3 Tips To Help Increase Your Water Intake
Very often I get asked, “where to begin?” My response is usually, “How much water do you drink?” I’m sure somewhere in the rules of English, it’s improper to answer a question with a question, but drinking more water is truly a great way to kick-start your wellness journey. It sounds like a simple goal, but for many it's difficult due to years of consuming sugary foods and drinks. I find it funny, I always get the " water has no taste" complaint or "does soda count" question! Whatever the excuse is, water is essential for everything our body needs and must be taken seriously on this wellness journey.
Making up 60% of the body, every system in the body depends on these hydrogen and oxygen molecules in order to function properly. They carry nutrients and oxygen to our cells, lessons the burden on liver and kidney’s by flushing out toxins and waste, and of course, regulates the body’s temperature. Not only is water good for our bodies, but it really helps us to build the taste for healthier foods and can help with cutting back on sugar. Sometimes I wonder if people would be encouraged to drink more water if they knew the benefits. Probably not! I understand that knowing facts is easy, but applying them day to day brings quite a challenge, even for me. For the most part, I only drink water, but somedays I don’t drink enough. Here are 3 tips has helped me to increase my water intake:
- Drink water as soon as you wake up. Keep a bottle next to your bed or on your bathroom counter. After you brush your choppers, grab and guzzle it. This will help to get your systems rolling and sets you up to reach your water goal throughout the rest of the day!
- Carry a water bottle with you all throughout the day. This helps me drink more because I always have water with me. It’s hard to miss something when its always there. Note: You should drink even when you don’t feel thirsty. Thirst is just the signal that you should’ve had water a long time ago.
- Reward yourself for drinking water. Allow everything else you do to be a reward for drinking your goal amount of water. For example, don’t eat breakfast until you have had your morning water. No dessert until you have drunk your water.
Now if you’re wondering, what should be your goal amount of water. I'm going to tell you, there is no one size fits all amount. It is recommended that men drink about 13 cups and women is about 9 cups of total beverages a day. Total beverage means you CAN get water from other sources such as fruit and veggies, milk, juice, soda, and alcohol. However, I would encourage you to make water your primary source for fluids. Relying on some of the other beverages for water can eventually negatively impact your health due to sugar and empty calories. Believe me, as you drink more water, your body will begin to feel more refreshed. You skin will begin to look more vibrant. You will also begin to see more changes on the scale, due to elimination of calories and sugar in your body from the soda. And ladies (and gentleman) you can also see an impact in your hair growth. So I say, “drink up.”