Tips on How to Drink More Water
This post is about tips on how to drink more water
WHY do you need to drink more water? Reviewing some basics here - but bottom line, your body is MADE of water and NEEDS it to function. The better hydrated you are, the better your body works at ALL things. When it comes to weight loss, drinking more water helps you feel full, and it helps your body release the weight! After discovering the power of drinking lots of water, I wish I could go back and tell my former self how much better she would feel, if she just drank more water!
What counts as water? For the most part, I stick to plain old water - but I also count decaf tea, Energize, Hydrate, and the occasional (0 calorie) seltzer. Sodas, coffee, shakes/smoothies, do NOT count towards a daily water intake, even if they are zero calories.
How much water should I drink? As a starting point, the general recommendation is to take your body weight in pounds and divide in half. Then that is your daily minimum water goal in ounces. For example - if you weight 200 pounds, divide that by 2 and you have 100 ounces of water per day as your minimum goal. In addition, you’ll need more if you are working out, or live in a dry climate or are sweating a lot! In all honesty, the women in my nutrition bootcamp find that they feel their best when they are drinking closer to their body weight in ounces. I drink 150 ounces per day, which is more than my body weight in ounces. Now I KNOW that sounds like a lot, but keep reading, because I’ll share the tips that brought me from drinking about 50 ounces per day to 150 ounces without feeling like I need to live in the bathroom!
How to drink more water
START EARLY! One of the girls in my bootcamp recommended this and I am now obsessed! Just think of how much time you spend in your bedroom before actually moving on with your day. You brush your teeth, make the bed, go to the bathroom, weigh yourself, pick out some clothes, and maybe grab a load of laundry. For me its a good 15-20 minutes before I even set foot outside our bedroom. This is time that can be used to get a jump on your hydration! What I do, is fill a 25 ounce metal water bottle with lots of ice water and place it on my bedside table before going to bed. Immediately after stepping on the scale, I start drinking the ice cold, crisp water and it not only gets me hydrated - but it helps wake me up!
Find a water bottle that really works for you. I cannot stress how helpful this is! I have a few water bottles I use for different pieces of my day. I have one I prefer to bring with me if I leave the house, another one I like for my workouts, and another that I use on my bedside table. There are all kinds of water bottles out there with different features, so try some and see what works for you!
Drink 16 oz. before each meal or snack. This helped me so much when I kept “forgetting” to drink. Getting in the habit of drinking 16 oz about 20-30 minutes before you eat, is an easy way to not only get your water in, but you’ll probably eat less at the meal. It wasn’t easy at first, but what really helped was reminding myself to DRINK as soon as I started getting hungry for a meal. It is an adjustment, so don’t worry if you’re not perfect. Set reminders on your phone or pop some sticky notes around if needed.
Give your body time to adjust. I know, I know - you’re thinking about all the PEEING! Believe me, that was a huge concern for me as I started increasing the amount I drank. I’m the person no one wants to go on road trips with, because I have to stop constantly! But here’s the thing, give your body a few days as you increase your water and you’ll notice that eventually you’ll be using the bathroom the same amount and just going MORE when you go. I did have a period of waking up 2-3 times a night in the very beginning, but I no longer drink any water after 9pm and sleep through the night just fine (even though, I am literally drinking twice as much water). I am definitely thoughtful about bathroom availability when I leave the house and adjust accordingly, but that is nothing new for me, lol!
Add flavor! If the idea of chugging plan old water sounds boring to you, there are SO many ways to liven it up. You can add lemon, lime or other fruit for flavor and they even sell flavor add-ins with all kinds of flavors. Have a flavored seltzer with dinner or a delicious Lemon Loaf tea is a great way to finish off dinner! it is crazy how your tastebuds change and once you start feeling so great because of all the water you’re drinking, that becomes more important to you than feeling like you need something fancy to drink. As someone who used to drink 2 diet cokes a day, I can say 100% that nothing compares to the energy you’ll get from switching to just plain old water!
Challenge yourself by tracking! Tracking your water and paying attention to how you feel (heck, even weigh yourself) and see what changes you notice by drinking more water! You can use the app “Plant Nanny” which is a super cute app where you track your water and help a cute little plant grow by reaching your goal each day! I track my water in my nutrition bootcamp tracker, but there are lots of options out there. Just make sure you know how much water your bottle holds and go from there! Using a bigger bottle of at least 20+ ounces will be much easier to track than an 8 or 12 ounce bottle.
Surround yourself with others who are working on similar goals. If drinking more water is part of your overall health goals - make sure you are plugged into a supportive community!
I hope you enjoyed these tips and start drinking MORE WATER! The benefits you will feel are priceless!