10 Ways to Drink More Water

Health & Fitness

Friday, Aug 12th, 2016

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We’ve all heard it before, drink more water!

We’re often told to drink at least 8 cups of water per day. I’m not entirely sure about this number or where it came from, but it’s a great start. However, if you’re more active, consume a lot of coffee and/or supplements, or if you’re looking for a new positive habit to form, I believe at least a gallon of water per day is good to aim for! It’s something I aim for daily, but some days I finish it all by 6 pm other days I barely get through half of it…it’s something I’m working on ?

Did you know that our body is 50-65% water and our brains are more than 75% water??

There are so many health benefits from drinking more water, many of which you will experience if you create a habit of drinking more:

Increased energy levels
Naturally filter and flush out toxins
Improve brain function (memory, mood, concentration)
Prevent and treat headaches
Regularity (prevent constipation)
Help lose weight and control calorie intake
Energize muscles/Improve physical endurance
Improved skin appearance
Prevent bad breath
Improve kidney function
Fight sickness

As you can see there are a lot of benefits to drinking more water, but getting in those ounces can be really challenging sometimes. Try these 10 tips to make it easier!

Fill up the gallon jug at night
I suggest you purchase an actual gallon jug instead of relying on yourself to keep track of how many cups you’ve had. Fill it up at night and stick it in the fridge so that you’ll be ready to go in the morning. If it’s already there for you in the morning you’ll be more likely to drink from it and take it with you. I also suggest buying multiple, and keeping them filled up and refrigerated in case one night you get lazy or forget about filling it up.
Drink 12-16 fl.oz. first thing in the morning and with every meal
When you wake up, you’ve just gone 6+ hours without drinking water. Although you may not feel thirsty your body really needs to be hydrated at this point, so drink a big cup before breakfast or at least with breakfast. This will also help you meet your gallon goal because you’ll be starting your day successfully and getting a head start first thing.
Label your gallon jug
This is not something I do, but I’ve seen a lot of people do it to help them stay on track with drinking a gallon throughout the day. If it’s 5 pm and you still have over half a gallon left to go, you likely won’t finish the rest. Add lines down your jug with specific times so you schedule yourself to actually drink it. I’ve seen some people write little motivating words by each time to encourage them even more! Don’t forget to put the earliest time at the top, not the bottom!
Always have water by you
Whether you’re in the car, at your desk, or watching tv, always have a bottle within arms reach so you don’t get lazy or forget about it. If I’m at my desk blogging and I don’t have water by me, I usually go a couple of hours without drinking water because I get comfortable or don’t feel like going downstairs. This is an easy way to fail.
Carry the gallon around
Don’t be afraid of what people think of you. Often times people see the person carrying a gallon around as a “douche,” something I’ve never understood. Remember, you’re just trying to drink more water, if people are judging you for that, they may need to reevaluate their lives. Personally I usually carry around my 40 oz. Hydroflask aka THE BEST water bottle ever. If I go to work or school, I’ll bring both my gallon of water and Hydroflask so I can fill it up when I need to, but keep my gallon in the fridge so it stays cold.

I say to carry it around because the best way to reduce the weight (besides dumping it out) is to drink the water!! Carrying a heavy bottle around will definitely motivate you to drink more!
Use a tracker
If you’re not into the whole gallon thing, purchase a cute water bottle and keep track of how many ounces you’ve drank on your phone or in a notebook/planner. These stickers are adorable and you can just add a check each time you finish a whole bottle. I’m sure there are tons of water tracker apps for both Android and Apple users!
Challenge someone/Have an accountability partner
Maybe one of your friends or co-workers also wants to start drinking more water, suggest that you two hold each other accountable. Texting each other throughout the day to drink up can go a long way! You could even challenge the other person to drink a gallon a day for however many days and whoever loses buys the other person a coffee or lunch!
Add some flavor
This is not something I do, because I don’t mind the “boring” taste of water. If you need some excitement in your water, I suggest adding lemons or trying other fruit infusions. Otherwise you could try adding no calorie/sugarless powders or drops like Crystal Light and Mio. I don’t recommend using those everyday though, I feel like you may not get the best benefit from it…I could be wrong though!
Make rules for each scenario
These “rules” depend on your daily life. For example, sometimes during my commute to work (about 30 minutes), I’ll tell myself I have to drink my water at each red light. Maybe if you work in an office you could drink your water each time you hang up the phone. Even when you’re home watching tv, drink water during each commercial break. This is an easy way to hold yourself accountable and more likely to finish your gallon! Apply it to all of the events in your day and you’ll finish in no time.
Reward yourself
Yup, the cliche reward after you do something good! I think rewards are important though. They make things a little bit more exciting and motivating. As always, keep it healthy and small, no $500 shopping sprees or whole packs of Oreos. Maybe each day you finish you allow yourself an hour of Pinterest browsing or for every 7 day stretch you get to go to a festival or fun event!

I hope these tips can motivate you and help you to drink more water! It’s something that a lot of people want to do, but don’t actually work for or achieve. I think it’s really important to stay hydrated, so drink your water and eat lots of water rich fruits and vegetables! Another thing I would like to add is that you will have to pee A LOT if you drink a gallon. I have to use the restroom every hour or two, so it’s understandable if drinking a gallon is not reasonable for careers like teaching or Realestate!