How & Why to drink more water

Are you wondering how to maintain your hard-earned body mass index (BMI)? It’s easy, just maintain a healthy lifestyle complete with healthy foods and adequate physical activity.

Oh! Don’t forget about your water intake.

Yes, hydration is key, as it will help you in maintaining your weight and boosting metabolism. And that’s not all! Drinking more water will also affect your eating habits, activity levels, and sleep to give the body more reasons to maintain your health.

Here are a few benefits of drinking more water.

It Makes You Healthy

Water is the most important part of our circulatory system. It is the primary component that helps the brain in communicating messages to different body parts.

And it helps our bodies in getting rid of toxins. Regular replenishment of water is necessary because our body forces toxins out by using its stored water content. Water in toxins out!

It Keeps You Healthier

Just consider all the benefits I have listed above. If you drink enough water, your body will rid itself of more toxins, your brain productivity will be higher, and you will have more energy to get up and start moving.

(And if lethargy is your problem, the last benefit listed above may mean a world to you.)

Another way water will help your health is by regulating bowel movements, your colon uses water as a natural lubricant. The boost in the digestion process that accompanies a healthier hydration level translates into better absorption of nutrients in the body and healthier bowel movement.

It Keeps You Feeling Younger

Your muscles also benefit from a proper intake of water. They get an adequate amount of blood circulating within them. This adequate supply is also full of nutrients (remember healthier bowel movement?). In the end, your muscles get stronger.

And don’t forget healthier blood supply to the skin. This supply means that the skin will remain hydrated and free of wrinkles and fine lines. It also means that skin repairs itself faster and gets rid of its dead layer easily.

So, you get the energy to act and look young.

It Makes You Calorie-Smart

Water makes you feel full. Without adding many ingredients, its intake allows you to keep the cravings at bay. It becomes the best placebo ingredient when we add it to our foods making them look and feel bigger.

We have learned enough about the benefits of drinking more water. But if you are busy or you don’t like drinking water much, you may not benefit from all these facts.

But you can benefit from a few tips to start taking in more water even when you don’t like it.

Set the Right Goals

If you’ve drank 4 glasses of water a day for your entire life and you’re aiming to hit optimal hydration levels all of a sudden, you’re setting yourself up for failure.

Don’t rush the process of developing a habit. From 4 glasses of water per day, set the goal at drinking 6 glasses a day in the next week or two. After you’ve done that and it isn’t a struggle add two more glasses of water to your daily consumption goals.

Use Memory Aids

If the main reason for you skipping on your water intake is forgetfulness, use memory aids to remind you that you have to sip some right now. One easy memory aid is putting a reminder on your phone that will ring every hour.

Another trick will be to stick a note on your bathroom door that will remind you of the same. I would recommend sticking it on the inside so I could see it when leaving the bathroom.

What works best for me is to keep a full glass or a bottle of water at my desk, within sight of whatever I’m working on at the moment.

Motivate Yourself

Maybe the biggest hurdle you face in maintaining a healthy drinking routine lies in procrastination.

I’m not judging you. Let’s be real here, I’m the Queen of Procrastination. Maybe it isn’t procrastination at all, it could be that you have a lot to do in a day. And drinking more water is just another chore on a long to-do list.

Keep water handy. It’s easier to grab your bottle and have a few sips of it if your bottle is lying within your reach. And I’ve already mentioned the trick of keeping the glass filled with water, I promise it helps.

Make a “free-time to-do list” and keep drinking water at its top. This list is a big lifesaver, in general, to fit in those chores which otherwise go ignored.

Water is boring and has no flavor? Try adding some flavor to your water, either with fresh fruit or a low-calorie sugar free flavor packet. But don’t overdo it, I would only do this when you’ve hit that “I can’t drink anything boring” wall. 

Divide your daily goal into manageable chunks. For example, set a goal for yourself to drink at least two glasses of water before leaving for work.

Reward yourself for achieving your daily goal. For example, you can go to bed early if you have drunk enough water for the day.

Beautify

You need to attach positive feelings to the act of drinking water. Consider adding a visual reward. For example, you can use a beautiful glass or bottle for yourself. Or you can consider keeping a set of two and changing colors once your goal of 2 to 3 glasses is achieved. Silly I know, but sometimes it helps.

Want another tip for “Beautifying” your water intake? Eat some fresh fruit, and it tastes amazing... BONUS! I would suggest Cantaloupe, Watermelon, Blueberries, Oranges, Peaches or Plums. You can also add some additional vegetables to your meals throughout the day. There are a lot of choices for vegetables but my go to veggies are; Celery, Cucumber, Iceburg Lettuce, Tomato, and Zucchini.

Take Away

Water is an essential component of a healthy lifestyle. If you are not drinking enough water, you are losing out on a whole lot of health benefits ranging from detoxification to weight maintenance.

I understand that drinking enough water can become a challenge for us at times because of our time commitments and aversion towards its taste, or lack thereof. But we can always use different aids to help ourselves in consuming more water.

Drinking enough water but still feel lethargic? I'd be happy to help you figure out where the lack of energy is coming from! Fill out he quick form below and we'll get on a call to figure this thing out!