Kick the Water Bottle Habit

It’s a common misconception that drinking bottled water is safer and healthier than water from your kitchen sink.  And, of course, since plastic bottles get recycled, we aren’t doing any harm to the environment, right?  Actually neither could be farther from the truth.  Here are 8 solid reasons to kick your water bottle habit. 

1. At least 40 percent of the bottled water in the United States is just filtered tap water anyway.  Check the label.  If it says “from a municipal water source” or “community water system” its source was the same as tap water.  If you want a little extra filtering, just purchase a counter filter like Brita or Pur, and filter your own tap water.
2. Bottled water costs the consumer anywhere from $.89 to over $8.00 per gallon.  Tap water, on the other hand, costs only $.002 per gallon.  If you want to save money, ditch the bottled water.
3. According to the Container Recycling Institute, 30 million plastic water bottles are thrown into landfills and waterways every day.  In fact, only about 12% of plastic bottles are actually recycled.
4. Plastic water bottles often leach dangerous chemicals into the water (such as DEHP, a probable human carcinogen), especially when left in the heat/sun or reused.   
5. The production of the polyethylene used to manufacture plastic bottles takes about 17.6 million barrels of oil each year.  That oil could fuel more than one million US vehicles annually.  Globally, 2.7 million TONS of plastic is used to bottle.  Want to reduce our dependence on foreign oil?  Stop purchasing water packaged in plastic bottles.
6. It can take as much as seven times the amount of water IN the bottle to actually manufacture the bottle itself.  In a world where fresh drinkable water is often in short supply, this is inexcusable.
7. Right now there are about 37,000 tractor trailer trucks cruising the highways across this country delivering water.   Take a minute to think about the amount of gasoline used to fuel those trucks and the greenhouse gases being chugged out into the atmosphere.
8. The Food and Drug Administration sets standards for bottled water.  The Environmental Protection Agency sets the standards for tap water, and their standards are much more stringent.

Have you kicked the water bottle habit?  If you like the convenience that disposable plastic water bottles provide, try a reusable water bottle (just make sure to get one that is BPA free).

Making Real New Year's Resolutions

I tend to be a bit of a scrooge when it comes to New Year’s resolutions.  My bah-humbug attitude comes from the fact that so many of those resolutions deal with health and fitness, crowding the gyms through the month of January, only to see them vacant again, resolutions abandoned, by mid-February.  So many people make those resolutions because it’s the socially appropriate thing to do this time of year, not because they are truly committed to making real and lasting changes. 

Perhaps the majority of New Year’s resolvers out there don’t understand the true meaning of the word “resolution”; otherwise they’d still be sweating it out at the gym in the middle of July. 

One definition of the word “resolution” is “the finding of a solution to a problem”.  That means acknowledging there is a problem in the first place.  Look at yourself in the mirror and admitting the truth of your health situation is a scary step - one most people avoid.  Be honest with yourself, even if it isn’t pretty or makes you feel bad.  The journey to health and fitness is just like any other journey.  If you go to Mapquest to plan a trip you have to enter a starting point in order to get the directions to where you are going.  Without having that point of departure, even Mapquest can’t get you to where you want to go.  Chances are you already know the solution to your problem and it lies in healthy nutrition and exercise.  If you need help with the specifics, Wo40 is here to help.  I suggest starting here.

A resolution also involves the trait of being “resolute”.  (There’s an SAT word for you.) 

resolute - firm in purpose or belief; characterized by firmness and determination

Why don’t you take a minute and read that one again, because it’s important.  If you are going to take the time to make a New Year’s resolution, be resolute about it.  Be firm in your decision, and most of all, be determined.  Make it your unshakeable resolution to finish the work you start on January 1^st.  Let your resoluteness carry you through the battle. 

When you look at it that way, a resolution is a pretty powerful thing, not just something to willy-nilly announce on Facebook because all of your friends are doing it.  When the work gets hard or your life gets busy, remember your resolutions with a firm purpose and belief that you will see your goals attained.

Even with all of my skepticism regarding the making and keeping of New Year’s resolutions, I still acknowledge that the beginning of a new year is a great opportunity to draw a line in the sand and move forward.  For some more ideas to help make your resolutions stick, check out Keith’s entry, This Year I Resolve.  Oh…and have a Happy New Year!