Why is Drinking Water so Important?
Water is a vital part of a healthy life. That’s why learning some tips to drink more water can be such a game changer. Tons of the drinks available in today’s world are full of sugars and added chemicals.
If we go back to basics and the fundamentals of what God provided to fuel our bodies, the #1 drink is water. Okay…so maybe coffee also has a place, but around 75 percent of our bodies are made up of water. That’s roughly the same amount as the water on the earth. Think about viewing earth from space; that’s the percentage of water our bodies need to function properly. We need our blood to be able to circulate around. We need toxins and unneeded wastes to be flushed out of our bodies. We need to stay hydrated so we can feel our best.
How Much Water Should I Drink Each Day?
The amount of water you should drink each day is easy to customize for your own body. It is widely recommended that you drink 1/2 your body weight in ounces. In other words, if you know how many pounds you weigh and divide that in half, you have the total number of ounces (minimum) you should be drinking in a day.
What are Some Great Tips to Drink More Water?
Let’s take it one step further. How many ounces are your favorite water bottles/cups? I have two 30 ounce bottles I use on a regular basis. I know that when I drink a whole bottle, I’ve consumed 30 ounces towards my daily goal. After you figure out how many ounces you need, find a water bottle you love and count how many of those you need to drink in a day. It also helps to aim for 10-30 ounces more than that number. When I aim for the exact amount, it seems hard for me to hit it. If I’m overshooting for the minimum, I tend to hit that number much more often.
Should I Add Anything to My Water?
There are two main things I love to add to my water for added health benefits! First, you can sprinkle a little salt. I like to use pink Himalayan salt. This increases the amount of minerals your body is receiving, and it also make the water more easily absorbed by the body. In other words, your body is able to use more of the water instead of peeing it out. I usually add salt to my first water bottle each day.
The second thing I add to this same bottle is trace mineral drops. You can increase the value of the water by adding minerals back in. I believe this is especially important during an age where so many nutrients are filtered and cleaned out of the water we drink.
What About Extra Flavors?
I would be careful about adding a lot of extra flavors and processed drink packets to water. An important component is to see if it has natural ingredients or if it’s transforming your water into another sugary soda in disguise. Sometimes, I get tired of drinking water later in the day and adding a different flavor can help me feel like I’m drinking something brand new. There are two ways that I recommend you add flavor to your water.
Flavoring Your Water with Hot Tea
You can use teas to flavor your water. I used to only drink tea with sugar added, but when I started looking at it as giving my water different flavors, I decided I didn’t even need an extra sweetener. It’s great to drink it hot or to let it cool down for a nice cool drink later in the day. Here is a brand of tea we enjoy: Tiesta Tea. My favorite flavor is Nutty Almond Cream, but the Maui Mango and Blueberry Wild Child are also really good.
If you’re looking for a little bit more of a sweet taste, I’ve become addicted to Red Rose Sweet Temptations Dessert Tea. It’s sweetened with Stevia, and the Lemon Cake, Strawberry Cheesecake, and Blueberry Muffin flavors are all delicious! I’ll usually drink a bottle of regular water during the morning and around my workout time. Then, I’ll make a 30 ounce hot tea to sip on thru the afternoon.
Another Tip is to Flavor Your Water with Fruits and Veggies
Have you ever had fruit-infused water or even cucumber citrus water at an event? These can be delicious and you can experiment with adding different flavors to your water. Some of my favorites are berries and citrus fruits. The longer the fruit sits, the more the flavor it absorbs. This can be another way to make drinking water more fun and less bland.
Set Up a Water Drinking Schedule
Have you ever gotten to the end of the day and drank a bunch of water, and then regretted it running to the bathroom all night long? I committed to drinking a certain amount of water at the beginning of the year and ran into this problem on several occasions. I recommend you have a cut-off time that you try to complete your daily goals before. For me, that time is 7 o’clock. I know if I drink a lot past that time, it will impact my sleep.
My goal is to drink 3 full water bottles in a day. So, I split up my day into 3 windows: before 10:30, before 2:30, and before 6:30. If I get to those times, and I haven’t completed a bottle, I try to finish it off and refill for the next one.
You can set timers on your phone or just keep in mind where you should be to reach your daily goals. The main thing is to have a plan that works for you. You may not need 3 windows or you may need more, depending on the size of your bottle and your personal goals. However, keeping a time-frame in mind is a helpful and practical way to get in your water.
Is All Water Equal?
When I encourage you to drink more water, I’m referring to clean, filtered water without a lot of the chemicals and toxins found in many community water systems. It’s a great idea to purchase a water filter that you can use at home. Our family uses a berkey water filter. When my husband is at the office or we go on trips, we fill up stainless steel water bottles to bring with us whenever we can. That way, the majority of what we are drinking is clean, filtered water.
When we first started drinking Berker water, we were surprised by how great it tasted. I’m very picky with my water now that I’ve tasted filtered water. The flavor is great and I know it’s good for me and my family! A lot of times, I’ll even bring my water bottle into a restaurant because I want to keep up with the amount I’ve had and I like the flavor better than whatever random water is available at that particular restaurant.
What About Plastic Water Bottles?
Personally, I am wary about drinking a lot of water from plastic bottles. When plastic becomes heated, it begins to break down and eventually melts. If you think about a water bottle that has been left in a hot vehicle for days, it’s very bendable and the water inside the bottle doesn’t smell quite right. I like to avoid this scenario by drinking water from stainless steel or glass. If I am travelling, I will make an exception and get a water bottle before choosing soda or something full of added chemicals. However, in my day-to-day life, I avoid drinking water from plastic jugs and bottles.
Plan Ahead
Another tip for drinking more water is to plan ahead. When you go to bed at night, you can have a water bottle ready to go beside your bed. That way, when you wake up in the morning, it’s right there ready to go. The same is true if you’re working out or running errands. If you have your water with you, you’ll be more likely to drink more.
It’s especially important to drink water first thing in the morning. More than likely, you’ve gone your longest stretch in the day without food or water. Rehydrating is a great way to kick off your morning. My husband does a great job with this. He usually knocks out his first 30 ounces right when he wakes up.
Tips for Helping Your Family Drink More Water
What if you have kids or other family? I’m discovering one of the best ways to help them drink more water is by awareness. Two of my sons recently learned the formula for figuring out how much water they should drink in a day. They are eleven and nine. They have initiated drinking water on their own and counting how many of their water bottles they’re drinking in a day. Just knowing the healthy choice and having a specific goal amount and water bottle can make a difference.
Having a good filter so you know your family is getting good-quality water is also extremely important! A reminder can also help. Every night I fix my kids “night-night water” before bed. Usually, they don’t drink it all, but they have water available if they need it. My own personal goal is to start getting my kids to drink the rest of their water before breakfast. What a wonderful way to stay hydrated and healthy as a family!
What Are Your Tips for Drinking More Water?
More than likely, you have set out to drink water before. Were there certain things that helped you? What are the few changes you can make to set yourself up for success? I challenge you, if you haven’t already, to figure out your daily goal and how many times you need to refill your favorite water bottle. Drinking water really comes down to habits. If you make it a habit, it can have a great impact on your health and the health of your family. Drinking water is sustainable and a step anyone can take to pursue a healthier lifestyle!
