Surprisingly, I continued to get positive e-mails year after year about that stupid article. It seemed to have changed some people's lives. And I believe them, because here I am, almost 30 years old, and I can tell you that the second biggest catalyst towards my physical evolution that I have identified, was when I started drinking plain water instead of flavored beverages when I was a 13 year old kid. (My biggest catalyst being invited to join a Taekwondo class by my old buddy Taegashi).
Water was my "gateway" into nutritional obsession.
For comparison, let's consider gateway drugs. Gateway drug theory suggests that the use of less deleterious drugs can lead to a future risk of using harder drugs. What I'm suggesting is that creating a habit of drinking plain water instead of flavored beverages can lead to future nutritional optimizations. It's exactly what happened to me. First I became obsessed with water and its health benefits, then I became interested in foods and their health benefits, then I became interested in supplements and their health benefits, then I bought some protein powder and creatine, then I became Jujimufu.
I whole heartedly believe that the habit of replacing all flavored beverages in my diet in my early teens was what lead me to ongoing nutritional excellence.
Getting used to drinking water changes your taste organs
All my friends and family have always been amazed at my ability to "endure" very bland foods and love it.
Antoine Vaillant has always envied this in me, so much to the extent he has named it as one of my super powers and makes jokes about it. I can eat a bowl of cream of rice with nothing in it and I enjoy it as much as a bowl of ice cream. I eat protein powders unflavored and unsweetened. I don't need to put sauces and spices on almost anything. Bland is how I eat, yet I don't feel deprived or feel like I'm dieting. This is one of the reasons I've been shredded for almost a decade.
And you know what the secret to my super power of being able to eat bland diet food is? You guess correct if you answered WATER. Learning to drink water in place of every beverage throughout the day actually changed my taste buds. It will change yours too. Look, I have no science to back this up but here's a test for you, go find someone who drinks almost nothing but water throughout the day and see how much of a picky eater they are. You won't find very many picky eaters, who can also endure bland foods, who also drink water almost exclusively compared to other drinks, and drink a lot of it. Evidence is everywhere, go look. The more water someone drinks, the better they are eating. The better they are eating, the prettier they are. Period.
Water makes you beautiful. Drinking water is sexy.
Go look in all the women's fitness magazines and it won't take long for you to find a picture of some youthful, pretty lady drinking a glass or bottle of pure water. Just google it: Woman drinking water
Why are there so many pictures of this? Because it's sexy. Water is sexy, it's purity, it's healthy, it's beautiful. Healthy and purity is beauty. The more water you drink the more beautiful you will be, for subjective reasons as much as established medical reasons. It's the preferred drink of beautiful people as well as hardcore people.
Drinking water is respectable and will make you friends
You go out to eat with your parents. What do you order to drink? "Just a glass of water." Your parents will respect you for saving them $1 on some stupid drink like iced tea or soda. You're a guest at someone's house and they ask if you want something to drink. "If I could just have a glass of water that would be great. Thank you." Your guest will respect you for your moderation and restraint, and will be thankful for the ease of fulfilling your request. People appreciate water drinkers because they're easy to please and can take care of themselves if they get thirsty. You'll have more friends. And money, because water is free from tap or a purifier.
You have to try it to believe it
My fanatacism about drinking pure water is cult-like. While I don't drink out of the hose anymore, I do walk around like some 90s bodybuilder with a gallon jug of water. Or I'm scuttling about town with some other drinking vessel.
I worship the water cooler at my workplace, I bow down before it as if it's the alter of life, several times a day. And it is. Water is life, pure, unadultered, real, and raw. Water is for the brave, the beautiful, the strong, the hardcore. Worshippers of water are bigger, stronger, faster, leaner, have better sex, have more sex, have better friends, have more friends, make more money, build greater legacies and live happier more exciting lives than people who gloss over water. Don't listen to those people who suggest you can get your daily "water" requirement from drinking other drinks like tea or fruit drinks or whatever. They're wrong, and they are totally missing out on the life transformation possible from converting to drinking only pure water. And they are all ugly. All of them. Start drinking water now. GO! I have created you a guide here: Learn to drink water!
‘water the magic potion’ was great. i used to drink like 500ml a day and felt horrible in almost every aspect imaginable. nowadays i drink 4 liters a day at least, excluding my pre bedtime milk. it feels awesome. i hardly get anymore headaches, acne cleared up considerably, saved a shitload on beverages and generally feel like my organs couldn’t run any smoother. the only con is that i have to pee too damn often haha. and i have you to thank for that.