Water is the best thing you can put in your body, yet
so many of us ignore it throughout the day. Here are some great ways to trick
yourself into developing a healthy habit of drinking lots of water every day.
Why You Should Be
Drinking More Water
We need water to survive, but drinking enough to get
by isn’t ideal for your body. Water is required to cushion and lubricate your
joints, protect your brain and other internal tissues, regulate your body
temperature, and remove waste from your body through urination, bowel
movements, and perspiration.
When you don’t have enough water, dehydration comes out to play. When you’re
dehydrated you’ll experience dry mouth, low blood pressure, headaches,
dizziness, dry skin, and worst of all, fatigue.
A simple way to tell is by taking a look at the color of your urine. A light-to-medium yellow
(or clear) is what you want to aim for. If that yellow is more of an amber, it
usually means you’re not getting enough.
So how much do you need? While it’s hard to determine
an ideal amount exactly, we previously consulted with Dr. Pamila Brar
and there are some guidelines you can follow:
•
Men should drink about 3 liters (about 13 cups) of
total fluids a day.
•
Women should drink about 2.2 liters (about 9 cups) of
total fluids a day.
Men need a little more because they tend to be larger on
average and naturally have a little more muscle mass—which holds water better
than fatty tissues. Of course, pregnant women and nursing mothers need more
water as well. If that seems like a ton of water to you, that’s a bad
sign. It actually breaks down to just four to eight sips of water per hour, but
remembering to drink it can be hard—especially if you’re busy at work and don’t
have time to worry about that lingering feeling of thirst, or if you have a
workout later in the day and don’t want to feel like crap.
Not only do you have to remember to drink it, but you
also have a lot of other tasty beverages out there competing to make their way
inside of you. While a soda or sports drink may sound thirst-quenching, the
sugar and other extras aren’t going to do you any favors—and they might even
make you more thirsty. If you can help it, stick to water. But if you really
want a different beverage, at least drink water in addition to it. Remember,
water is the cheapest drink out there! According to Trent Hamm at The Simple
Dollar, choosing to drink water instead of soda could save you
about $312 every year.
Keep your daily activities in mind, too. If you’re exercising or doing any strenuous work,
staying hydrated beforehand can ensure you feel good during that workout later
on. The same goes if you’ve been drinking a lot of coffee, caffeinated tea, or
alcohol. They act as diuretics, causing you to urinate more and lose some
water. Also, if you’re in a warmer climate, you perspire more and need
more water than you would in a temperate zone. It is possible to drink too much
water, so don’t overdo it, but your body can process 15 liters of it every day.
The “happy medium” range is pretty wide.
Hide It In Your Daily
Routine
If you already have a good morning and bedtime
routine, make drinking water a part of it. You can still have your morning
coffee, but add a glass of water in beforehand. The Natural Choice blog
recommends having a glass at the same time and in the same place during
your routine every day:
...get in the habit of drinking a glass of water right
after you get out of the shower, or right before you wash your face at night.
This is an easy way to add at least two glasses of water a day to your routine.
Wake up, have a glass of water. Get ready for bed,
have a glass of water. Just by doing that you get a head start on the rest of
the day. If you’re having a hard time remembering to incorporate it in your
routine, find ways to make your water more visible. Put a glass of water on
your nightstand so you see it before you go to bed or have a glass waiting by
the coffee maker so you remember to have a glass while your joe brews.
Get a Decent Water
Bottle and Mark It with Time-Oriented Goals
Water bottles are an excellent way to increase your
water intake. Get a high-quality one, even if it costs you a
little more. A good stainless steel or heavy-duty plastic bottle should do the
trick. Once you’ve found one you like, take it with you everywhere.
You can take your water bottle usage to the next level
by coming up with your own timed drinking goals and marking it on the bottle.
Get some tape or a label maker and start marking how much water you’d like to
drink by a certain time every day. This way you can actually see your water
drinking goal and you’ll know whether you need to play catch up or if you’re
ahead of the game.
It doesn’t hurt to really make your water bottle your
own, either. Cindy Dyson at SparkPeople suggests that the more you like your
water bottle, the more likely you’ll want to use it:
Whether it’s your favorite color or a unique design,
the more you bond with your bottle, the less likely you’ll be to lose it. Slap
an inspirational sticker or image onto it, or even write on it with a permanent
marker. Now you’re ready to drink from it throughout the day—don’t forget to
refill it as soon as it’s empty.
