It’s not for nothing that water is associated with life itself. It takes up about 70% of your body and you need enough of it to maintain electrolyte balance, body temperature, and optimal health. However, you may often find yourself struggling to meet the recommended amount of daily water intake.
Fret not, this article reveals 7 hydration hacks and explains creative ways to increase daily water intake. Let’s begin by discussing how much water you should drink daily.
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What’s the Recommended Daily Water Intake
We can simply tell you to drink plenty of water every day. But, you may still want to know how much water you should drink daily. The minimum daily water intake for men is 15.5 cups or 124 ounces while women need up to 11.5 cups or 92 ounces. According to estimates from the National Academy of Medicine, most people require between 90 to 125 ounces (2,700 to 3,700 ml) of fluid daily.
This much, you ask. Yes, remember that you tend to lose water through bodily actions such as breathing and perspiring. Water is also lost through bowel movements and in urine. Thus, you need to keep replacing your body’s water supply. Otherwise, you may become dehydrated, feel tired, and lack energy.
How to Know If You Need to Increase Daily Water Intake
Your fluid consumption is likely to be adequate for your needs if you meet the following conditions:
- You find that you rarely feel thirsty
- Your urine is light yellow or colorless
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7 Creative Ways to Increase Daily Water Intake
From what we’ve discussed, you have seen the need to increase your water intake but it can be difficult if you are busy. Here are 7 hydration hacks to help you drink more water daily.
1. Set a SMART Daily Goal
You want to be intentional about drinking more water daily, so it helps to set a daily water intake goal. It will help you stay motivated and make it easier to make a habit of it. Remember to make your goals SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-bound).
As an example, you might set a SMART goal of drinking up to 32 ounces (960 ml) of water daily.
2. Leverage Hydration Apps or Water Alarms
It’s important to record your progress as you try to meet your goal for daily water intake. This is where you can make use of a hydration app or a water alarm on your smartwatch or phone. Get a user-friendly one and create a hydration schedule that suits your routine. Use it to remind you to drink water. In addition, hydration apps can give you insights on your hydration habits.
A further way to leverage hydration apps is to use them to challenge your friends to a hydration competition. This can include setting goals, tracking progress, and celebrating milestones achieved. In this way, you can stay motivated and accountable.
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3. Drink Water at Specific Times
If you need ideas on what times of the day to schedule your daily water intake, you can check out the following:
- Have a Glass of Water When Your Day Begins: This can be early in the morning
- Drink a Glass of Water Before Each Meal: This can add up to 720 ml to your daily water intake
- Take a Glass of Water Before Bedtime: You can use this to build consistency.
- Drink a Glass of Water Each Hour at Work: Drinking one glass of water per hour can increase your daily water intake by as much as 1,920 ml for a typical 8-hour workday
- Take Sips Throughout Your Day: Another way to go is to take a sip of water consistently during your day.
4. Prioritize Eating Hydrating Foods
It’s not all about liquids; you can snack on hydrating foods to boost your daily water intake. Your taste buds will certainly thank you for it! Moreover, you will be promoting your health with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Examples of fruits and vegetables that you can take include the following:
- Watermelon (91% water)
- Lettuce (96% water)
- Zucchini (95% water)
- Honeydew melon (90% water)
- Celery (95% water)
- Cantaloupe (90% water)
- Cabbage (92% water)
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5. Flavor Your Water
Do you find water somewhat bland to the taste? No need to go for flavored drinks that contain so much sugar. You can make your water tastier by infusing some flavor into it. You may add slices of fruits such as cucumbers, strawberries, or lemons. Or you could combine fruits to suit your taste. Examples include cucumber and lime or strawberry and kiwi.
6. Replace Other Drinks with Water or Dilute Your Drinks
An effective hydration hack to increase daily water intake is to straight-out replace other drinks with water. You will also be reducing your calorie intake and boosting your health. After all, your added sugar intake should not exceed 5% of your calorie intake.
However, if you find it difficult to toss out sugary beverages, you can compromise by diluting them with water. This reduced concentration will make it easier to transition to drinking water most of the time.
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7. Keep a Reusable Water Bottle Close By
Merely seeing your water bottle close by can remind you to drink more water. It also makes it easier to drink water while at home, at work, in school, travelling, or running errands. Besides, keeping a reusable bottle within your line of sight is better for the environment compared to using single-use plastic water bottles.
Stay Hydrated for Optimal Health
Implementing the hydration hacks discussed above can significantly enhance your water intake and improve your overall health. Set goals, use tech tools, prioritize hydrating foods and try to make it a habit to drink water and you can more easily boost energy levels.
So, take these simple steps to ensure you’re meeting your hydration needs every day.
