Everyone knows that water is an important part of taking good care of yourself, due to
the dangers of dehydration, and the many health benefits it provides you. However, it is all too
common to not drink enough water during the day, whether because you don’t enjoy it,
you don’t think you have the time, or you simply forget.
When you get enough water during the day, it can help with:
Improving your skin, hair, and nails
Relieving headaches
Reducing muscle cramps
Helping to flush toxins out of your body
Improving weight loss efforts
Giving you more energy
This report is going to go over some of the different ways you can increase your water
intake daily, as well as how to remind yourself it is time to drink more.
- Drink Water Before Every Meal
The first tip for drinking more water on a regular basis is simple – just have a full glass
of water before each meal and snack you consume, including before your morning cup
of coffee. Train your mind to know that if you are
going to put anything into your body, whether it is your breakfast or a late-night treat,
you have to drink 8 ounces of water first.
This provides multiple benefits. First, it reminds you to drink another glass of
water. It will also help your food digest more efficiently. Plus, it prevents you from
overeating since water fills you up quickly. It's not uncommon to think you are
hungry, when in fact you're thirsty. If you are no longer hungry after the full glass of
water, wait a bit before eating.
- Make Your Own Infused or Flavored Water
A common problem people have with drinking water isn’t that they don’t remember to
drink it, but they’re just not interested in it. You don’t necessarily have to drink just plain filtered or tap water all day, every day.
There are many ways to add flavor to your water and make it more interesting, without
piling on the sugar and extra calories. For example you can add single-serve flavor enhancers to your water.
Use the ones that don't have Aspartame or Saccharin (both are known to cause serious health issues).
The Simple Method
If you're short on time and just want a super quick way to add flavor to your water, go
with lime water. All you need to do is add a few lime wedges into your water,
squeezing in the juice first, then putting the wedges in it. Limes have a lot of tart juice,
so this will flavor your water quickly and give it a tart taste. You can also try a mixture of lemon and
lime, or use other juicy fruits like grapefruit and oranges (which will be explained below).
Fruit or Veggie Infused Water
You can use other fruits, vegetables, and even herbs to flavor this water. This is called infused water, since you're soaking your fruits and/or veggies in the water for an extended period of time (to let the flavors and nutrients seep in). You aren’t just flavoring your water with these ingredients, but adding more nutrients and releasing the health benefits of said ingredients.
To make infused water, you should have a glass pitcher (or a BPA-free plastic pitcher) and access to filtered or water. Prepare your fruits, veggies, and herbs by either chopping or slicing them into small pieces. Fruits with hard skin should be peeled first before slicing. Veggies should also be peeled and chopped. Use a muddler or pestle your herbs to release the oils, flavors and nutrients. If you have no access to filter or distilled water, boil 1 gallon of water in a large pot for 30 minutes. Let cool for 2 hours before using. This lowers the chlorine and impurity content of your water.
Add the ingredients to the bottom of the pitcher, cover with ice, then add your water. Let
it sit in the refrigerator for at least 2-3 hours or overnight for a richer flavor.
- Choose a Cup That You Love
Do you want to encourage yourself to drink more water? It’s all in the cup! If you use
boring water bottles you don’t like, then you probably won’t drink as much water as you
should. A good way to have fun with your water and remember to bring the bottle
everywhere with you is to choose a water bottle that works best for you.
This might mean the overall look and color of it, or the ease of holding onto it while
walking. There are so many small details in a water bottle that determine if it’s a good fit
or not. For example, if you drive a lot, you want it to fit perfectly in your cup holder. On
the other hand, if you bike for exercise, you may want it to have a tight lid, but one that
is easy to pop off when drinking while riding.
Try out a few different cups until you feel like you've found the one that is perfect for
you.
- Limit Your Consumption of Soft Drinks
Another little trick for drinking more water is reducing the amount of soft drinks you drink. This doesn’t mean drinking water 100 percent of the time and never having a cup of juice or soda again. When you cut down the amount of soda and juice you drink, have a bottle of water at your side at all times. This eventually increases your water intake simply
because you are going for water when you feel a thirst, and not other beverages.
- Always Track Your Water Intake
This isn’t something you need to do every day for the rest of your life, but for now, it
might be hard to determine how much water to drink and if you have even reached your
goal for the day. Start by figuring out a good way to track your water. This can be an
app on your phone, a notepad, a planner you keep in your purse, or a program on your
computer.
Start by tracking your water for a few days before trying to increase how much you
drink. This lets you know how much you are currently drinking on an average day. If it is
less than 8-10 glasses of water (8 ounces each) a day, you need to start increasing it.
Once you are tracking daily, it helps you know how and when to drink a little more
throughout the day.
- Enjoy Fruits & Veggies with High Water Content
If you find it difficult to drink 64 ounces of water daily, then eat your water instead! You
should still try to drink as much as you can, but this is good for the days when you’re a
little below your daily water intake. There are fruits and veggies that have high water
content, therefore helping to hydrate you. These include:
Cucumbers
Grapefruit
Apples
Pineapple
Lettuce
Celery
Radishes
Watermelon
Cantaloupe
- Dilute Your Juice Whenever Possible
During those times when you really want a glass of juice instead of water, you can dilute
it! Just think about it – if you have a 12-ounce
glass, and you dilute it with water just by 25 percent, that cup of yummy fruit juice has
4 extra ounces of water. It's a super easy way to add to your water intake for the
day. This is also going to reduce your calories, carbs, and sugar.
- Try These Helpful Reminders
If you enjoy water, but constantly forget to drink it, these little reminder may be of help to you:
1.Drink water before every meal. Before you eat breakfast, drink 1 glass of water to get your metabolism going.
Drink water before and after your workouts.
Drink a glass of water after consuming coffee, tea and other caffeinated drinks. For every 8oz of coffee or tea, drink 8oz-16oz of water.
Drink a glass of water every time you use the bathroom or go on a lunch break.
As long as you keep these reminders in the back of your mind, and follow the other tips
mentioned, you should be on your way to increasing your water intake and benefiting
from it.