How to Drink More Water

It was 101 degrees yesterday where I live in Northern CA. Luckily we spent most of the day at the pool but I noticed one thing at the end of the day. I drank a total of 2 glasses of water. Two. That’s horrible. I definitely need to drink more water.

I think we all know by now that water is important and that we all need to drink more water, especially when it’s warm outside. However, I think we often over estimate how much water we are actually drinking. If I hadn’t been paying attention to the amount I actually drank I would have guessed that I had consumed about 4 glasses. That’s double the amount I actually drank.

Below are some tips, tricks and general recommendations on how to drink more water each day, as well as how to accurately estimate how much you are getting.

[highlight]How much should you be drinking?[/highlight]

Research and recommendation vary on exactly how much water a person needs, but in general, you can remember the 8×8 rule: eight 8oz glasses of fluid per day.

It’s important to note that fluids other than water can count towards your daily intake. Milk, juice, coffee, and tea are all composed of water so these count towards your 8 glasses a day. However, water should be your primary fluid source.

Food also provides water and can make up about 15-20% of your fluid consumption. For example, watermelon is made up of about 90% water!

The following circumstances can increase your water requirements:

• Exercise:
  • Need to increase your fluid consumption to compensate for water losses from sweat
  • For average exercise (i.e. not marathon running or intense exercise), generally means an extra 1/5-2 cups
• Environment
  • You sweat more in hot/humid temperatures so be sure to compensate for warmer weather by increasing your fluid consumption
• Pregnancy & Breastfeeding
  • Increased fluids are needed during these two stages of life
  • Be sure to check with your doctor for increased recommendations
• Illness / Disease
  • Certain illness or chronic diseases require an increase or decreased level of fluid consumption
  • Always talk to your doctor about specific recommendations

[highlight]Way to increase water in your diet[/highlight]

Some people just don’t like water. For others, it’s easy to forget to fit it into your daily routine. Here are a few tips to increase your water intake:

• Put a water bottle next to your bed
  • Drink a bottle upon waking up and another right before going to bed
  • Placing it next to your bedside reminds you at the very start/end of your day to drink more
• Invest in a fun water bottle to carry with your throughout the day
  • Buy a cute or fun water bottle that you’d actually carry around during the day.
  • Find one that will fit in your car’s cupholder or easily fits in your bag to help ensure you’ll bring it with you when you hit the road
• Try fruit infused water
  • Adding a variety of fruit can add a hint of flavor without adding extra calories
  • Add sliced lemon, strawberries, cucumber,  or mint to water
  • I created some fruit infused ice cubes for an easy way to add fruit without having to deal with slicing it or the pulp you get sometimes from fruit in your water

[highlight]How to track your fluid intake[/highlight]

I think it’s eye opening to actually track your fluid intake for a few days to see how much you actually get versus how much you think you’re getting.

Some easy ways to track your intake:

• Write it down
  • The simplest way, just jot down on a piece of paper for 3 days or so how much fluid you actually drink during the day
• Use an App / Trackable Bottle
  • There are tons of apps available on your phone designed to track fluid intake vs need
  • There are water bottles that are designed to track how many times you refill your bottle or how many ounces you consume.

I think it’s important to set yourself up for success. So try to set a goal and do what you can to make reaching that goal easier My personal goal for this week is to drink 6 glasses of water everyday. Going from 2 glasses to 6 seems feasible to me.

How much water do you drink on a daily basis?