Drink More Water Using These Five Tips

Water is basically liquid magic. It helps energize your muscles, controls calorie intake and helps your bodily fluids function properly. Drinking enough water makes your skin glow better than any bb cream or pricey serum ever will.

Despite knowing all this, somehow there are still plenty of days when I struggle to drink enough of it. And I’m not alone – studies have shown that most of us don’t drink enough. My roommate (who works at a hospital in the city) recently came back from a long day and warned, “you’d be surprised to know how many people come to the hospital only to find out they are dehydrated.”

So we know we should drink more water, but we don’t. What’s a person to do?

Here’s a few of my favorite tips.

1. Start your day off right

If you’re like me, your first beverage in the morning is usually a nice, warm cup of coffee. Lately, I’ve been trying to switch it up and make myself drink a glass of water before I start drinking a dehydrating liquid right away. The morning is when your body needs to replenish with water the most; after 6-8 hours of no hydration, your body needs some H2O before you get to the coffee beans.

Research shows that establishing a routine is one of the most effective ways to form a habit. If you consistently drink a glass of water before your morning cup of Joe (or first thing after you turn off your alarm), you are more likely to stick with the habit in the future.

For me, this was an easy addition to my morning. I take medication in the morning anyways, so I make sure I take my pills and vitamins first thing and finish off a glass of water with them.

2. Cross it off the list

I’m one of those people who can’t function without a to-do list. I have an intense desire to write things down and cross them off, and drinking enough water is no different. If I notice I’ve had a few days in a row of poor hydration, I establish a few check-ins for myself on my calendar or on my to-do list for the day.

Not a to-do list person but still want to be reminded? There’s an app for that. Daily Water, iDrated and Waterlogged are all free apps that you can download to keep your hydration game in tip-top shape.

3. Mix it up

Compared to alternatives, water can seem like a pretty dull option. Thanks to the newly exploding sparkling water market (La Croix has never been more cool), there are more options than ever to mix up your water routine.

From La Croix to Hint to Spindrift (a personal favorite), there’s plenty of ways to mix up your water routine. I usually try to start my day with the plain stuff for a while, but I will switch it up occasionally with a sparkling water in the afternoon, usually with my lunch. You can also change it up by adding fruit to your water with some of these simple concoctions (pssst: the mint, watermelon and lime combo sounds amazing).

If you want to amplify your detox game while changing up your water routine, try drinking some hot water with lemon before bed.

4. Alternate water with other beverages

This one has been a game changer for my hangovers (hellooooo, late twenties). When I’m out and about, I try to make it a rule that I must order a water for every drink I have. Honestly, most of the time I find myself drinking solely because it’s something to do or because I feel awkward without something in my hands when I’m socializing – which basically leads me to drink more alcohol than I need to. Enter my lifesaver, water. Trust me, nobody judges you for getting a few waters when you’re at a bar (but if they do, they are not people you want to be hanging out with anyway – stay away from those people).

Bonus: your wallet and your morning-after self will thank you for alternating your drink orders with water.

This rule doesn’t just have to apply to ordering at bars, it’s also a great rule for when you go out for any meal or beverage. Alternate drinking water with your other drink and food orders. Drinking a glass of water before a meal can also help curb your appetite so you don’t overeat.

5. Make it accessible

Want to drink more water? Make it ridiculously easy to do so. Get out of your own way!

How do you make water more accessible? Think about where you spend most of your time and figure out how to make it easier for you to access water in those moments. For me, I’m mainly in bed, at work and at the gym.

So, I have a carafe of water on my bedside table before bed (which also helps me get that glass in first thing in the morning). I also have a huge water bottle at work with a straw – this might be a personal preference, but I firmly believe I drink more water when I have a straw to drink out of… just me? On days when I plan to work out, I bring a refillable water bottle with me and make sure to fill it up when I get to the gym and right before I leave.

 

Do you have any tips for drinking more water? Please share them with us in the comments!

 

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About Cass Gunderson

Cass hails from the southwest suburbs as a proud White Sox fan and a graduate of University of Illinois. By day, Cass is a full-time student at the University of Chicago's Booth Graduate Business School. Before deciding to throw away all her money to go back to school, Cass worked for a private equity firm that buys technology companies. Raised as the youngest in a family of older brothers, Cass grew up a tomboy and remains active in sports. To her mother’s satisfaction, Cass learned how to embrace her feminine side in college and has developed an interest for fitness activities that require spandex as opposed to knee-length basketball shorts. In her spare time, she runs a lot because it is cheaper than paying for real therapy. Cass has completed four marathons and one ultramarathon (she claims she'll never do this to herself again, but that's TBD). She can still be found on the basketball courts in Lincoln Park wearing knee-length basketball shorts.