About 70% of your body is water, and you need to drink enough of it to stay healthy. Your body needs water to do a lot of things, like keep the balance of electrolytes and blood pressure, lubricate joints, control body temperature, and keep cells healthy.

So, it makes sense that you would need so much of it. Dehydration happens when you don’t drink enough water. It can be mild or serious, with symptoms ranging from dry mouth, headache, dizziness, and fatigue to heat stress, sunken eyes, low blood pressure, fast heart rate, and delirium. Even though everyone knows it’s important to drink water, it can be hard to do so at times.  

 

That’s the bad news. The good news is that drinking enough water can help.  More and more studies show that staying well-hydrated can help with everything from joint health and workout endurance to mood and mental focus. Getting enough water can help you reach your weight loss goals.

 

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine say that men should drink and eat 125 ounces of fluid each day, and women should drink and eat 91 ounces. This fluid can come from drinks, like water, or from foods that are high in water, like fruits and vegetables. But the truth is that we’re not spending enough on plain water. Fluids have really become a way for us to get other things into our bodies, like sugar and caffeine. This can make plain water seem, well, too boring.

 

Understand your fluid needs

Before you decide to drink more water, you should find out how much fluid your body needs. People often say that you should drink 64 ounces or 8 cups of water every day, but this is not based on science. The National Academy of Medicine (NAM) says that men should drink about 125 ounces of fluid per day and women should drink about 90 ounces. This includes fluid from water, other drinks, and food.

But NAM knows that it’s not the best idea to make broad suggestions about fluid needs because they depend on how active you are, where you live, your health, and other things.

Most people can meet their fluid needs by drinking enough to quench their thirst. Still, you may need more fluids if you work outside, exercise often, or live in a hot place. 

 

 

 

Set a daily goal

Having a daily plan for how much water you should drink can help you drink more water. Setting a goal can be enough to get you going and make you more likely to make changes that will last. For plans to work, they need to be SMART, which is an acronym for the following:

• Specific 
• Measurable
• Attainable
• Realistic
• Time-bound

For example, a SMART goal for drinking water could be to drink 32 ounces (960 ml) of water every day. Keeping track of your progress can also help you stay inspired to reach your goal and make it a habit.

 

Keep a water bottle you can use again with you.

Having a water bottle with you can help you drink more water during the day. With a reusable water bottle, you can easily drink water anywhere, whether you’re running chores, traveling, or at home, work, or school.

Having a water bottle on hand can also serve as a visible reminder to drink more water. If you keep the bottle on your desk or table, you will always be told to drink more. Plus, it’s better for the earth than using water bottles that can only be used once.

 

Set reminders

You can also use an app or the alarm on your phone or smartwatch to remind yourself to drink more water. Set an alarm to remind you to drink a few sips of water every 30 minutes, or set an alarm to remind you to finish your glass of water and fill it up every hour.

These prompts can help you drink more water, especially if you have trouble remembering to drink or are too busy.

 

Switch to water from other drinks

One way to drink more water, improve your health, and cut down on calories is to drink water instead of soda or sports drinks. Most of the time, these drinks have a lot of extra sugar, which can be very bad for your health.

Switching from these sugary drinks to water is a simple and inexpensive way to cut calories, which could help you lose weight. Make it a habit to drink one glass of water before each meal. This is another easy way to drink more water. If you eat three meals a day, that’s an extra three cups (720 ml) of water.

Also, sometimes your body thinks it’s hungry when it’s just thirsty. If you drink a glass of water before you eat, it can help you figure out if you are really hungry. Also, if you are trying to lose weight, having a glass of water may make you eat less at your next meal.

 

Filter your water.

Most tap water is safe to drink most of the time. But if you worry about the safety or quality of your tap water, you might want to buy a water filter. There is a filter for almost every budget, from expensive water filtration systems for the whole house to cheap pots that filter water.

Adding a filter to your water could also make it taste better. Point-of-use water filters, like pitchers that filter water or filters that attach directly to a tap, can lower the amount of bacteria, lead, and arsenic in contaminated tap water to safe levels.

Using a water filter is also cheaper and better for the environment than buying bottled water, which is usually the same as tap water.

 

Flavor your water

You have many options if you don’t like the taste of water or just need a little flavor to get you to drink more. One healthy choice is to use a cheap water bottle with a fruit-infuser.

Cucumber and lime, lemon and kiwi, and strawberry and kiwi are all popular fruit pairings to use in an infuser bottle. But you can use whatever mix of fruits you like. You can also buy powdered or liquid water boosters to add to your water. However, be aware that many of these products contain sugar, artificial sweeteners, or other ingredients that may be bad for your health.

 

At work, drink one glass of water every hour.

If you work an average 8-hour day, taking a glass of water every hour will bring your daily water intake to 8 cups (1,920 ml). Fill your cup with water as soon as you get to work, and at the end of every hour, just drink what’s left and fill it up again.

 

This method will help you drink the same amount of water all day long.

 

Drink all day long.

Sipping water often throughout the day is another easy way to help you reach your fluid goals. Taking small sips of water throughout the day will keep your mouth from getting dry and may even help your breath smell better.

Keep a glass of water or a reusable water bottle close by and in your line of sight to remember yourself to drink.

 

Eat more water-rich foods.

Eating more foods that are high in water is an easy way to get more water. Some fruits and veggies that have a lot of water in them are:

 

• 96% of lettuce is water.
• 95% of celery is water
• Zucchini: 95% water
• 92% of cabbage is water.
• Watermelon: 91% water
• 90% of cantaloupe is water.
• 90% of a honeydew melon is water.

Besides having a lot of water, these fruits and veggies are full of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that are good for your health as a whole.

 

Have one glass of water when you wake up and one before you go to sleep.

Drinking one glass of water when you wake up and another before you go to bed is a simple way to drink more water. Having a glass of cold water in the morning might help you wake up and feel more awake.

Also, if you drink water right before bed, you won’t wake up with a dry mouth and bad breath.

 

In conclusion

Getting enough water is important for good health. But it can be hard to drink water every day, especially if you are busy, forget to drink often, or don’t like the way water tastes.

 

There’s nothing better than getting a prize, no matter how small, for doing something you set out to do. It makes you want to keep trying to reach that goal. Set a rule that if you reach your goal every day for a week, you can get that fancy coffee drink or watch Netflix or scroll through Instagram for even longer than normal. 

 

You could give yourself a bigger prize after you’ve met all your water goals for a month, two, or six months. Water is a prize in and of itself because it keeps you hydrated and is good for your health, but we could all use an extra reward every now and then.