H20:

-Add a slice of lemon: or orange, or lime, or cucumber. It gives your water just a hint of excitement and is surprisingly refreshing.
-Drink some sugar-free juice instead: I am in love with Crystal Light's lemon iced tea, and it's 0 calories so when I'm craving something sweet, I add that to my water and I'm set.
-Eat it: Most fruits largely consist of water, so if you have, say, an orange or some watermelon, you're getting a good fill of water in edible form.
-Carry it everywhere: It's easy to miss your servings of water if you don't have it with you all the time, so bring it along and make it the first thing you reach for when you're thirsty.

What are your tips?