8 Ways to Drink More Water

Yes, the media harps on about it all the time. Every healthy person is always swigging the stuff. And we stop and think about it we all probably know how good it is for us.

Water.

It’s an important part of taking good care of ourselves, due to the dangers of dehydration and the threat of keeling over, and has a shed load of health benefits too. However, this is all very well and good but we tend to be stubborn creatures and probably most of us don’t drink enough of the stuff. We complain about the taste, whinge we don’t have the time or just let it escape from our memory.

And yes I am going to harp on about it too. When we get enough of that water stuff during the day, it can help with:

Improving your skin, hair, and nails
Relieving headaches
Reducing muscle cramps
Helping to flush out your body
Improving weight loss efforts
Giving you more energy

See its got lots of benefits so I am 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.

1. Drink Water Before Every Meal

The first tip is very simple. Before you have anything to eat or drink have a glass of water first. Yes, it can be that simple. So before you have that first cup of coffee in the morning, while you’re waiting for the kettle to boil, grab that glass of water. About to demolish your frosties? Glass of water first. Going to have a mid-morning snack, yep you get it to have a glass of water first.

Doing it this way ticks few boxes. The obvious one it makes you drink more water. It also helps you digest your food better. And of course, it will fill you up so you will probably eat less at meal times.

2. Make Your Own Infused or Flavored Water

My own personal hatred of water is the taste. No, it isn’t tasteless to me and it doesn’t have a nice taste to it at all. Now to blow some myths. You don’t have to drink just tap water. You can add flavours to it without turning it into a sugar/calorie heavy drink.

The Simple Method

Probably the one we all know. Just add lemon. Quick, easy and anyone can do it. Cut a lemon into wedges, squeeze the wedges into the water then pop the wedges in too. If you think just lemon might be a bit boring add some lime too or maybe grapefruit.

Fruit or Vegetable Infused Water

If you have a bit more time than it takes to squeeze a lemon wedge you can try other fruits and vegetables or even some cheeky little herbs to snazzy it up too.

To make infused water, you just need a large jug and some water. Prepare your fruits, veggies, and herbs depending on what they are. Berries should be sliced so you can access the juice inside, fruits with hard skin should be peeled first. Veggies should also be peeled and chopped. Squish your herbs to release the oils and flavors.

Add the ingredients to the bottom of the jug, cover with ice, then add your water. Let it sit in the refrigerator for as long as you can before drinking it, which really allows those flavors and nutrients to come through.

You can also use an infuser bottle which makes drinking on the go or out of the house easier.

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3. Choose a Bottle You Love to Use

Boring water bottles hardly get me excited to drink more so I am sure they might not do it for everyone else. The trick is to get a bottle that ticks your boxes.

Maybe a better colour or one that is easier to hold. Try out a few different cups until you feel like you have found the one that is perfect for you.

4. Limit Other Drinks You Consume

Another little trick for drinking more water is to reduce all of the other drinks you chug back. This doesn’t mean drinking water 100 percent of the time and never having a cup of juice or soda again. But, it does help to reduce them, so that when you are thirsty, you go for water instead. This eventually increases your water intake simply because you are going for water when you feel a thirst and not other drinks.

5. Always Track Your Water Intake

You don’t have to be a slave to the app for the rest of your life but whilst your forming new habits it would be good to entrust the help of an app to help you log the amount of water you do drink each day.

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.

6. Enjoy Fruits & Veggies with High Water Content

If you find that you simply can’t drink enough water, then eat your water instead! You should still try to drink as much as you can, but this is good for the days when youíre a little below your water intake goal. There are fruits and veggies that have a high water content, therefore helping to hydrate you. These include:

Cucumbers
Grapefruit
Apples
Pineapple
Lettuce
Celery
Radishes
Watermelon

7. Dilute Your Juice When You Have it

During those times when you really want a glass of juice instead of water, you can dilute it so increase your water content a bit. 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, fruity juice has also added 4 ounces of water. It is a super easy way to add to your water intake for the day. This is also going to reduce your calories, carbs, and sugar.

8. Try These Water Drinking Reminders

If you enjoy water, but you often forget to drink more of it, these little reminders can be helpful for you.

1.Drink water before every meal, snack, and other beverage
2.Drink a glass of water when you wake up
3.Drink water before or after your workouts
4.Drink a glass of water after every trip to the bathroom
5.Drink a glass of water every time you enter your office or your home

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.