While we know that drinking water is good for our overall health, drinking enough water every day can be a struggle. The great news is there are several ways to make doing so easier and numerous benefits to proper hydration. Dehydration, a very common condition, can cause toxins to build up in your system, increase unclear thinking, irregular moods, heightened body temperature, kidney stones and more. By hydrating the body, you’re hydrating the skin, promoting healthy brain function, fusing toxins out of the body, regulating the body’s temperature and supporting a healthy immune system.
Try these ten tips … they’ll have you drinking more water daily and staying ultra-hydrated!
1. Flavor Your Water
One of the biggest complaints about water is the lack of flavor, but water doesn’t have to be bland! Have fun and experiment by adding herbs, freshly-squeezed fruit or veggie slices to your glass or pitcher for a more tantalizing drink! Some tasty examples would be lemon, lime or cucumber slices.
2. Try Sparkling Water
Sparkling water is a great substitute for sugary soda drinks—especially when you’re in the mood for carbonation. Fizzy and often flavored, sparkling water is rising in popularity and more readily available than ever before.
3. Purchase a Marked Water Bottle
This is a must—buy a marked bottle and bring it with you everywhere! A bottle with ounces or phrases labeled on the side allows you to see where you are in reaching your daily intake goal while doubling as a motivational tool. As you consider your purchase, make sure it is a good quality bottle, free of BPA and other toxins.
4. Add Water-rich Snacks to Your Diet
Since the calculation of daily fluid intake includes water consumed through food, introducing water-rich foods into your diet is a crafty way of consuming more water each day. Fruits and veggies like cucumber, celery, zucchini and watermelon are high in water content, require little to no prep and, bonus, they’re guilt-free snacks!
5. Break up Your Intake With Small Goals
Instead of setting one big goal for the day, break it down into smaller, more achievable goals. For instance, rather than aiming to drink eight or ten glasses a day, aim to drink two glasses by 10am, four glasses by lunch, six by 3pm and so on. Smaller goals are less intimidating, making us more inclined to stay on track and reach each milestone.
6. Have a Glass for Every Cup of Coffee
While coffee, tea and soda are diuretics and there isn’t a real substitute for water, if you’re in the habit of drinking a few cups of coffee (or other diuretics) at work or on the go, start finishing off each cup with a glass of water. This as an easy way to increase intake by pairing it with a pre-existing habit.
7. Pair Your Bathroom Breaks With a Glass of Water
Start training yourself to have a glass of water prior to every bathroom break. Rather than doing it afterward (you’re more likely to forget when you get back to what you were doing), treat your bathroom break like a reward!
8. Drink a Glass Before Every Meal
No matter if you’re eating at home, at a restaurant or at the office, make it a point to drink a glass of water before taking the first bite of any meal. Not only will this small step help you in reaching your daily goal, over time, this “rule” will become second nature—a healthy habit that requires minimal effort.
9. Refill Your Glass as Soon as it’s Empty
Get up and replenish your glass as soon as you finish it. This tactic makes sure you’ve always got a supply of water by your side while simultaneously eliminating any excuse to not have a sip later.
10. Have a Method for Tracking Your Cups
If you can’t keep track of your intake, how will you know if you’re meeting your goal? Nowadays, there are apps to help track your water consumption from your devices. From reminding you when it’s time to sip to alerting you if you’re falling behind on your goal, if you’re struggling to keep track, do a little research into the different applications and their features to find the best fit for you!
