Drinking water isn’t easy when there are countless other, tastier options for you to guzzle. Despite this, it’s important to make sure you’re consuming enough water to stay hydrated, so your organs and joints can operate at their maximum potential. Here are ten ways you can trick yourself into drinking more water each day.
Drink a glass before every meal.
While you wait for your food to cook, reheat, or be delivered, drink a glass of water. This approach will help you while away the minutes until dinner, stay hydrated, and eat less food when your meal is finally in front of you.
Drink a glass when you wake up.
After you’ve stretched and rubbed the sleep from your eyes, drink a glass of ice water. This rehydrates the body after a night of sleep and helps keep you alert and chipper . Once that water is gone, feel free to treat yourself to a cup of coffee.
Count coffee and tea in your water totals.
There’s water in your coffee and tea, so those count towards your totals as well. Despite what you may have heard, these beverages, particularly coffee, won’t dehydrate you when you drink them. Plus, you get that nice caffeine boost without all the extra sugar found in soda.
Replace juice in smoothies with water.
The next time you blend a smoothie, cut the juice in the recipe in half or replace it entirely with water. This will cut down on the amount of sugar you’re consuming and up your water intake—all without detracting from the flavor of your smoothie!
Buy a larger water bottle.
You drink more water when you have a water bottle with you at all times. To take that advice to the next level, buy a really large one to increase your intake even more. Plus, a bigger bottle means you’ll need fewer refills, reducing the hassle of staying hydrated.
Make fruit-infused water.
If you make your water more exciting, you stand a better chance of drinking more of it. So, chop up some fruits and herbs you like, let them steep overnight, and enjoy your creation the next day. The combinations are endless, so there’s no reason things can’t stay exciting all the time!
Get a water accountability partner.
Sometimes peer pressure can be a good thing. Ask someone—a family member, friend, or significant other—to keep you accountable with your water intake. Have them text you a few times a day to ask about how things are going, and keep them posted each time you down another glass.
Eat more fruit.
Fruit is naturally high in water, so eating more of it helps your hydration, without making you feel like you’re just chugging water all day. Add some fruit to your meals and snacks for easy, no-thinking water intake. Watermelon—and other varieties of melon—are particularly good for this.
Track how much you drink, and challenge yourself to do better.
Life can be crazy, and those crazy days can quickly turn into no-water days. By tracking how many glasses of water you drink, you have no choice but to be fully aware of how hydrated you are. The truth actually might shock you into being more conscious of your beverages.
Set reminders on your phone.
Everyone needs a little technological push sometimes. If you don’t have a real person to keep you accountable, then set reminders or alarms on your phone. A few reminders throughout the day can take you from severely dehydrated to fully hydrated before you know it.
