How to drink more water

We all have heard and know that we should drink a minimum of anywhere from 8 glasses of water a day to over 3 liters a day (depending on where you read it)  but it’s not always easy. As part of my January Bucket list I decided to stop drinking fizzy drinks. In my opinion they were adding un-needed sugar to my day and it’s embarrassing to admit that I was drinking 2-3 cans of coke a day in work and that was purely a habit. The sugar crash/withdrawal over quitting fizzy drinks was quite severe but I am now over that and am feeling much better for it.

Since I do not drink tea or coffee (I just don’t like the taste) and I cut out all fizzy drinks I decided to limit myself just to water this month. This has been a challenge and when I posted yesterday on Twitter that I had managed to drink 11 glasses people were very supportive and I realized that I am certainly not the only one trying to increase my water intake. Please keep in mind that coffee can sometimes be dehydrating so I wouldn’t count it as some of your water intake if you are trying to drink more water. So here are the ways that I am trying to drink more water throughout the day and my efforts to make it less boring 🙂

Have a full glass of water as soon as I wake
This has been a little tough, to be honest the last thing that I want to do when I first wake is to drink a glass of water but after the first few days it has gotten easier. It has actually helped me wake quicker and now I am not finding it too bad – I am trying to make it as routine as brushing my teeth.

For added health benefits – add a slice of lemon into your morning water. It is a great way to detoxify your body a little bit first thing in the morning and adds a little flavour. Speaking from experience do not squeeze half a lemon into a small glass of water unless you REALLY like the taste of lemon. My first time doing this did not go well – just a slice is grand 🙂

Add ice cubes to my water.
I find that drinks are always nicer cold and water is no exception. This has been a winner for me. Now I have been slightly cheating and buying ice cubes in bags from Tescos. I know that the more cost effective thing would be to freeze ice cube trays myself however for this month I am going for convenience as I do not want any excuse to fall over.

Make fun watermelon ice cubes
I tried these last week and loved them! Basically I juiced up a watermelon and then froze in ice trays. Then I got a pint glass and put a few cubes in and as they melted the water became more and more flavoursome. I used watermelon as it is so water based that it froze easily for me. You could try this with any fruit and combines both adding ice cubes to a drink and adding natural flavour as well.

Drink water with a straw.
Now don’t laugh at this one – but this has helped me. I drink my icey cold water through a straw and drink it twice as quick. I think because since we were kids we had sweet drinks often through a straw – it just makes it a bit more exciting than drinking it normally! Don’t mock it until you try it 🙂

Add natural flavour to your drink.
I often add frozen berries to my water and even the scent helps it taste sweeter. You can also use fresh berries but I find that they sometimes disintegrate in the water. I love adding a few frozen strawberries (with ice and a straw :)) to my water and I find I can refill the glass no problem 3-4 times without even noticing. I only add fruit to my water – not cordial mixers as I feel like this would just add sugar.

Buy a fruit infusing water bottle.
These are AMAZING. They are being sold everywhere but make sure the bottle that you buy is BPA Free. Basically the difference between this bottle and a normal water bottle is that they have a central compartment that you can put a fruit of your choice into and then they flavour the water all day.

My current fruit of choice to put in is pineapple. But for a change mint is going to be the next flavour to try next week. You can try any fruit – watermelon or orange or blueberries etc. I am aware that some only put lemon in for the health benefits but I find that personally drinking lemon water all day is a little much for me.

Carry water with you EVERYWHERE
If you have water to hand then you will have no excuse to grab a quick drink somewhere when you are feeling thirsty. This will mean that you are more hydrated but will also save money. Please try to use a BPA Free water bottle and not re-use an old water bottle that you brought in the store – these are not designed for constant reuse and should never be put in the dishwasher!

Treat yourself to a new water bottle and make sure it’s one you like – then you won’t mind whipping it out on the bus, the Tube, in the office, in a shop etc. I have a bobble bottle which I love as it also filters the water out and you can get different colour tops as well. These are available in most health food stores or else you can easily find them online.

Record your water intake
Now this doesn’t have to be complicated. Either just jot down with a tick each time you drink a glass or use an app. I personally use an app to record my water intake as I generally always have my phone on me. The app I use is the ‘Daily Water’ app and it was free to download. It’s funny as my boyfriend and I are actually competing on who can drink more – make it fun and you are more likely to continue 🙂

Hopefully some of these tips will help you drink more water throughout the day. It is important to keep hydrated and I find the more interesting ways I can use to drink it; the more I drink throughout the day.

If you really are struggling – then try and replace just one coffee or tea a day and replace with a glass of water. Small steps lead to great improvements.