Here at The Swole Kitchen one of the biggest lifestyle habits that we work with clients on, whether we’re helping them with nutrition, training, or both, is drinking more water. It can be a difficult habit to get into, but once you do, your body responds tenfold, thanking you in return with proper function, helping you get closer to your goals, and helping you feel better overall. Here are some of our favorite tips on how to drink more water on a daily basis.
Tips On How To Drink More Water
Two Cups When You Wake Up
Right when you roll out of bed grab a cup and fill it up with a 8-16 oz of room temperature water. This is a great way to wake up your body and digestive system after a long nights sleep without overwhelming it with food. This is one of the beginning tips on how to drink more water we help clients with.
Download A Water Tracking App
Sometimes we need a little nudge throughout the day as a reminder to drink water until we build the habit up over time. Installing an app, such as Daily Water Free or Carbodroid to your cell phone might be just the thing you need. With alarms, tracking tools, and customized reminders how could you forget?
Drink Sparkling Water
While sparkling water (or mineral water) doesn’t hydrate the body as much as plain water, it’s a better substitute as compared to regular soda or sugary drinks. This is also one of our favorite tips on how to drink more water, especially for those who arent’ quite ready to just drink plain water on its own. Pass the Lacroix, please!
Flavor Water With BCAA & Electrolyte Powder
Adding some flavor, especially when it has added electrolytes for hydration is always more fun, than drinking plain water. We recommend this BCAA 2:1:1 because it has added electrolytes and glutamine for hydration and recovery.
RELATED: Signs of Electrolyte Imbalance
Fruit Infused Water
The tips on how to drink more water definitely don’t have to be boring, and that’s where infusing your water with things like fruit and mint come in handy so that you’re more inclined to drink it. Think along the lines of lemon, lime, mint, pineapple, strawberry, and more.
Hydrate With Food
Believe it or not, the foods you eat can actually contribute to your hydration levels. While most these tips on how to drink more water focus on water itself, vegetables and fruits contain high amounts of water. While they cannot account for all of your hydration (you must still rely on water) they can improve your body’s fluid levels naturally. Foods that can improve hydration include watermelon, strawberries, cucumbers, celery, bell peppers, spinach, and even broccoli. (4)
Reduce Alcohol Consumption
The only beverages that don’t count toward fluid hydration in the body are alcoholic beverages. These include wine, beer, and hard liquor which all have a diuretic effect and promote the production of urine. If you are going to have a drink (or two), drink a full glass of water between each to replenish what has been lost.
Drink More Tea
Herbal teas are a great way to increase overall water consumption without avoiding caffeine altogether. Try it out - a couple days a week swap your morning coffee for a cup caffeinated tea. In the evening after dinner, opt for a floral or herbal, non-caffeinated cup of tea, as a dessert. If you are going to stick to your coffee routine, try breaking up the routine between the cups with a cup of water. Your appetite will also thank you, considering caffeine is an appetite suppressant. No more of that hangry, dehydrated wall in the early afternoon.
Dehydration Is No Joke
The average human body loses nearly 3 liters (that’s almost a gallon) of water by just functioning throughout the day. This is done by regulating body temperature, sweating, going to the tinkle, and even just breathing. That doesn’t include exercising or increased motor function outside of the body. During exercise alone, let’s go with an hour for example - the body loses 1-2 liters of water by just sweating.1
Mild Dehydration Signs:
- dry mouth
- cracked lips
- constipation
- fatigue
- minimal/dark urine
- a headache
Extreme Dehydration Symptoms:
- rapid heartbeat
- extreme thirst
- fever
- little to no urination
- severe muscle cramping
- delirium
- unconsciousness
Chronic dehydration is no joke either. While you may not think you are dehydrated to the negatively noticeable point, that doesn’t always mean you’re as hydrated as you should be. Adverse health effects from chronic dehydration can severely affect your organs and lead to cholesterol problems, constipation, kidney stones, liver, joints problems, and even muscle damage. (1,3) So while you may not feel like you fit in the mild or severe category, it’s imperative to hydrate daily with both drink and food.
Tips On How To Drink More Water: Takeaway
We can all agree that drinking water is important for our bodies and our overall health. Whether it’s regulating temperature or helping you release toxins and increase oxygen production during exercise, water helps us feel and function at our very best throughout our day. With these tips on how to drink more water you’re going to be well on your way to better hydration.
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Reference:
- Popkin BM, D'anci KE, Rosenberg IH. Water, hydration, and health. Nutr Rev. 2010;68(8):439-58.
- Roberts JD, Tarpey MD, Kass LS, Tarpey RJ, Roberts MG. Assessing a commercially available sports drink on exogenous carbohydrate oxidation, fluid delivery and sustained exercise performance. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2014;11(1):8.
- Strachan SR, Morris LF. Management of severe dehydration. J Intensive Care Soc. 2017;18(3):251-255.
- Guelinckx I, Tavoularis G, König J, Morin C, Gharbi H, Gandy J. Contribution of Water from Food and Fluids to Total Water Intake: Analysis of a French and UK Population Surveys. Nutrients. 2016;8(10)