Water Drinking Tips

Water makes up more than 60% of our body composition. The big question is always, “how much water should I be drinking?” While some people would tell you to drink a gallon of water every single day that is not necessary for everyone. Most people require about half a gallon which is eight, 8 oz glasses of water daily. The more active you are, the more water you should be drinking. If you exercise regularly, you can drink up to one gallon of water a day.

How to Drink More Water

This might seem impossible, but this does not have to happen overnight. If you are just starting to drink more water, just aim to gradually increase the amount you drink every 2-3 days. If you currently only drink 2 glasses of water a day, for the next 2 days drink 3 glasses of water. Then increase this to 4 glasses of water, and work up to 64 oz of water a day. If you exercise, you can keep increasing this up to a gallon. Note: do not start chugging water like crazy. This can be a dangerous thing to do. If you suddenly increase your water consumption this can cause hyponatremia (low sodium in your blood) which can be dangerous.

Here are some tips to help you increase your water consumption and make it more fun.

Larger Water Bottles

These larger bottles can store all your water for the whole day. You can drink directly from these bottles, or you can store your water in the large bottle and pour into a glass or smaller bottle to drink from.

Find a marked water bottle to keep you on track for the day. Like this BPA free, leak free, 1 gallon water bottle from Qui Fit.

Yeti Insulated Water bottles will help keep your water cold all day, even in a hot car.
They offer a gallon water bottle jug and half gallon water bottle jug.

The Coldest Insulated gallon water bottle is another great high quality insulated gallon water bottle.

Smaller Insulated Water Bottles

Smaller insulated water bottles are great to keep your water nice and cold to drink throughout the day. Just keep in mind that you will need to keep refilling this smaller bottle to achieve your daily water consumption. I like to keep my water in a larger gallon bottle then refill a smaller bottle throughout the day. Here are some of my favorite brands of insulated water bottles.

Smart Water Bottles

Smart water bottles keep track of your water intake and sync with your phone. the Hidrate Spark bottle will glow to remind you to keep drinking. The LifeFuels Smart Bottle will infuse flavors via pods into your water to provide personalized beverages and advanced tracking.

Filtered or Purified Water

Filtered and purified water tastes so much better than tap water. You can buy 5 gallon water bottles and dispense the water from them or purify your own water. Personally, we have large bottles delivered to our home using a local service and we use a water dispenser.

Drinking Tips

Here are some tips to help you get enough water throughout the day…

Each time you pick up your water, take 8 gulps before putting the bottle down.
Drink every time you take a break from work
Set a timer on your phone.
Use a free app to track your water like My Fitness Pal, or Daily Water
Infuse your water with fruit (grapefruit, strawberries, lemon), veggie slices (cucumber, ginger, celery), and herbs (basil, mint, lavender) to add flavor.
Use filtered water, options given above.
Anytime you empty your bottle, fill it back up immediately
Keep your water with you at all times.
Set small goals throughout the day.
Examples: Don’t have your morning coffee until you have 8 oz of water, Don’t leave the table until you have finished your water, During your workout drink 2 bottles of water

Drinking enough water throughout the day is beneficial for your overall health.

Water:

Helps you lose weight and manage weight
Flushes out Toxins
Improves your complexion
Boosts your immune system and brain power
Provides Energy
Keeps you regular
Prevents backaches headaches, cramps, and sprain
Helps you feel better and keeps you healthy!

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