I talk and read about wellbeing a lot and I am always impressed how people tend to ignore the simplest, and sometimes most effective, advice. My favourite example is drinking water. Hydrating is so simple – we all know how much water we need and how to get it. It is not expensive, it is usually not hard to find. You do not need a special skill or equipment to drink water. Youโve basically known how to do it since you were a baby.
And yet!
Yet so many of us just dismiss the miracles that drinking enough water can do for our wellbeing and our bodies. There are the simple things like hydrating our skin, helping our digestive system, preventing headaches and there are the more complex ones such as regulating our weight, boosting brain performance and even preventing joint injuries. Crazy, right?
So why donโt we drink enough water?
We are busy. We forget. We drink too much coffee and tea. We often do not make it a priority. I know I am guilty of all of these sometimes. In my never-ending quest to drink more water (my doctor of five years tells me that I am dehydrated every time she checks my blood despite how much water I drink), I have discovered some hacks to make it easier. I was also curious to know how my readers and followers handle this challenge. I did my own research and, like a true scientist and with your help, am compiling the results below.
PS: if you have tips that are not here, please share them in the comments below!
Keep a glass or a bottle of water around the house
There is a Bulgarian proverb that says โfar from the eyes, far from the heartโ meaning that we forget things that we donโt see. This is why I was not surprised when a lot of people shared that the easiest trick to drinking more water is to make it easily accessible by keeping bottles or glasses in different places around the house. A young mama shared that she keeps a bottle of water wherever she tends to โget stuckโ with the baby. Those of us without kids can learn and leave one wherever we get stuck with the laptops or phones, or hopefully a book.
Treat yourself to a nice bottle
Many people shared that having a nice looking water bottle motivates them to drink more water. This sounds like a simple, yet effective trick. In addition to a beautiful design, you can look for a bottle that is also practical such as those that have markings of litres and can help you easily track how much you are drinking. My water bottle, for example, has a spin gadget on the cap which I can turn every time I finish a bottle. Each turn reveals a dot and four dots mean I have met my daily goal. Simple, yet effective!
Drink from a 1l water bottle
While we are still talking about water bottles, another tip that was shared is to drink from a 1l water bottle. This way you can easily see how much water you have consumed and you know that you need to finish โjustโ two full bottles to be done for the day. This simple math appeals to me and I can see why this was recommended as a good practice.
Never leave the house without a water bottle
Another great shared tip, that I am still learning to implement, is to always bring a bottle of water with you when you go outside of your home. I appreciate this advice a lot and I cannot tell you how many times I have left the house and not even five minutes later I was thirsty and left dehydrated for at least an hour. Can you relate? I also love this tip because it is sustainable – if you always bring a bottle with you, it is less likely you will end up buying a disposable plastic one.
Track your water consumption with an app
A few people mentioned that they log how much water they drink in an app and thus, have a good sense of how much they have hydrated during the day. After a little investigation, I found out I have two apps that can help me do that – Garmin – an exercise tracking app, and Deliciously Ella – an app for wellness (food+movement). I am sure that if you have a smartwatch or a movement tracking app, you most likely can do it, too. If not, I bet you can download a free app just for that (maybe one that sends you reminders?).
Invest in a smart water bottle
I never knew smart bottles existed until I recently received one as a gift (you can check it out here). It has a sensor on the bottom that detects how much you drink and which also connects the bottle to an app. The most amazing thing is that the bottom of the bottle blinks with a bright light when you are falling behind on your hydration, hence reminding you to take a sip. So far I have not missed a single daily water goal since I started using it. I am not sure I would have bought such a thing for myself but now that I have it I absolutely love it!
Put conscious effort to make it a habit
A few people shared that when they decided to drink more water they were very conscious about doing it every day for about a month. After that, they just kept on drinking more of it on daily basis. In other words, they put effort into creating a habit and it paid off. Use the above mentioned two tips for tracking how much water you drink for around six weeks and next thing you know you do not have to think about it anymore!
If you are interested in making this a habit, you can add drinking water as one of your wellbeing monthly goals. If this sounds interesting, check this article to learn more about wellbeing goals and how to track them.
Or take advantage of habit stacking
If creating a completely new habit sounds like too much work, you can take advantage of habit stacking. Simply tie drinking water to something you already do every day. For example, every morning I drink a few different vitamin tablets. Instead of swallowing them with one sip, like I used to do, now I drink each tablet with around ยผ of a glass of water. This means that my 3-4 vitamins guarantee me a glass of water each morning. Itโs easy and I donโt even think about it. What habit can you stack drinking water on top of?
PS: buying vitamins and supplements in powder form and dissolving them can also help you drink more water, just beware of the added sugar many of them have.
Mix it up with natural flavours
Sometimes I am thirsty but I do not feel like having just water. In those moments I am tempted to have a glass of juice or ice tea. The thing is we do not usually keep those in the house (and that is also a good practice for drinking more water, by the way!) so I have to get creative. A slice of lemon or orange with a few ice cubes and voila – your naturally tasty water is ready! You can also experiment with adding spices, such as rosemary and mint.
What do you think of these tips? Do you have any of your own that can help the rest of us? Feel free to share in the comments below.
