Honestly, I don’t think I did drink enough water today. I maybe got to 1 1/2 liter, which is ok, but not enough. You would think that on a hot sunny day like it was today I would drink more water…well, obviously didn’t happen. And if you ask me why – the answer is very simple: I forgot. The thing I hate the most is that I remember to do it in the late evening, and then I drink a lot of water, and then I cannot sleep because all that water wants to get out.
This is one of my struggles and I know that many people can relate to it.
I have read many different posts on this topic where people are suggesting a lot of different things. Some tips are good and some of those don’t really work for me, and some are just plain stupid – like the one saying that we should eat salty snacks as then we will drink more water. Seriously? It is true, but I really wouldn’t recommend that, especially if you want to lose weight, you have high blood pressure and in general just don’t do that.
The million dollar question here is: What to do in order to drink more water and to do it every day, without making it into a rocket science?
KEEP WATER BOTTLE WITH YOU WHENEVER YOU CAN
Get yourself nice reusable water bottle, you can have more than one and keep them in different locations – in your purse, in your car, in your office, in your kitchen – wherever you are spending the most of your time. Or just have one and take it everywhere you go. Keep those bottles full of fresh water and make them visible. There is a chance that if you see a water bottle you might remember that you need to drink it. I even added a 2 liters bottle on a kitchen counter to sit there as a reminder. Although I have to admit sometimes it does just that, sits there, I say hi and walk away. I know, I know!!!! I shouldn’t neglect it, but I forget, that is it. See that the bottle is the one you really like as apparently there are better chances to use it then. And from my experience this is actually quite true. When I really like the design of my water bottle I kind of want to have it with me and use it. Especially when I get a new one…well that can be an expensive thing if you start buying new bottle every few weeks just to keep yourself entertained with it (although maybe I should try this, it actually might work…just joking). Anyway, get a nice bottle. Also get a functional bottle – and by that I mean bottle that is easy to use, easy to carry, easy to clean (DO NOT FORGET TO CLEAN YOUR BOTTLE, no one will really tell you that, but it is important). Here are few things to pay attention to when choosing your water bottle:
- the size of the bottle – smaller, bigger, medium, also pay attention to the size of the neck on your bottle (if you want to add ice, you need a wider neck).
- what type of material you want your water bottle to be – there are so many different ones on the market – plastic, stainless steel, glass. depending on the material you choose your bottle will be very light or heavy
- what type of a nozzle or drinking valve it has. For this is super important as once I took a wrong bottle and water drinking turned into water sucking and it was super annoying – later on I figured it was kids bottle (don’t judge, I liked the size and bright pink color of it). It is very important that you can easily open and drink from your bottle even when you are on the go.
- your bottle should have measurements on the side. This is important as it will help you track your water intake.
TRACK YOUR DAILY WATER INTAKE WITH AN APP
There is plenty of free applications that you can use to track your water intake (you see why your water bottle should have measurements on the side). I am currently using Fitbit app, as I am using it for tracking my steps, my calories intake and everything else. I like to have it all in one place. Is it the best one, I wouldn’t know, but I like it. You can choose any app you actually like. If you need some help with choosing one, there is a good review for The Best Hydration Apps of 2019. Most of the apps have an easy way to record your water intake – of course you just need to remember to do it. And that is the problem actually – I might remember to drink water but then will I remember to log all of it…the answer is probably not…and at the end it is ok, doesn’t really matter.
There are also a number of so called smart bottles (here is a nice review that can help you choose the best smart bottle on the market). These bottles come with an app and they do all the job for you, including logging your water intake, reminding you to drink water and so on. I am thinking of getting one for myself, maybe that will help.
MAKE A DEAL WITH YOUR FRIENDS TO DRINK MORE WATER
Doing things together, sometimes make things easier and more fun. I used to do this with my friends Maria, Sarah, Natasha and Julia. We all used the same very small office and we had water bottles around our desk (we all used the same desk and it was crowded sometimes). Each day one of us would go and buy water for all of us and write our names on them, and little pictures – a cat, smiley or whatever came to mind. It was 2l bottles and since we worked for 12-14h a day, we had a goal of finishing the bottle by the end of the working day. That worked well as we kept reminding each-other that we need to finish our bottles. At times it was kind of a competition too. Once Sarah took it to the next level and wrote a date and time on the bottle, as some of us were cheating and keeping the same bottle for the next day (it was me of course).
You will find so many different things on the web about drinking water. They will tell you to make daily goals and when you should drink water – I have enough trouble to make other important goals in my life, I need water drinking to be simple. They will tell you Eat your water (really, that is the thing) – fine, but eating food that contains more water won’t fix you for those 2-3 liters that you need during the day…won’t fix you even for half liter. Set a timer to drink water…really? Who would do that – if you would, I admire you. In my case I hate the sound of any alarm so much that I even woke up before my alarm in the morning, just so I can switch it off before it goes on…I think that we have enough stress in our lives without adding additional alarms.
At the end of the day, just try to listen to your body and drink water when you are thirsty. Also when you are hungry and you actually had food, try water because they say that sometimes we mistake thirst for hunger. I definitely do that. I am hungry when I am thirsty, bored, sad, happy…always hungry actually. Drinking water should be a simple and easy thing in our lives so don’t make it complicated. Find your own way to remind yourself to drink and stay hydrated all day long. I admit that is not a thing I am good at, but I will keep trying. And if I find the perfect formula I will let you know.
Here is a simple recipe for tasty water on a hot summer day: Take half lemon and cut it in round slices, some fresh mint leaves (this is optional, if you have some), small piece of ginger root cut in small slices (very small amount and cut it, don’t grate it, as otherwise your water can become spicy and that is not really nice), you can add a bit of cucumber, but you don’t have too if you don’t like it (I don’t). Put all these in a pitcher or a bigger bottle and add cold water into it. Keep it in the fridge for about an hour before you start drinking it, so the flavors get into the water. It is refreshing and delicious.
Let me know what is that you do to drink more water every day?
ButILoveToEat 