Are you drinking enough water?
Despite all the benefits of drinking water, many people still find it difficult to get in their daily ounces.
Your body is made up of mostly water, so getting the recommended amount isn’t optional.
While it might feel like a chore to drink more water, there are some tips and tricks you can use to make it more enjoyable.
Here are 10 tips for drinking more water.
Know Your Daily Water Needs
To drink the right amount of water, you first have to know what the right amount of water is.
There are so many different opinions on how much water you should drink, including:
- Drinking 8, 8oz glasses of water per day
- Drinking half your body weight in water
- Sipping constantly throughout the day to avoid experiencing dehydration
It can get confusing trying to follow all the different rules for how much water to drink every day.
So, what’s the real amount?
It turns out, your body is designed to alert you when you need to replenish. This alert is something we should never ignore: thirst.
People who have free access to water will get thirsty before their body becomes deficient in fluids.
The exception to this rule is elderly people whose thirst indicator may have declined due to age.
The short answer is, drink when you are thirsty and stop when you are satisfied.
Increase your water intake after physical activity, if you are breastfeeding or if you are releasing fluids due to sickness.
However, following the guidelines for the recommended amounts of water is a great way to create a habit around drinking water.
Whatever method works best for you is the method you should use.
Drink Water With Every Meal
A great way to sneak more water into your day is to get into the habit of drinking a glass of water with every meal.
There is a common myth floating around that drinking water with meals hinders digestion but the opposite is true.
The water helps move the food down the esophagus and, eventually, eliminate waste more effectively.
Having a glass or two of water when you eat is a great ideal all around.
Infuse Your Water
Make plain water delicious by infusing your water with fruits and herbs. Not only will you be getting in more water, but you will also benefit from all the nutrients from the fruits and herbs.
While you can create gourmet-level water infusions, simple infusions can be just as tasty and refreshing.
A few simple water infusions are:
- Cucumber: a classic, spa-inspired infusion that is fresh and delicious.
- Strawberry, lemon, and basil: a lighter take on a strawberry lemonade with a surprising basil twist.
- Honeydew, lemon, and mint: the ultimate refreshing drink.
Tip: use a handful of fruit and 1-2 leaves of herbs for these infusions. Let the fruit sit in the water for a few hours or even overnight.
While the fruit is still edible after the infusion, it will have less flavor because the flavor will have seeped into the water.
Use a High-Tech Water Bottle
Water intake bottles, or smart water bottles, help you track your daily water intake and improve your health overall.
These smart water bottles have a variety of features, including:
- Bluetooth-capabilities
- Mobile phone syncing
- Water intake tracking
- Fitness monitoring
Many smart water bottles also sync with Apple and FitBit to help you reach your fitness goals.
Tip: Get even more high-tech by drinking ionized water in your smart water bottle. Find out more about the benefits of ionized water.
Download An App
Several hydration apps will help you drink more water with daily reminders, motivation, in-depth tracking and all kinds of data you can track to make sure you are getting enough water.
Many apps are free but you can pay a small fee for added features.
These apps offer a modern way to help you build your water-drinking habit.
Schedule Reminders
Don’t want to download yet another app? Use the clock or calendar on your smartphone to schedule regular reminders to drink water.
For example, set a timer to drink a glass of water at the top of every hour.
Keep a consistent schedule and you will build a healthy, water-drinking habit before you know it.
Tip: pair this method with a water bottle with a time marker.
Start Your Day With Water
One of the best habits you can create is to start and end your day by drinking a glass of water.
Drinking water right when you wake up replenishes the fluids you lost when you were sleeping, jump-starts your metabolism and encourages alertness.
Drinking upon waking is a healthy habit with many added benefits.
Use A Reward System
One of the effective ways to drink more water is to reward yourself for reaching your goals. This will make drinking more water a fun activity instead of an annoying task.
You can use a rewards ladder, like planning a small daily reward, a slightly larger weekly reward, and a more significant monthly reward.
While rewarding yourself is always fun, it’s also a great way to build a healthy habit.
Keep Water With You All The Time
If you keep a bottle of water with you all the time, you’ll be subconsciously giving yourself a visual clue to drink water regularly.
Take this a step further by placing water everywhere you are regularly, such as keeping a bottle on your desk at work, chilling in your refrigerator and on your bedside table.
This is a great way to hack your brain into wanting to drink more water.
Eat Your Water
Swap a cup of water for a few, water-rich fruits to hydrate deliciously and satisfyingly.
Many fruits are mostly made up of water and are a great way to hydrate your body. The top, hydrating fruits include:
- Watermelon
- Cucumber
- Bell peppers
- Cantaloupe
- Pineapple
- Mango
- Grapefruit
- Strawberries
- Oranges
Not only do these fruits help hydrate your body, they are also a good source of healthy vitamins and minerals.
Tips For Drinking More Water: The Bottom Line
By following these tips for drinking more water, you will be able to stay hydrated throughout the day.
In time, you’ll create a habit that makes drinking water less of a chore and more like second nature.
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