9 Simple Ways To Drink More Water Today Print 1 LikeDislike By Beth Romanski Do you drink enough water every day? If you’re like most of us, probably not! Water is an essential nutrient that does a lot more than just quench our thirst on a hot day. Not only do our bodies need water to properly function, but staying properly hydrated can help deliver nutrients to our bodies, prevent infections and even beat headaches. To help us make sure we are properly hydrated every day, Health Coach Beth Romanski has 9 simple ways to make sure you drink enough, and likely more, water daily.Our bodies are made up of about 60% water, so it’s important to maintain a healthy fluid balance for our cells and bodies to function properly. Beyond just helping us quench our thirst, water can support digestion, metabolism, energy, and joint lubrication. And not drinking enough water can lead to headaches, feeling lethargic or being unable to focus clearly. Making sure you drink enough water is even more important if you exercise regularly because you lose fluids during a workout. And when you’re doing a sugar detox or transitioning to a low-carb or ketogenic diet, staying hydrated can help to balance your electrolytes (potassium, sodium and magnesium). This can really help ease the common “detox flu” symptoms many people experience. Even if you’re not in one of these categories, everyone can benefit from being more mindful of their fluid intake, especially in the hot summer season when you’ll need to drink more water! While the amount of water each person needs varies on the individual, it’s important to monitor your fluid intake and stay hydrated. I always recommend listening to your own body, but in general, you can aim for about 10-12 cups (3000 ml) for men or 8-10 cups (2200 ml) a day for women. To make it easy, you can start with 8 oz. x 8 times a day as an average baseline.9 Easy Ways To Help You Drink More WaterMany of us have busy lifestyles and find it difficult to ito remember to drink enough throughout the day. Or even if we remember, sometimes we just don’t feel like drinking all that water. To make sure you are drinking enough every day, I’ve put together a few hacks on how to make sure you stay hydrated:1. Liven it up a bitEven as an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, I find it difficult and unappealing to drink plain water, whereas I look forward to hydrating with just a little flavor. Instead of artificially sweetened beverages, you can add zest to your water with fresh herbs, a drop or two of essential oil, seltzer or you can easily make your own spa water with citrus, berries or cucumber! 2. Make it convenientRemembering to drink water can be hard when you’re on the go and busy. If you have a glass of water or stainless steel water bottle by your bedside so you drink it right away upon waking and at work near your desk and in your workout bag, it is much easier to stay hydrated. I like to use mason jars too!3. Pair it with daily activitiesSetting up pairing strategies when trying to remember to do something is a healthy habit hack. For example, drink 8 oz. of water and lemon tea upon waking, a glass of water after your meal (drinking too much before or during a meal can sometimes disrupt healthy digestion due to diluting needed stomach acid) and at least 16 oz. when you workout.4. Set a reminderJust like with anything else, we can use technology to our advantage by setting up daily reminders on our iphones or computers to remind us to drink more water. Did you know there are apps that track how much water you drink? Technology makes it so much easier to keep track of your progress if you are the type of person that has a hard time remembering, or if you’re competitive and like to see your streaks and milestones, this might be the right strategy for you. Not into technology? Old fashioned post-it notes work too!5. Log itBeing mindful of how much you’re drinking is the first step to drinking more if you aren’t meeting your daily minimums. Most fitness trackers and habits apps have a place to log your water intake because it’s so important. If you don’t already have an electronic way to track, good old pen and paper works too!6. Buy a vibrant stainless steel or BPA-free water bottleI like my beverages to be cold so I love my stainless steel water bottles that keep my liquids cold for up to 24 hours. There are tons of fun designs to choose from and I even get compliments when my water bottle matches my outfit! Make it cute and fun and it becomes a fashion accessory.7. Eat hydrating foodsThere are other ways to get hydrated besides just plain water. Add in more water-rich foods like celery, cucumber, watermelon, berries, oranges, grapefruit. Even nutrient-rich bone broth, soups and smoothies can contribute to your overall hydration levels.8. Expand to herbal teasHydration doesn’t always have to be limited to plain water. Other beverages like herbal teas (hot or cold) count towards your daily water allowance. When I run my 21-Day Sugar Detox Group Programs, I recommend herbal teas to curb cravings for sweets! Herbal teas can also be very helpful to relieving stress and promoting relaxation as well as cleansing or energizing depending on the herbs and tea blend…so the health benefits of teas go well beyond simple hydration.I love adding Further Food Collagen to my teas for an extra boost of nutrition too!9. Join a 7-Day Water ChallengeJust like doing the Further Food 7 day Sugar Detox can help you cut out sugar, you can do a 7 day Water Challenge to help you increase the amount of water you drink. If you can commit to just 7 days of 8 glasses of water a day for a week, you might be surprised how much easier it is to keep it up in the long term! Start small and work your way up to big goals. FREE MyHealthyTransitions Health Coaching 7-Day Drink More Water Challenge to get started right away!Need help following through with your intentions to eat healthfully and exercise regularly? Request a complimentary health consultation with Beth at MyHealthyTransitions Health Coaching or listen to Beth’s Wellness Warriors Radio Podcast for health and wellness tips. Give your water a tasteless protein boost with Further Food Collagen Peptides! Want to read more?Hydrating Cherry-Cucumber Smoothie11 Root Causes of Why You’re Always Tired…and How to Fix It!
Is Collagen Good for Pregnant Women? Collagen supplementation has become increasingly popular for many reasons, from improving the appearance of skin to helping strengthen gut and joint health. As the primary building block of the body’s skin, muscles, bones, tendons, ligaments, an...
What is Mushroom Coffee? What is Mushroom Coffee? What is mushroom coffee, and what does mushroom coffee taste like? This relatively new trend began to gain popularity around the 2010s and has grown to capture interest in all sectors of the food, health, and coffee indus...
Raw VS Cooked Vegetables: Benefits and Success Stories What You Need To Know About Raw VS Cooked Vegetables Interested in a raw food diet but unsure about how to get started? Proponents of a raw food lifestyle eat only uncooked and unprocessed foods because it is believed that heating food destroys i...
What To Know About The Bone Broth Weight Loss Diet What To Know About The Bone Broth Weight Loss Diet With all the mail I receive from people who are excited about starting the bone broth weight loss diet, there’s one question I’m hearing a lot: “Can I do this diet if I’m a vegetarian, pe...
5 Benefits of Exercise as You Age First of all, why is it important to stay active as we age? As we age, we can feel less stamina and agility than we did when we were younger. But this doesn’t mean we should stop moving altogether. In fact, it’s the opposite! By incorporating re...
Tips on How to Help With Constipation As a Functional Nutritional Therapist, one of the most common digestive complaints I hear from my patients is that they suffer from chronic constipation. They aren’t alone. In the U.S, we spend billions of dollars on over-the-counter and pharmaceu...