Water is one of the most important things in our lives, but many of us struggle so much to drink it. Why is that? Could it be because a nice, cold soda or a cold bottle of your favorite sugary drink sounds so much more enticing that a glass of water? Yup, that must be the reason.
Let's face the truth, if you are used to drinking anything that has sugar in it, it will be hard to get into the habit of drinking water. But, it is possible to start getting into the habit of drinking it for our health's sake. First, let's go over the benefits of drinking water and see if that starts to motivate you a little.
Increases
Energy
The facts are that our body is made up of about 60% of water and our brain is made up of about 73% of water. With that being said we need to drink enough water to keep not only our brain, but our entire body functioning properly.
Dehydration, even by just 2%, can impair your performance in everyday tasks. It can affect your mood, cognitive and motor skills, memory and can even make you more sensitive to pain. Did you know that we lose about 16Oz of water throughout the day through perspiration? Although that may not seem like a lot, that's not including sweating and urinating.
So, we tend to lose a good amount of water daily and we need to replenish that. Keeping our fluids balanced will help you concentrate and stay alert.
Weight Loss
The more water you drink, the more full you feel. Plain and simple. Water is a natural appetite suppressant and instead of going out to the store to buy a supplement that does the same thing, just drink water. Drinking water half an hr before meals is the most effective because it can help you feel more full, hence in-taking less calories. Also, drinking cold water will make the body work harder to heat up the water to body temperature, hence more calories burned.
One Study shows that you can temporarily boost your metabolism by 24-30% by drinking about 17 oz of water! Sounds pretty sweet right? The only thing is that this effect starts to wear off after about 80-90 minutes after water consumption. But, if you drink 68 Oz (2 liters) per day, your energy expenditure has increased to about 96 calories per day!
So basically, don't think that drinking a bottle one time a day will do much! Make sure you are drinking plenty throughout the day.
Flush Out Toxins and Improves Complexion
Water consumption helps your body flush out waste through sweat and urination, but if you aren't drinking enough water daily guess where all those toxins wind up? You guessed it... They linger in your body. When this happens, it spreads through your body and affects your organs causing you to feel tired and worn down.
The main organs to help detox your body are the kidneys and liver, and if they are not healthy, at least if they are deprived of water, that can be shown in the body by that of acne. Acne is mostly consistent with people who have oily skin, and the reason for oily skin can be because of inadequate hydration. Ensuring you are drinking enough water daily can help that oil production cool down a bit and possibly enhance your acne. Now, water is no miracle cure, but it could help significantly.
Water is important for organ function. And aside from helping to regulate your kidneys (the toxin extractor), it also helps to improve your complexion. I mean, your skin is technically an organ. Dehydration can cause your skin to dry and with dryness there is less elasticity, which can make it more prone to wrinkles, as well as increase your chances of developing stretch marks.
There are many benefits of water, but these are some of the big ones! We all know that we are suppose to drink water. We all know how beneficial it is! But, we struggle so much to drink it because of all the other good drinks out there. Well, below are a few tips on how to get yourself to drink water.
1. Add Flavor to the Water
Water doesn't have to be so plain and boring. You can always add stuff to it to make it taste better and it doesn't have to be unhealthy. You can try adding your favorite fresh fruits to give it flavor or even adding water flavor enhancers that have no calories.
A big myth out there is that coffee and tea are not the best things to drink to keep yourself hydrated because they are diuretics, but the effect of it is very weak meaning it can still help to maintain your fluid balance. Now, that doesn't mean you just stick to coffee and water all day, but having a cup or two can still help. And, with the coffee, that only really helps if it's without cream or sugar! Sorry!
2. Start A Habit.
A key way to get yourself to drink water is to find a trigger. By that I mean is to find a time where it'll make you subconsciously want to drink water. Ivan Pavlov, a physiologist known for his work in classical conditioning, conducted a study on dogs when he trained them to salivate at the sound of a bell. That same concept can be applied to humans.
Starting a habit can be tough and you won't really form one until about a month of continuously doing it, but it is possible. Do you have a daily activity that you may do often throughout the day like going to the restroom, getting up from your desk, walking past the fridge even? Then try linking water to those activities by drinking a cup every time you do them. Over time, it will help you to subconsciously start drinking water after doing those activities. You won't even notice you're doing it and you'll replenish your fluids at the same time.
3. Use an App
We all have busy lives and sometimes it's difficult to keep track of how much water you are drinking, but that is why there are plenty of useful apps out there to help you. Some of the apps that are useful are Water Drink Reminder, Water Drink Time, and Water Time Pro. They calculate how much water to drink and will remind you when you should drink. If you are having to track your meals as well, a great app to help keep track of both meals and water is MyFitnessPal.
If you have a few dollars to spare and want more time on your hands, another great way of keeping track of your fluid intake will be by purchasing a high tech water bottle like HidrateMe Smart Water Bottle. It records every ounce as you sip and sends the info directly to your cell. It's easy and will help you drink more water.
4.Use a marked water bottle.
Most water bottles have marking on the side to tell you how much fluid you have in them, which makes things easier for tracking. But, adding to that, you can also grab some tape and mark how much water you would like to drink by a certain time everyday. This helps you to reach your daily goals by splitting up the times daily.
Having reusable sports water bottles makes it more convenient than opting to drink from a glass or even using the small water bottles you buy in packs. The reason for it is because the sports bottles usually fit more water in them and meaning you don't have to refill constantly. You can, also, take these around everywhere you go! If you have a water bottle with a straw in it, it can even help you drink more because it's a lot quicker to drink water from a straw than to tilt the cup. It's just the small things that help.
5. Buy a Hydration Pack
Although it may sound a little weird, but having a hydration pack is super convenient. Now, some of you are wondering what I'm even talking about, well here is the gist.
A hydration pack is a lightweight backpack with a water bladder inside it. It has a disconnect tub with a bite valve attached for easy drinking. Some backpacks even have small pockets big enough for keys, phones, or wallets. Most hydration packs can hold about 2 liters of water! That's a lot compared to most sports bottles or regular water bottles, for that matter. You can even add ice and the ice will keep it cold for a while with the insulated bags.
These are used often in the military due to it's convenience. You can easily carry this everywhere you go and drink anytime. Sometimes we don't drink enough water because we run out of the water in our bottle and don't want to make another trip to get more, well with these you don't have to make many trips!
6. Incentivize.
Set a goal for yourself for the end of the week or even the day (Even small victories are still victories), and reward yourself for reaching milestones! As you become accustomed to do so, continue to incentivize yourself just make the goal longer!
Start off small, like rewarding yourself with a piece of candy or drinking a small cup of juice and as you progress, reward yourself a little bigger, like ordering pizza or just making a trip to the movie theater or buying yourself an outfit! Whatever it is that motivates you!
7. Make a game out of it
Drinking water doesn't have to be boring or like work. You can make a game out of it. It can be a simple as someone saying your name and that means drink a cup of water or even watching your favorite tv show like The Office and you drink water everytime Michael says, “That's What She Said.” The point is to get creative and find ways to get yourself to drink more water.
These are just some of the ways to get yourself to drink more water! As we learned that water can be very beneficial to our health and we should be doing it daily. If you still struggle to get yourself to drink more, you can reach out to us and we'll help in anyway we can! If you have any other tips of your own, we're open to hearing them! Let us know what you think! Happy Drinking!