Social Norm
Although most people have heard about the importance of drinking plenty of water, the majority of people still do not drink enough. The social norm of drinking water is only when exercising or water is the only option when thirsty. When most people eat a meal, they drink a soda or a sugary sports drink and water is their last option. A lot of people realize the importance of drinking water, yet think that it does not effect them. Without actually drinking enough water and feeling the difference it can make in your life, most do not think their lack of water intake is a big deal.
Most of us grow up drinking soft drinks and only drinking water on occasion. As children we start out by looking at soft drinks as a treat and something most everyone would choose over water. After tasting sugary drinks it is easy to crave them and when given the option, pick that to drink over the healthy choice of water. It is important to teach our youth the benefits of choosing water over other drinks so that when they get out on their own they will be able to make better decisions on water consumption and make choosing water a habit they do not think twice about.
Everyone knows that staying hydrated is important, however there not the same amount that actually do. Being as athlete, it is easy to see the consequence of not drinking enough water (poor performance, feel slow, etc.). For those that do not work out on a daily basis it is harder for them to see the consequence. This may be a reason for the gap between a knowledge base and value.
ReplyDeleteHaley, I agree with you saying that after we taste sugary drinks we crave them. They taste better than just regular water and therefore drank more often. You gave good facts and are right that we need to teach the youth about the importance of H2O.
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