Most of us are aware of the need to drink plenty of water in order to stay hydrated and improve our chances of keeping healthy, but finding the time or the inclination to drink water regularly throughout the day, is not always that easy.
If you lead a busy life or perhaps don’t really like the taste of water, it is not particularly easy to get motivated to drink the right amount of water that you need each day, so here are some tips and strategies to help get you drinking more water.
Your daily quota of H2o
In order to keep healthy and prevent dehydration, the general advice is to consume about 1.6 liters of water a day if you are a woman and around 2.0 liters of fluid each day for men.
It should be said that no specific formula will suit everyone and you need to try and understand about your body’s need for fluids in order to be able to estimate exactly how much water you need to keep your body and mind in good working order.
If you become dehydrated through a lack of sufficient water to enable your body to be able to function normally, you will feel noticeably drained of energy and become more susceptible to health issues as a result.
Don’t like the taste
It could be that you are deterred by the taste of the water that comes out of your tap.
There are ways to address this problem and you might want to consider the bottled water vs tap water argument. Drinking bottled water that has been purified or using a water filter to remove contaminants from your tap water source, should definitely help to improve the taste of the water, which means you will be encouraged to drink more of it and meet your daily quota.
Improve the taste without spoiling the benefits
It should be remembered that drinking other fluids does count towards your recommended daily intake, but water hydrates at a faster rate and with greater efficiency than other liquids, so try to improve on the taste of the water rather than looking for alternatives.
You might want to consider adding some slices of cucumber, kiwifruit, lemon, lime, strawberry or grapefruit, whichever you prefer, to your water. Another popular choice is adding a sprig of mint for a refreshing drink that offers plenty of health benefits as well as perhaps tasting better to you than just plain water.
Juice up your water
Adding cordials to flavor your water is going to add sugar content in most cases, but you could try squeezing some cranberry, grape or pineapple for a healthy shot of organic natural ingredients to add to your drink of water.
Another idea that has some added health benefits is to squeeze some lemons into your water. Lemon juice will help to balance the pH levels in your body, giving your immune system a nice boost as well as creating a fresh flavor for your water.
Find a routine
Most of us are creatures of habit, so try to create a routine where you regularly stop for a drink of water throughout the day.
Just before you eat breakfast and lunch are normally opportune moments and it will only take a few weeks to get used to the routine, so you will soon be increasing your water intake without really noticing it.
Add some spice to your menu
If you add some crushed red pepper to your dinner plate, you could actually benefit in three specific ways.
You will be spicing up your taste buds, which is one benefit, but hot peppers have been shown to give your metabolism a boost, so that is good news too. The other positive aspect of adding peppers to your plate, is the fact that you will probably end up consuming more water to counteract the fiery nature of the peppers in your mouth.
Always carry some water with you
If you are at a desk or in one place for a good part of the working day, you can have a bottle or glass of water at hand to take regular drinks, but being out about doesn’t make it that easy to get a regular fluid intake.
Get a flask or conveniently sized bottle that you can carry around with whilst you are traveling around. It soon becomes an easy habit to make sure you always have some water to hand and you will often be surprised at how much you end up drinking each day, when it is easily accessible.
Follow some of these smart strategies for drinking more water and you will be helping to keep your body and mind in good shape.
Shirley Hughes is a nutritionist and health coach. She loves to write about health and wellbeing. Look for her articles on many health and wellness blogs.
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