First things first: I lost 2 pounds this week on my super top secret 12-week book pre-release plan.

{cue the balloon drop}

Aside from the fact that my body decided that there's no time like the present to surprise me after 3 months (yeah, that) I soldiered through the PMS and followed the plan.

I also got in five straight days of exercise and threw in a Saturday workout just cuz I felt like it.

This week I'm building on my success by really focusing on the water thing. 

Oh, the water thing. I really, really don't drink enough plain, unfettered water. So I bought myself a gift -- yet another water bottle. I found it on Cassey Ho's Blogilates site and I knew I had to have it because it has markers for every hour from morning 'til noon. When you finish that side of the bottle, (it says "Do It Again") you simply fill it up and go from 2 to 6 p.m.

I got it in the mail right before we went to the gym, so I made up for lost time and drank the entire quart on the bike during my 10-minute warmup. (Note to self: Don't do that. It's hard to workout when you're sloshing full of water.)

But for those of us who think visually, having those one-hour hash marks to polish off makes getting the water down super easy. 

It's not a little sippy bottle; it's a big ol' chug bottle so the o-z's go quickly.

Today was the first time I drank 8 glasses of water in quite awhile and I intend to keep using my new gift to myself.

I especially love the message on the front of the bottle: