May I offer you a glass of Water?
Drink more Water! How often have we heard those words? Many of us often struggle to drink enough water on a daily basis. Although we know we should, we either forget, don’t feel like it or drink anything else but that.
Approximately 80% of our water intake comes from drinking water and other beverages, and the other 20% comes from food. Assuming these percentages are accurate for most of us, the recommended amount of beverages, including water, would be approximately 9 cups for women and 12.5 cups for men. So how do we get in the proper water intake?
Here a a few good tips:
Make it accessible:
The first rule of turning something into a habit – make it easy to do. In order to drink more water have some – in a bottle or a glass on your desk always at hand and you’ll drink more naturally.
Add flavor:
The easiest way to get yourself to drink more water is to make it taste good. Although plain water to me is just fine. I understand the need to spice or change it up. It especially helps if you are trying to transition from sweet soft drinks into drinking something that has no taste, making it all that harder to get used to. Try infusing your water with natural fruits before reaching for the Mio’s or Crystal Light mixes.
Make it beforehand preferably the night before: slice up half a lemon or half a cucumber and add it to a glass jug, fill it up with 2 liters of water and keep in the fridge overnight. You’ll be surprised what a difference the flavor will make to your water drinking habits – you’ll be reaching for a glass more often than you expect. Pick up a glass water bottle with infuser to keep at your desk or in your bag. Be sure its GLASS and that it closes properly so it does not leak all over your stuff.
Get a straw:
Sipping water isn’t as enjoyable as sipping milkshakes so why would you reach out for it again and again? With a straw we can drink as much as possible the first time. Learn from the milkshakes – how fast can you drink one… if you drink it through a straw? Something as simple as a straw added to a glass of water will completely change how much water you drink in one go. Try it! Buy a pack of straws and you’ll have one on hand any time you need one.
Log it:
Make yourself accountable and log it in. You will get water from food and other drinks like coffee and tea but the best source of water is still – water. Set a time of the day when you have to drink a glass and keep the times the same every time, for example: 8am, 3pm and 9pm.
And of course there’s an app for that. Be warned the water tracking apps can be a bit too tedious and may add time to your day, after all you want to make your life easier not harder. However It does add the gamification factor into the whole thing which can really help and work for some people.
By the way, that recommended amount above is before we add exercise, environment, illness and pregnancy for my ladies. Watch for these signs of dehydration: Chapped lips, dark circles under your eyes; feeling of hunger; headaches or dry mouth. Those are clear signs you are not getting enough water into your body. Did you know dehydration leads to dizziness, headaches, sluggishness and confusion rendering us less than productive and unable to concentrate and get on with our day.
So go ahead and grab a glass right now! Come back for more info on the benefits of water intake.
