How to Force Yourself to Drink More Water Every Day
Water is the best thing you can add to your body, but many of us ignore it throughout the day. Here are some great ways to teach yourself the healthy habit of drinking plenty of water every day.
Why you should drink more water
We need water to survive, but drinking enough to survive is not ideal for your body. Water is needed to soften and lubricate joints, protect the brain and other internal tissues, regulate body temperature, and remove waste from the body when urinating, defecating, and sweating.
When you are running low on water, dehydration plays a role . When you are dehydrated, you will experience dry mouth , low blood pressure, headaches, dizziness, dry skin, and worst of all, fatigue.
An easy way to determine this is by looking at the color of your urine . Light medium to medium yellow (or clear) is what you want to aim for. If this yellow is more amber in color, it usually means that you are not getting enough.
So how much do you need? While it is difficult to pinpoint the ideal amount, we have previously consulted with Dr. Pamila Brar and there are a few guidelines you can follow:
- Men should drink about 3 liters (about 13 cups) of fluid a day.
- Women should drink about 2.2 liters (about 9 cups) of liquid a day.
Men need a little more because they are on average larger and naturally have a little more muscle mass, which holds water better than adipose tissue. Of course, pregnant women and nursing mothers also need more water. If you think this is a ton of water , this is a bad sign. It actually boils down to four to eight sips of water per hour , but remembering to drink it can be tricky, especially if you’re busy at work and don’t have time to worry about your continued thirst, or if you’re exercising during the day and don’t want to feel. crap yourself.
Not only do you have to remember to drink it, but you also have many other delicious drinks that are competing to make their way inside you. While a soda or sports drink can quench your thirst, sugar and other additives won’t do you any good – and they might even increase your thirst. If you can help, stick to water. But if you really want a different drink, drink at least water in addition to it. Remember, water is the cheapest drink! Drinking water instead of soda can save you about $ 312 a year, according to Trent Hamm of The Simple Dollar.
Don’t forget about your daily activities. If you do sports or do any hard work , early use of water can provide you a good feeling during the workout in the future. The same is true if you drink a lot of coffee, caffeinated tea, or alcohol. They act as diuretics, making you urinate more often and lose some water. Also, if you are in a warmer climate, you sweat more and need more water than in a temperate zone. You can drink too much water, so don’t overdo it, but your body can process 15 liters of water every day. The range of the “golden mean” is quite wide.
Hide it in your daily life
If you already have a good daily routine before bed, make it part of your drinking water. You can still drink your morning coffee, but add a glass of water first. The Natural Choice Blog recommends drinking a glass at the same time in the same place every day throughout the day:
… make it a habit to drink a glass of water right after you get out of the shower, or right before you wash up for the night. This is an easy way to add at least two glasses of water a day to your daily routine.
Wake up, drink a glass of water. Get ready for bed, drink a glass of water. It just gives you a head start for the rest of the day. If you’re having trouble remembering to incorporate this into your daily routine, find ways to make the water more visible. Place a glass of water on your bedside table to see it before bed, or place a glass by the coffee maker so you don’t forget to drink a glass while the coffee is brewing.
Buy a decent water bottle and mark it with time-focused goals
Water bottles are a great way to increase your water intake. Get a quality one , even if it is a little more expensive for you. A good stainless steel or sturdy plastic bottle will work. Once you find the one you like, take it with you wherever you go.
You can take your water bottle usage to the next level by creating your own drinking goals and marking them on the bottle. Take duct tape or a labeling machine and start marking how much water you want to drink at a specific time each day. This way, you can truly see your water consumption goal and know if you need to catch up or be ahead of it.
It also doesn’t hurt to make your water bottle your own. SparkPeople’s Cindy Dyson 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 unique design, the more attached you are to your bottle, the less likely you are to lose it. Place an inspirational sticker or image on it, or even write on it with a permanent marker. You are now ready to drink from it throughout the day – remember to refill it as soon as it is empty.
There are many good options for water bottles, but the most important thing is that you like them. You will never be left on track with a water bottle that you hate to use or hesitate to get noticed.
Make it a game
Gamification is an effective way to get yourself to do a lot of things, and drinking water is no exception. Stimulate your new water habit by rewarding yourself for reaching milestones. Drinking your goal every day for a whole week? Indulge in something you don’t normally get. This also goes both ways. Forgotten to drink enough water yesterday? No Netflix or video games until you make up for it.
Competition is a great way to keep the drive going, and on her blog, Tri Sport Girl believes that racing is the perfect way to compete with yourself :
Everything is more fun than competition … Apply the same concept to your water intake and suddenly you are racing to see how much water you can drink by lunchtime (my current PB is 1.25L) or how soon you can finish 2L (mine PB – 14:36).
Just make sure you don’t just drink a lot of water in the morning or drink for the rest of the day. It is best to spread this, but challenge is always a good way to stay engaged. As much as you love playing with your life, find the tool that works for you and keep track of what you do. When you see how well you are playing your 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 multiple alarms that go off throughout the day, and when one goes off, drink a large glass of water. It might sound like overkill, but nothing will get you back to your routine like a phone call for a drink.
Part of building a new habit, however, is finding a way to do things without outside help, so it’s a good idea to create your own mental triggers. For example, if you are hungry, drink a glass of water. It does several things for you: it helps your stomach and intestines on the digestive front, keeps you hydrated, and possibly even reduces hunger . In fact, you might not even be that hungry, and your brain was just sending you the wrong signals about what it needed.
You can also make mental triggers for other things, such as drinking a glass of water every time you use the toilet, or taking a sip of water every time you stop working. Having a sudden addiction to unhealthy foods? Take a glass of water instead. Triggers can also be requirements that you must meet. Lauren Conrad – yes, that Lauren Conrad – made it a rule that she couldn’t start every meal until she finished a liter bottle of water . This sounds like an extreme if you’re not distributing the amount of alcohol, but it’s a great way to force yourself to focus on water first and then food.
Cheer up your water drinking experience
You could drink more water if it was a little more interesting. If so, there are many ways to go beyond plain, boring H2O. Some fruits or cucumbers in water add a little flavor without added sugar, which you can find in pure fruit juice. Freeze lemon slices in ice cubes to easily improve the water, or try some ginger and herbs for a little variety . If you don’t have enough soda, try soda or soda. You will get champagne without other not-so-good things.
As with your personal water bottle, it’s important to have a glass of water that suits you. Use your favorite glass and you will feel better drinking from it. For example, I drink water from a large glass with Spider-Man (seriously, that’s cool). It reminds me that superheroes drink water and I have to do that too.
If superheroes aren’t for you, consider it a fun straw. If the crazy straw makes you drink more, do so. Plus, drinking through a straw in the long term can help you drink more. You will drink and swallow without realizing how much you actually ate. Sure, you could probably drink the same amount with a sip, but pulling through the straw requires less effort, so you’re more likely to do it.
Eat your water
Yes, food also contains water. You may be missing only your daily water requirement, but there are some foods that can help you snack. Fruits and vegetables are a great source of water, as well as a healthy alternative to chips or candy. Some of the fruits and vegetables with the highest water content are:
Cucumber, lettuce, celery, radishes, tomatoes, bell peppers, cauliflower, watermelon, spinach, strawberries, broccoli, grapefruit, apricots, cherries, grapes and zucchini.
Pick your favorites and keep them close at hand. It is important to note, however, that when you cook these foods, they lose a lot of water, so they are best eaten raw.
Drinking more water can literally change your life for the better. When you are properly hydrated, you can digest food more easily, sleep better, and think more clearly. Learn to love the taste of water because every sip is good for you.