If there is only one decision you make toward living a healthier lifestyle it should be to drink more water. If you do nothing different in your life but drink more water you will experience a multitude of health benefits. The human adult body is made up of 65% water on average. It only takes losing 1 % of that water to impair memory and cause fatigue. At 3% water loss your body becomes dehydrated and thirst signals are sent to the brain. Water is necessary for our bodies to perform everyday functions such as metabolism, digestion, regulating body temperature, sending messages between cells and a whole lot more. Here are 5 more reasons to drink more water and 5 ways to increase your water intake today.
5 Reasons to Drink Enough Water
- Detox – Waste inside our bodies is filtered and secreted with water. Not enough water in our bodies means more toxins building up in our cells and systems. Are you feeling tired, cranky or ill? Have problems with headaches or constipation? These are all signs that your body needs more water to cleanse and purify itself.
- Get Energized – Water in the blood carries nutrients and oxygen to all parts of the body. Too little water means that your body is not getting what it needs. It also means that your muscles, organs, bones and mood will suffer. Drinking enough water throughout the day will increase your stamina and overall feeling of well-being by delivering the healthy, oxygenated blood to your whole body
- Healthy kidneys and bladder – when your body has enough water moving through it, toxins an pass easily through the kidneys and bladder. When water in the body is scarce, kidney stones and urinary tract infections are more common. You can prevent many sicknesses just by drinking water.
- Have less joint pain – by giving your body the amount of water it needs to produce lubrication. Joints have to stay hydrated to function properly and pain free. Glucosamine works by causing the cartilage to increase water absorption so if you are taking this supplement you especially need to be sure that you are drinking enough water.
- Maintain a healthy weight – Of course we have heard this many times, but are we drinking enough water to really see the rewards on the scale? Drinking water absolutely curbs cravings. Our bodies can confuse hunger with dehydration which causes us to eat more. Drinking water in place of high calorie beverages is not just a healthier choice but also reduces a lot of calories in a day. Having our bodies function at optimal health with the right amount of water makes us more active and motivated to move.
Now that you know why you should be drinking more water, how are you supposed to make sure that you are hydrating all throughout the day? First you need to know how much water you should be drinking. You can use the standard 8 glasses a day method to be safe and healthy but if you want to know more specifically how much water your body needs you can do a little math and find out. Calculate Your Weight Divided by 2 = number of ounces needed per day. *For men it is an average of 13 cups and for women an ave of 9 cups. This increases when temperature and activity increases.
5 Tips to Drink More Water
Go buy a new water bottle that is special to you and only for your water. This will greatly signify your new healthy habit. Make sure that this water bottle has the features that fit your lifestyle. There are many different types and styles of water bottles and you should take these into consideration when deciding. Do you want a detachable lid? One that has a diffuser inside to add fruit to your water? One with a filter if you have to refill from the tap? One that fits in the cup holder of your car? There is a lot to consider.
Mark the outside of your water bottle with a permanent marker or tape. Start with an empty bottle and add a cup (or 8 oz) at a time. Each time you add another cup, mark it on the bottle. Then try to drink to each line once every hour and especially before meals. This will help you space out your water intake the way your body needs it. (Make sure to drink more water when you are hot, active and thirsty).
Having a day that you really just can’t drink another glass? Try eating some small restaurant ice cubes, popsicles made of Natural fruit juice (mostly water and no corn syrup) or fresh fruit high in water content like melon, berries and citrus. Need something warmer? Make a broth soup, cup of tea or hot water with lemon and honey.
If you think that water is boring, find ways to make it fun and flavorful. There are many options from traditional lemons to gourmet muddled sage and strawberries. Most every store carries different varieties of flavor packets that you add to water or use a built in diffuser for fresh taste. You can make these fresh mint ice cubes too.
Make it public. Tell the people in your office to do the challenge with you. Post a status on twitter or facebook everyday with how many cups you drank that day. Take an instagram selfie of you drinking your water every day for a week or so while you create the new, healthy habit!
Robin (Masshole Mommy)
It’s definitley not always easy to get in the amount of water we are supposed to drink every day, but I think spreading it out all day long definitley helps!
Kelsey Apley
I am trying to drink more water right now, great tips and good reasons why! That will keep me going!
Tammi @ My Organized Chaos
Yes, water is soooo important. With that, i haven’t drank much today, thanks for the reminder – off to fill up a glass!
Kayla @ TheEclecticElement
Love, love, LOVE this post! I drink mostly water during my day but that doesn’t mean I get enough of it. I’m guilty for FORGETTING to drink water throughout my day so I have no doubt I’ll be using some of your handy tips for myself 🙂
Thanks for sharing these fantastic tips!
Jennifer Soltys
Great ideas. I don’t know what my problem is lately — I was doing so well with drinking a gallon a day. Suddenly, I am failing. I will have to try some lemon! I have kidney stones, so it’s not something I should ever mess with.
Daisy
Great tips! I am tracking how much water I drink and trying to improve. It’s so important to stay hydrated!
Amanda A
I agree, water is so important! I have four of the same water n bottles that are 24 ozs each I make sure to drink ll four of them each day.
jtemcio
I have not had kidney stones but I hear they are excruciating 🙁 I also know that 1-2 lite beers a day keep them away!
Angela S
Great post! I cut out soda last year and now drink a ton more water. I feel much better for it.
Pam
Great tips. I hate the taste of plain water so adding to it is definitely the only way I will drink more.
emily
I just added limes to my water and noticed it was kinda bitter- but not with lemons! Have you done this before? I’m wondering if it always happens with limes…
Sandra
I know all these things but yet I still need the reminder. Thanks for sharing girl, I need to do this.
Ellen Christian
I need to work more on this. I like the idea of marking off the quantity on the bottle.
Amy D
I drink loads of lemon water!! If I don’t have lemon I have a hard time drinking all my glasses.
jtemcio
I agree that limes are more bitter and I dont really know why. . . maybe because they are all green so we cant tell when they are not fully ripe? But this is just a guess – LOL – I do buy limes when I want more pucker!
Toni
I love the marking idea. I have to add lemon or something to mine because I can’t stand water alone LOL
jtemcio
You are too sweet! I actually wrote this post because I got in a rut of drinking coffee from 7 am – 1 pm without even realizing it and felt like *crap*… it makes such a big deal on our overall health but it os so easy for time to slip past! Thanks for the comment Kayla 🙂
jtemcio
You are welcome Tammi. . . it is hard to remember for me too 🙂 That is why I have so many water bottles around – lol
Brandy
Great tips! I struggle to drink enough water everyday because I just don’t drink much during the day. I am working on that.
I know several people who say they don’t like the taste of water and your idea to add flavor to the cubes is one I will pass on to them.
Liz Mays
I really like marking off the cup levels. That would make it seem less daunting!
valmg @ From Val's Kitchen
We drink a ton of water here! Seriously, we go through 2-3 cases a week of plain water, and a few six packs of flavored.
Jenn @ The Rebel Chick
I love all of the different options that have become available to flavor water. Water isn’t boring any more!
Tara
We started to fruit and/or veggie infuse our water in a big dispenser. It really helps me have more water.
Tasha
Thanks for these tips! I need to start drinking more water. I definitely find it helps having a water bottle that has the features I want like you mentioned. I do drink a lot more with one. Very helpful!
Debi@ The Spring Mount 6 Pack
I am working on drinking more water. I am doing better but still need to drink more.
Sharon
This one thing is part of my daily life! I love water with lemon and drink it all day!