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One of the biggest challenges that I have faced on my healthy living journey is getting enough water daily. I was always a soda drinker and didn’t enjoy drinking water. I always opted for diet sodas instead of water wherever I went.
We always hear that it’s important for us to drink water, and we all know the “8 glasses a day” rule.
This rule isn’t supported by any hard evidence, but it’s easy to remember. I think the rule should be “At least 8 glasses a day.”
It is very important to get enough water daily. Especially if you’re active, or do physical work, or are out in the heat or cold. Drinking enough water keeps us from getting dehydrated, which can lead to lower energy levels, headaches, and weakness. It helps us feel fuller and we are less likely to overeat. It can help clear up our skin. It cleanses our body by flushing out toxins.
But how much water is enough water? We read the “8 glass a day” rule, then see another source that says a certain amount, then another source that says a different amount. So what do we listen to?
There is no easy answer. There have been many different studies producing a variety of results.
The amount of water intake each individual should have daily varies upon different factors such as weight, health, activity, and environment.
I found a hydration calculator here, which asks a few questions and determines how much water you should drink today.
So how do you get into the habit of drinking more water?
This is what I did:
I bought a water bottle from the grocery store. I measured it out, and made marks with a permanent marker and wrote times that I need to drink that amount by. If I don’t follow it exactly, I just tried to remember to drink at least two full bottles before the work day is done. After doing this for a while, it became habit to drink that amount of water every day.
Happy and hydrated!
I found that when I switched from diet soda to water, I functioned a lot better. Some people don’t realize that one of the reasons they may be tired throughout the day is a lack of water. Once I started drinking more of it, my energy levels went up. I can tell when I haven’t been drinking much water, my energy levels seem to drop.
If you’re not a fan of water, there are plenty of things you can do to it to make it easier to drink. If you’re a tea drinker, grab a tea bag and brew a cup of tea! Just be careful about what you add to it. I usually just opt for 1 packet of Truvia in my green tea, if anything.
Also, there are a few natural recipes for flavored water that can be delicious! One of my favorites is Cucumber-Strawberry Water, and it’s very simple:
Fill a Pitcher with water. Slice a half of a cucumber and as many strawberries as you want into the pitcher. Squeeze juice from half a lemon into the pitcher. Refrigerate overnight and enjoy!
I love cucumber water, it’s very refreshing. Experiment a bit with different fruits and you can make your own fruit infused water!
Nowadays, I use my purple water bottle for the gym. It’s a lot easier for me to drink more water without guidelines so I just use my Chive tumbler at work.
Bottom line is, water is important! But you already knew that, didn’t you? 🙂
What helps you get your required amount of water in?
Great blog, thanks for posting.