One of my goals for the new year is to drink more water and eliminate most of my sweet soda/juice drinks. I know that drinking water is important for my health and I’m hoping drinking more will help me lose some weight!
Even though I know drinking water is important it can be really hard to want to drink water sometimes. In this post I’m sharing some of the benefits of drinking water, how much water you should drink and some tips to help you (and me)actually drink more water.
Benefits of Drinking Water
About 60% of our body weight is water and scientifically there are many benefits of drink water each day.
According to the mayo clinic drinking water helps:
- Gets rid of wastes through urination, perspiration and bowel movements
- Keeps your temperature normal
- Lubricates and cushions joints
- Protects sensitive tissues
According to an article on Healthline other benefits of drinking water each day include:
- Maximizing Physical Performance
- Increased Energy levels and Brain Function
- Preventing and Treating Headaches ( I learned about this during my first pregnancy)
- May help with Kidney Stones
- Help prevent Hangovers
- May Help with Weight Loss
All of those benefits sound good to me especially weight loss and more energy!
How Much Water Should I Drink Per Day?
In a survey done by the centers for disease control and prevention they found that 7% of the adults surveyed didn’t drink any water during the day and another 35% only drank between 1 and 3 cups of water. (details)
Many of us have heard that we should drink eight 8 once glasses of water a day. But is that true?
There isn’t a set amount of water you should drink each day since it changes from person to person.
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine found that most healthy people can determine their hydration needs by listening to their body and letting thirst be their guide.
There general recommendations for water consumption is:
- About 3.7 liters (125 oz) of fluids for men
- About 2.7 liters (91 oz) of fluids a day for women
These recommendations are for total fluid consumption including fluids from water, other beverages and food. 80 percent of daily fluid intake comes from drinks only 20 percent comes from food. (details)
How to Drink More Water Each Day
Now we know some reasons why we might want to make sure we are drinking enough water each day. We also have some guidelines for how much we should drink. So how do we actually get ourselves to drink enough water?
When we are used to drinking soda, juice and other drinks instead of water it can be a challenge to increase how much water we are drinking. Here are a few tips to help you drink more water. These are tips that I have used and currently use as I try to drink more water and live healthier.
Set a Goal
Decide how much water you want to drink each day and set a goal. Write it down, set reminders on your phone or grab a printable tracker to help you meet your water drinking goal.
Start Small
If you normally don’t drink very much water don’t expect yourself to suddenly drink a ton of water everyday naturally. It’s going to take effort and work to get into the habit of drinking more water.
Don’t get discouraged start small and work on adding a little more water until you reach your goal.
Get Ride of Other Drink Options
One of the best things I did was getting rid of all the other drink options at home. Now I rarely purchase, soda, juice or other drinks. This means when I’m home I drink water.
Have Water With You
Whether your out on the go or hanging out at home have water with you. Having water near you is a great way to remind yourself to drink and when you feel thirsty you will actually drink instead of putting it off until later.
Use a Straw
I have found that when I’m sitting at the computer or doing a few other tasks I drink a lot more water when I’m using a straw.
I’m not really sure why I drink more when I use a straw, but if you struggle with drinking water try using a straw it might help.
Track How Much You Drink
I mentioned above setting a goal of how much water to drink each day is a great way to get started. While along with having a goal tracking how much water you drink is a great way to track your improvement and habits.
Grab a free printable water tracking printable below.
Filter Your Water
I know several people who hate the taste of water so that makes it really hard to drink water.
If you hate the taste of your water I would first suggest getting a good water filter or a water dispenser and see if you like that water.
When we lived in Florida the water was so bad, non of us would drink it until we got a water dispenser system.
Flavor your Water
Adding fruits to flavor your water is a great way to change things up and help when your craving a flavored drink.
There are tons of recipes to flavor your water with fruit on Pinterest. I personally love adding a fresh lime or lemon to my water.
Exercise
When I exercise I easily drink more because I feel more thirsty. Which makes sense since when we exercise we need more water.
Not only will exercise help you drink a more water it will also help you be healthier over all. If you’re looking for some at home workouts, here are a few Work Out Videos that are free with your Amazon Prime Membership.
Printable Water Tracker
Set a goal for how much water you want to drink and use this Printable Water Tracker to help you keep track of how much water you’re drinking.
The tracker has 8 cups of water but that doesn’t mean your goal has to be 8 cups.
I’m not a medical professional so be sure to talk to your doctor about how much water you should drink and other medical related questions.
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