Your body is about 70% water, and drinking enough of it is vital for optimal health. While everyone knows that it’s essential to stay hydrated, doing so can be challenging at times.
Here are a few of my favorite tips to drink more water.
Set a daily goal – If you’re a goal-driven person, set a daily goal, or challenge someone to see who can meet their goals throughout a week.
Merely setting a goal or having some friendly competition can be motivating and make you more likely to make positive hydration changes that will last. It can also help to record your progress, which can keep you motivated to achieve your goal, beat the competition, and make drinking water a habit.
Drink one glass of water before each meal – A simple way to increase your water intake is to make a habit of drinking one glass of water before each meal.
If you eat three meals per day, this adds 3 cups to your daily water intake, and sometimes your body may mistake feelings of thirst for hunger. Before eating, you should drink a glass of water to help determine whether you are feeling true hunger.
Drink one glass of water per hour at work, or while working from home – If you work a standard 8-hour workday, drinking a glass of water each hour you’re at work adds 8 cups to your daily water intake.
Fill up your water bottle as soon as you start your workday, and at the top of every hour, take time to drink some water. This will help you reach your daily goals with little trouble.
Sip throughout the day – Sipping on water consistently throughout the day is another easy way to help you meet your fluid goals. Reaching for a sip of water regularly will keep your mouth from getting dry and may even help keep your breath fresher.
Eat more foods high in water – Another simple way to get more water is to eat more foods that are high in water. Pack these foods as snacks or work them into your meals.
Fruits and vegetables that are particularly high in water:
- Lettuce: 96% water
- Celery: 95% water
- Zucchini: 95% water
- Cabbage: 92% water
- Watermelon: 91% water
- Cantaloupe: 90% water
- Honeydew melon: 90% water
In addition to their high fluid content, these fruits and vegetables are packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that promote your overall health.
Drink one glass of water when you wake up and before bed –An easy way to boost your water intake is to simply drink one glass when you wake up and another before you go to bed.
A glass of cold water in the morning may help wake you up and boost your alertness. Who couldn’t use that?
Drinking water before bed can keep you from waking up with a dry mouth and bad breath. However, it might make you get up in the middle of the night, so you’ll have to weigh the pros and cons of this tip.
The bottom line – Adequate water intake is essential to good health. The National Academy of Medicine estimates that most people need 90–125 ounces of fluid per day, including fluid from water, other beverages, and food.
It can be challenging to drink water habitually, especially with busy schedules and workdays. But you can change that around by choosing some of these simple tips to boost your daily water intake and strive to be healthier with minimal effort.