There are a lot of good options for water bottles out
there, but the most important thing is that you like it. You’ll never stay on
track with a water bottle you hate using or are embarrassed to be seen with.
Make It a Game
Gamification is an effective way to get yourself to do
a lot of things, and drinking water is no exception. Incentivize your new water habit by rewarding
yourself when you reach milestones. Go a whole week drinking your goal every
day? Treat yourself to something you don’t normally get. It goes both ways too.
Forget to drink enough water yesterday? No Netflix or video games until you’ve
made up for it.
Competition is a great way to keep your drive too, and
on her blog, the “Tri Sport Girl” suggests a race is the perfect way to compete with yourself:
Everything is more fun as a competition.... Apply the
same concept to water consumption, and suddenly you’re racing to see how much
water you can drink by lunchtime (my current PB is 1.25L) or how soon in the
day you can finish 2L (my PB is 2:36pm).
Just be sure you’re not just drinking a bunch of water
in the morning and none for the rest of the day. It’s best to spread it out,
but a challenge is always a good way to keep yourself engaged. However you like
to gamify your life, find a tool that works for you and track what
you do. When you can see how well you’re playing your own game it can only help
you.
Set a Timer and Create
Mental Triggers
If you’re still having a hard time remembering to
drink water, set a timer on your phone. Create a few alarms set to go off
throughout the day and when one goes off chug a big glass of water. This might
seem like overkill, but nothing snaps you back into a routine like a phone
screaming at you to drink.
Part of building a new habit is finding a way to do
things without the need of outside help, however, so it’s a good idea to create
your own mental triggers. For example, if you start to feel hungry, have a
glass of water. This does a few things for you: it’ll help your stomach and intestine
on the digestive front, keep you hydrated, and possibly even curb your hunger. In fact, you
may not even be that hungry and your brain just sent you the wrong signals for
what it needed.
You can also make mental triggers for other things
like having a glass of water every time you use the restroom or taking a sip of
water every time you stop working. Have a sudden craving for junk food? Grab a
glass of water instead. Triggers can be requirements you have to meet as well.
Lauren Conrad—yes, that Lauren Conrad—made a rule that she
can’t start each meal until she’s finished a one liter bottle of water. It
sounds kind of extreme if you don’t spread out your drinking, but it’s a great
way to force yourself to focus on water first and food second.
Jazz Up Your Water
Drinking Experience
Just like a personal water bottle, having a good water
glass that fits you is important too. Use a glass you love and you’ll feel
better about drinking from it. For example, I drink my water from a large
Spider-Man glass (seriously, it’s awesome). It reminds me that super heroes
drink their water, so I should too.
If super heroes aren’t your thing, consider a fun
straw. If a crazy straw will get you to drink more, do it. Plus, drinking from
a straw can help you drink more in the long run. You’ll sip and sip, not
realizing how much you’ve actually had. Sure, you could probably drink just as
much by chugging, but sipping from a straw takes less effort so you’re more
inclined to do it.
Eat Your Water
Yes, food has water in it too. It may not have enough
for you to only eat your daily intake of water, but there are some foods
you can snack on that can help. Fruits and vegetables are a great source of
water, and also make for a healthy alternative to chips or candy. Here are some
of the fruits and veggies with the highest water content:
Cucumber, Lettuce, Celery, Radishes, Tomatoes, Bell
Peppers, Cauliflower, Watermelon, Spinach, Strawberries,
Broccoli, Grapefruit, Apricots, Cherries, Grapes, and Zucchini.
Pick your favorites and keep those around. It’s
important to note, however, that when you cook these things, they lose a lot of
their water, so they’re best eaten raw.
Drinking more water can literally change your life for
the better. When you’re properly hydrated, you can digest easier, sleep better,
and think clearer. Learn to love the taste of water, because every single
sip is good for you.
Article by: Patrick Allan, http://lifehacker.com/how-to-trick-yourself-into-drinking-more-water-every-da-1678956552
illustrations and photos by Tina Mailhot-Roberge, B Rosen, Rubbermaid Products, undressedskeleton,
rafael-castillo, Anita Hart, Martin Cathrae.
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