Tips and tricks to drink more water
Ellie Brewer
•
It can be a daunting challenge to drink enough water, and many of us feel like we are too busy to prioritize staying hydrated. Drinking enough water is important because it has so many vital functions in our bodies, including:
Keeping our blood the right thickness so it can deliver nutrients and oxygen to our muscles and organs
Allowing food to move through our digestive system so we don’t get constipated
Allowing us to control our temperature by sweating
Allowing us to get rid of waste products in our urine and feces
Now that we’ve talked about why staying hydrated is so important, the next question is: how much water should you be drinking? It will vary for everyone, but a good baseline to begin with is to aim for half your body weight (in pounds) in ounces of water. So if someone weighs 200 lbs, they should be aiming to drink at least 100 oz of water every day. On days when you are outside a lot, get a workout in, or are up and about a lot, think about increasing your water intake above this baseline level to stay hydrated with the extra activity. If you feel daunted by how much water we are recommending, start small by adding 8 oz of water to the amount you drink daily, then gradually increase that amount over several weeks. For example, if I currently drink 20 oz a day, I would try to drink 28-30 oz for several days, and then increase to 38-40 oz for a couple days, and keep gradually increasing until I am eventually drinking half my bodyweight in ounces.
Many of our gym members have asked what they can do to stay hydrated if they don’t like drinking water or are struggling with their water intake, and here are some options to try:
Add flavoring packets to your water to change the taste.
Add sliced fruit (lemons, strawberries, blueberries, etc) to add a subtle flavor.
Eat more fruits. Juicy fruits like watermelon, cantaloupe, kiwis, and peaches have a higher water content and will help you stay hydrated.
Drink 8 oz of water right when you wake up. Every night put a full water bottle by your bed so when you wake up during the night or in the morning, you can get a head start on hydrating before you get busy with your day.
Put a reminder in your phone or calendar to drink water. If you have a busy schedule during the day and don’t have time to run to the water fountain, set a reminder after you get off work to catch up on your water intake.
Carry a water bottle with you and keep it somewhere visible so you are reminded to take a sip everytime you see it. There are so many water bottles on the market these days, so feel free to treat yourself to one that you really like - maybe it’s a fun color or design, has a straw, an anti-leak lid, or other features that you enjoy.
Prefill 2-3 water bottles the night before and leave them in the fridge for the next day. This will give you a visual of how much water you need to drink each day and give you immediate feedback if you weren’t able to drink all of the bottles.
If you have more questions about water intake or need help staying hydrated, please reach out to our Rise nutrition team. We are more than happy to talk through some strategies with you to get you started on the right path.
And for bonus awesome points, tell a trainer a strategy you are going to try this week to increase your water intake!