9 Ways to Drink More Water
Image via Katherine Johnson (Flickr)
9 Ways to Drink More Water
You need to drink more water! You need to drink more water! Are you tired of hearing that? I know; I am, too. The problem is you probably do need to drink more water. Statistics show that 75 percent of Americans are chronically dehydrated. That’s a large number of people who are not drinking enough water. I’ve talked about how dangerous dehydration can be in previous posts. Now, I’m going to give you nine tips to ensure that you drink more water and do not fall within that 75 percent.
Tip #1 – Substitute other drinks with water. I know that this won’t be a very popular tip, but instead of having that soda with lunch, drink water. Make water your beverage of choice, and replace soda, tea, coffee, and alcohol with a glass of water instead. Your body needs the water. It doesn’t need the sugary soda.
Tip #2 – Drink a glass of water first thing in the morning. Even if you just read Tip #1 and muttered at your computer screen that there is no way you are giving up your morning coffee, start your day off with a glass of water, too. If you drink a glass of water first thing in the morning, you are already 8 ounces toward your daily intake goal.
Tip #3 – Drink water before each meal. Drinking a glass of water before each meal accomplishes three things. First, it gets three more glasses of your daily intake out of the way. Second, it fills you up a little bit, so you don’t eat as much. Third, it’s a way to schedule drinking water throughout your day to ensure you are drinking your daily quota.
Tip #4 – Eat watery foods. It is estimated that approximately 20 percent of our daily water intake comes from the foods we eat, but that is only if you are eating healthy foods that contain water. For the record, a cheeseburger doesn’t contain water! Fruits and vegetables are high in water content and are good for you to boot.
Tip #5 – Keep water with you. It’s easy to slip off the water bandwagon if you don’t have easy access to water. Keep water with you at all times so you can continually sip it throughout the day. You’ll be surprised at how much water you will consume by simply keeping the H2O readily available!
Tip #6 – Stop by each drinking fountain. If you stop and take a sip from every drinking fountain you see while you’re out, you’ll add more water to your diet than you realize. If you are spending a day shopping at the mall, take a sip from every drinking fountain you pass. Do this when outside, too. Wherever there is a drinking fountain, stop and sip away.
Tip #7 – Use a straw. Speaking of sipping, this tip might seem a little strange, but many people actually drink more water if they are sipping it from a straw. I’m not sure why this is, but I suppose it could be because glugging down glasses of water might seem a little overwhelming. Sipping from a straw is less intimidating, so you actually drink more.
Tip #8 – Keep track of your intake. Keeping track of your water intake is an effective way to ensure you are effectively meeting your quota throughout the day. You can keep track many different ways, but I recommend using a smartphone app. There a several apps to choose from, and they not only help you keep track of how much water you’ve had throughout the day but also remind you when to drink it.
Tip #9 – Take the steps to enjoy drinking water. Many people don’t realize that they subconsciously avoid drinking water because they do not like the taste of it. Tap water is treated with chemicals and often has the taste of bleach or tin to it. You might not be drinking enough water because you just don’t like it. Properly filtering your water removes these impurities and improves its taste.
These are just nine tips on some steps you can take to ensure that you are drinking more water. Keep in mind that the Institute of Medicine recommends women drink 91 ounces of water per day and men drink 125 ounces; this includes the water content found in your foods. If you follow my tips, I think you’ll find it much easier to drink more water throughout your day to achieve the Institute of Medicine’s recommended goals.
Written By: Lynn Taylor