If you are starting to get irritated every time your doctor or personal trainer tells you to drink more water, you’re not alone. Most people do not consume the minimum amount of water that recommended by health professionals. It could be that you’re working too hard and don’t take enough water breaks, or it could be that you simply don’t enjoy drinking water. Resorting to other liquids such as juice and soda will only hurt your health because they contain unnecessary sugars. If you want to step up your hydration, here are six ways to meet your water intake goals.
1. Use a Water Filter
If you don’t like the taste of tap water, but it’s all you have access to, you can try using a water filter. Filtered water tends to taste more neutral, and you might find that you finally enjoy drinking water when it is filtered.
There is a wide variety of water filters to choose from. You can use a high-quality reverse osmosis water filter at home or your place of work, or you can go with a more compact filter model such as a jar or bottle.
2. Try Unsweetened Tea
If you still can’t stand the taste of water even after it’s filtered, you can try drinking unsweetened tea. You have the option of drinking hot or cold tea, depending on your preference, just make sure to avoid adding sugar or sweet flavoring.
There are five major categories of tea to choose from, including:
- White tea
- Green tea
- Red tea
- Black tea
- Herbal tea
White, green, and black tea all come from the same plant, Camellia Sinensis. The plant’s leaves and buds contain caffeine, but the caffeine content of each type of tea differs according to the way the leaves and buds are processed. White tea is the least processed, and thus, also the least caffeinated. Green tea is mildly caffeinated, but it is also high in antioxidants. Black tea has a minimal amount of caffeine, especially when compared to coffee.
If you plan to drink tea as your main source of hydration, make sure you switch to herbal or red tea at some point in the day so that you don’t end up experiencing insomnia at night.
3. Make a Schedule
Once you decide on your main method of getting water into your body, you can make a schedule for when you want to down a glass throughout the day. This is a great strategy if you are the type of person who thrives on a schedule. You can pencil in this activity at different points in your day, or even make it a challenge that you have to complete, such as giving yourself three points for drinking six glasses of water before dinner time.
4. Set an Alarm
To stay on schedule with your water intake, just add a water alarm on your mobile phone. The alarm function is incredibly useful for this purpose. It’s an instant and easy way to keep reminding yourself to drink water throughout the day.
5. Keep Water Nearby
Even if you have your schedule and alarm set up, you still need to help yourself achieve your goals by keeping water nearby at all times. You could achieve this by taking your water bottle from room to room in your house or having a designated water cup at your desk at work. If you’re still too forgetful, you might even need to have drinking water available in every room of your house.
6. Have It Before Meals
Another effective strategy you can try is to drink water before you sit down for a meal. You don’t have to stick to a detailed schedule to meet your water intake goals. This strategy is a gentle way to stay hydrated throughout the day. Just fill up a water glass before breakfast, lunch, snacktime, and dinner, and you’ll be on the road to good hydration.
If you thought that drinking water was an insurmountable challenge, think again. Use these strategies to increase the amount of water you drink every day, and your body will thank you for it.
