When was the last time you found yourself craving a tall, cold glass of water? That type of craving that drives you nuts thinking about it. Where you taste it in your dreams. No? Doesn’t sound familiar? Yea, me neither.
So water isn’t the most exciting of things. In fact, it’s downright boring. Yet it’s a pretty vital part of life. The question become how do you drink enough water when their are so many yummier options out there.
What doesn’t work
I’ve tried to drink more water dozens of times and usually failed. Here are some things I’ve learned don’t lead to drinking more water.
1. Water Trackers
There is an app or journal layout for just about every habit you could possibly want to build. They sound great in theory but remember we’re all about simplifying. I don’t want to have to build the habit of tracking my water intake on top of actually drinking more water. So we need the water to be self-tracking.
2. Water Flavorings
Now listen to me on this. I’m not saying a nice flavored water doesn’t make drinking water more interesting, but it doesn’t replace the drinks we love. If you’re depending on a Mio to make you want to drink more water, you’ll probably find yourself reaching for that Coke instead.
3. Giving up other drinks
For some reason when I hear “drink more water”, I also hear “ONLY drink water”. When you spread out your water intake throughout the day, you have plenty of time and stomach space for all the other drinks you enjoy. So don’t deprive yourself!
What does work
So now we know what doesn’t work, but what does? These are all simple and easy to incorporate into your routine.
1. Water bottles with times
If you’re like me, you get to the end of the day and suddenly realized you haven’t had any water all day so then you chug 3 bottles in a couple of hours before bed. (And end up making 6 trips to the bathroom that night)
To get the max benefits of water, we need to space it out throughout the day. Having water bottles that are marked with times makes a huge difference. It gives you that reminder, as well as, an understanding of how much water you need.
I use these fabulous glass water bottles. I hate water that has a plastic or metallic taste. Each one holds half a day’s water. I use two of them so I have all the water I need for the day on hand.
If you want to use disposable water bottles you can acheive a similiar effect by writing the times on the cap. About 1 bottle every 4 hours is a good place to start.
The great thing about this method is it makes it water self-tracking. All you have to do is finish the marked bottles and you’re done for the day!
2. Good Tasting Water
When I first started trying to drink more water, I went cheap and just used tap water. But I never drank it. It just never tasted good. Since I wanted to stay away from disposable water bottles, I started getting gallons of purified drinking water. They are less than $1 and make a huge difference. Now if you are one of those lucky people who live in a city with great tasting tap water, by all means, go with it. You just want to take that taste barrier out of the way.
3. Always have it with you
If you’re gonna drink more water then you have to have water with you more of the time. So time to shop for a new purse! You can find bags, purses, backpacks of all shapes, sizes, and styles with built in water bottle holders making it easy to take water with you. You can even get straps just for a water bottle if you don’t want a whole bag. But whatever you choose, make sure you have an easy way to carry water with you.
Drink More, Think Less
Forming a new habit should always be as easy as possible. Don’t complicate it with trackers or tons of water flavorings. Make water desirable by using purified water and still enjoying the beverages you love around water. Finally don’t leave you water at home. Find a fantastic bag and bottle to keep it with you all day long. You’ll be amazed at how these simple tips with have you drinking more water in no time!
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