Have you ever wondered how much water you need to drink in a day? Studies have revealed that a minimum of eight glasses of water need to be consumed daily. While there are conflicts among health experts regarding the daily water intake amount, the fact stays that your body needs adequate water to be able to function optimally. Approximately 60% of our bodies are composed of water, catering to every cell, tissue and organ that need it to function. However, despite being the base of our survival, we do not take water consumption as seriously as we should. Every day, our body loses water while we breathe, sweat, digest and perform several other activities; it becomes imperative that we re-hydrate ourselves. Even mild dehydration can have an impact on you, both physically and mentally. If you are one of those who do not take drinking water seriously, it’s time you changed that. To make it easier, we have some simple, fun ways to enhance your drinking water routine –
Carry a water bottle around
Remember your childhood days when you would always a water bottle around on your trip to the school and the park? It will do you much good if you start doing that as an adult too – the presence of the bottle gives visual cues that you need to drink more. Also, water bottles today are more of a style statement, with new shapes and designs exploding in the market every day. You can go for a classic stainless steel one, or reuse wine bottles or get an earthy clay bottle. By opting to refill it instead of buying bottled water, you are contributing to a cleaner, greener world too!
Monitor your water intake
Go ahead and install an app that can monitor your water intake, or if you want to take it offline, keep a simple water journal. The records will motivate you to keep drinking water and apps have water drinking reminders as well. Some apps even have customized sound effects like the sound of water drops or water coming out of a purifier that are meant to motivate you to get up and get a glass of water.
It’s not a chore – make drinking water fun
We get it – drinking plain cold water may seem boring. But, guess what, it does not have to be. Add some fruits like apples, oranges or strawberries with a dash of herbs like basil leaves, mint and you have your very own detox water. You can store it in a mason jar and keep seeping it throughout the day. It is claimed that detox water can help release toxins from our bodies while maintaining the pH balance.
Keep a tracking buddy
Whether it’s about going to the gym, following a diet or a reading challenge, having a partner is great and sometimes even more effective. If you have a friend who also needs reminders with the daily activities, team up! You can check in with each other and share your challenges and plans.
Eat fruits and vegetables with high water content
You can eat your H2O too – yes you read that right. Another practical way to bump up your water intake is by adding a lot of vegetables and fruits to the diet that are high on water content. Vegetables like cucumber (96% water), zucchini (95% water), radish (95.3% water) and fruits like watermelon (92% water), oranges (88% water) and strawberries (91% water) are some of the best options. This will ensure that you are eating healthy and restoring your body fluids.
Get moving
Remember that when you sweat (through exercises generally), your body continues to maintain the optimal body temperature but you lose vital body fluids. You need to keep yourself sufficiently hydrated during your work out sessions so that you replace whatever fluid you lost through sweating. This will ensure that you don’t get afflicted with heat stress, dehydration and maintain normal muscle function.
Water is integral to the life that we all lead, and the sooner we understand the importance, the sooner we can get on track. Start your journey towards a healthy lifestyle by making sure your body gets enough water. It’s time to get sipping!
