Since your body is around 70% water, it probably doesn’t come as a surprise that you need to drink water to be in your best health. Water is essential for many different roles in your body including your blood pressure, joint health, cell health, body temperature regulation, electrolyte balance and more. While most of us know just how important it is to stay hydrated, it’s not always as easy as that. Here are some simple things to try if you want to drink more water throughout the day.
How Much Water Do You Need?
Before taking steps to drink more water, it’s important to understand your body’s fluid needs. Around two liters or eight cups per day of water is the general recommendation; however, everybody is different, so it’s worth working out your personal daily water intake using a calculator that takes various individual factors about your lifestyle into account to determine how much water you need for best health.
Set a Daily Water Goal
Having a goal that you work to reach throughout the day is a simple yet effective way to encourage yourself to drink more water. Having a goal to work towards can be motivating in itself and the sense of achievement that you will experience once you hit your daily goal can help to keep you going and make a lasting, positive change. Make sure that your goal is easy for you to achieve; for example, you might decide to refill and drink all the water from your water bottle four or five times throughout the day. You can also find water tracking apps that you can use to record how much you drink.
Invest in a Reusable Water Bottle
By now, most of us are trying to cut down on single-use plastic, so it’s a good idea to keep a reusable water bottle with you throughout the day. Investing in a water bottle that will keep your water cool all day long will encourage you to drink more and make it easy for you to sip water in any setting. Having your water bottle with you will also serve as a visual reminder to drink more water and refill it wherever you can.
Switch Other Drinks for Water
Replacing other drinks that you might normally have in a typical day with water is a good way to ensure that you are fully hydrated. For example, if you drink a lot of juice, diet soda, or tea and coffee, having water instead of these drinks for at least a couple of cups per day will help you increase your water intake and reduce sugar intake from sodas and juices.
Get a Water Filter
Most areas have tap water that is safe to drink, but if you don’t like the taste or have some concerns about the quality of your tap water, it’s a wise idea to invest in a water filter. In-line water filters can be installed to ensure that you have access to clean and fresh-tasting water at all times without the need to go out and purchase spring water, which makes it a more eco-friendly option too.
Infuse Your Water
If you are getting bored with the taste of plain water, or tend to drink more when your drinks have a bit of flavor, there are some options to consider that might encourage you to hydrate more. You can get fruit infuser water bottles that have a compartment in the middle of the bottle where you can place your favorite fruits before leaving it in the fridge overnight to infuse. Or, you can purchase products designed to enhance the flavor of your water. Sugar-free squash is another option you might want to consider if you really don’t like water but want to increase your fluid intake.
Eat Water-Rich Foods
Another simple way to get more water throughout the day is to eat foods that have a high water content. Many fruits and vegetables are made up of a huge amount of water, so you don’t need to drink all of the water that you get in a typical day. Lettuce, for example, has 96% water so a salad for lunch could be a good way to get hydrated, while honeydew, cantaloupe, and watermelons all have at least 90% water if you are looking for a healthy, sweet and hydrating treat. Fruits and vegetables that have a high water content are also packed with antioxidants, vitamins and minerals that will boost your health, so it’s a win-win.
If you want to drink more water but are struggling to increase your fluid intake, try these tricks to stay hydrated.