How to drink more water during the day: While diets and weight loss plans may vary, they all can agree on a few basic truths. One of these is the indisputable benefit of drinking lots of water during the day. Nutrisystem asks you to drink 8 (8-ounce) cups of water per day, and WeightWatchers recommends 6+ cups.
Trying to lose weight? A recent study in the Annals of Family Medicine concluded that obese adults are more likely to get dehydrated, and should be drinking 10 cups of water each day! So, how do you remember to drink all those cups of H2O each day? It shouldn’t feel like a chore, so here are some hacks to help:
7 Ways to Drink More Water Each Day:
1.) Drink a Cup of Water Before Your Morning Coffee
While most people think that caffeine dehydrates you, it apparently doesn’t. Still, coffee isn’t great for hydrating you, so you should get a cup of water in your system before your morning cup of coffee. In one study, dieters who drank two 8-ounce glasses of water before meals, including breakfast, lost 36 percent more weight than those who didn’t.
2.) Set Hourly Alarms on Your Phone
Pick a good, non-jarring alarm chime or music to gently remind you that it’s time to drink more water. This is especially helpful if you have a desk job, as time flies when you’re having fun! Hey, why not use the sound of running water or a watery song “Same as It Ever Was” by the Talking Heads:
“Letting the days go by, let the water hold me down,
Letting the days go by, water flowing underground,
Into the blue again, after the money’s gone.
Once in a lifetime, water flowing underground…”
Ok, ringtones can be annoying, so maybe pick something soothing that you won’t mind hearing 8 times a day!
3.) The Arm Band Reminder
Start the day with 8 strings on your wrist. Every time you finish a cup of water, take one off and put it in your pocket. This is a good low-tech reminder, and if you’re creative, you can probably think of similar systems.
4.) Don’t forget Ice or Fruit
A cup of water with ice or infused with fruit is more appealing than a glass of room-temperature water. Drinking water shouldn’t feel like taking medicine, so add some ice or fruit to make your water more refreshing and enjoyable.
5.) Write the Hours on Your Water Bottle
Add hash marks to your water bottle with a sharpie each hour. Depending on how big your water bottle is, you might get 3-4 hours on there. If you’re aiming to drink a cup of water every two hours, that means you can mark 4 hours on a 24-ounce water bottle. (6 ounces per hour)
6.) Use a fun straw
If you’re not using a water bottle, It can be fun to add a straw to your glass. I recommend a reusable straw, as disposing of plastic straws is bad for the environment.
7.) “Eat Your Water” in Fruits and Vegetables
Foods like watermelon, cantaloupe, berries, bananas, and cucumber are rich in H2O. It’s a good habit to snack on fruits and veggies (instead of chips or unhealthy snacks) and eating fruit has even been proven to make you happier!
Drink 8 (8 Ounce) Cups of Water Per Day
Ok, start thinking about how you can fit those 8 cups of water into your daily routine. You’ll notice health benefits like more energy, better weight loss results, improved skin, and complexion, a stronger immune system, (you’ll get sick less!) and many more.