Struggling to remember to drink water

Painten

I like water, i don't have a problem drinking it. I do like it cool though so i have it in the fridge or run the tap a bit to get it cool. My big problem is i don't seem to feel like i'm thirsty so i don't think to drink it. I have noticed though the last few days it's been incredibly hot and i've ended up with headaches. I am sure this is because i keep getting dehydrated. It's only when the headache kicks in that i remember to go and have a drink.

I need some ideas on how to remind me to have a drink. Any ideas? I've seen people mention how they just have a bottle by them but that would mean it would be warm water..yuk!

Jamcnair

I have a 32 oz water bottle from Wal-Mart that came with a freezer stick to help keep it cool longer. Maybe you could keep a small insulated bag with you to put it in...or freeze the bottle (and the water) for a little while so it thaws out as you're drinking it

hm_day

Get a water bottle that has one of those freezer sticks. They're pretty cheap, and it's usually a large amount of water as well. That way it will keep it cool AND very rarely will you have to get up, get more water or refill, etc etc.

webdiva1

You have a phone with an alarm/reminder you could set? Or do you work on a computer where you could set yourself reminders? Maybe you could set repeat reminders to pop up every couple of hours or so until you get in the habit ... just a thought.

AmerTunsi

You can also put a string or something around your wrist that normally wouldn't be there and it should remind you when you look at it.

The other option is you can try the HydraCoach water bottles. They won't solve your warm water issue (maybe just add ice?) but it tracks how much water you drink for the day and also has a reminder alarm.

bonnienm

I don't like water and used to only drink it if it was cold but found that after drinking it to lose weight and if it's too cold it hurts my teeth I drink it better if it is room temperature. I'm one that since I don't like it have to have a bottle on my desk as a visual reminder to drink it (dr said 64 oz a day for my kidneys) and some days I STILL don't drink it. The suggestions of freezing a bottle is a good one, I had a co-worker that did that. Or freeze 2 or more and rotate them out if one gets warm. Good luck!

birdlover97111

I carry a gallon jug filled with filtered water where ever I go...May look stupid, but I make sure that thing is empty by the time I hit the sheets at night...You will find that as you force yourself to drink more water, you will start feeling more thirsty... :flowerforyou:

barbarella

I also keep a 32oz. bottle handy, and do my best to drink one full 32 oz. before the noon hour
and another one before the five o'clock hour. :drinker: :drinker:

Room temp is fine with me, but it has to be filtered as the tap water here is n.a.s.t.y.! :grumble: :noway:

Adding "fresh" lemon juice is tasty and cleansing.
Don't use Crystal Light & crap like that as they are just flavored chemicals.:bigsmile:

springtrio

I know this isn't exactly the classy thing to do (and it generally pisses everyone off around me) but I carry a gallon jug of water around with me wherever I go. Works....I get my gallon in every day.

linzmarie316

Get a cute, personalized cup! I have a 24 oz. Tervis Tumbler and I only have to fill it up 3 times a day to get enough water. So even if you just downed one at each meal, you'd be good! I add some lemon juice, fresh or bottled if I'm short on time, and it makes it taste better even if it isn't freezing cold. I also have a water cooler, which helps with temperature!

Soulbird81

I like water, i don't have a problem drinking it. I do like it cool though so i have it in the fridge or run the tap a bit to get it cool. My big problem is i don't seem to feel like i'm thirsty so i don't think to drink it. I have noticed though the last few days it's been incredibly hot and i've ended up with headaches. I am sure this is because i keep getting dehydrated. It's only when the headache kicks in that i remember to go and have a drink.

I need some ideas on how to remind me to have a drink. Any ideas? I've seen people mention how they just have a bottle by them but that would mean it would be warm water..yuk!

You definitely want to drink water BEFORE you feel thirsty. By the time you feel thirsty you are more likely to already be dehydrated. There are a few things that I have done to remind myself to drink water...

1. Android App - Drink Water (this app allows you to choose the amount of water you have for a goal and then will remind you by mkaing a noise that sounds like running tap water if you go to long between logging you've had a glass.

2. Purchased a personal jug from Wal-mart and keep it with me, no matter where I am. One full jug equals my daily water amount.

3. I do not drink anything else except plain tap water and a herbal tea (which has no calories or sugar) so everytime I have a mean I also make sure to consume the amount of 1 glass before I begin to eat.

My tap water tastes good, surprisingly enough. I've been wanting to purchase a faucet filter but because of the style of faucet I have at the moment I am unable to..so I bought a Brita pitcher for the fridge. You can purchase flavor cartridges for it, although I have not as of yet.

I used to be a Crystal Light girl but no longer drink it...sure there are low calories and no sugar but it is chemical...much like Splenda and the like...thus NOT good for you. I started to add sliced oranges, lemon, strawberries, or raspberries (or combo of) before going to bed every night so the flavor is out of this world in the morning!! This way the only sugar that is added is natural sugar from the fruit.

H_Factor

first, adding ice (either ice cubes or ice stick) will help keep the water cold for you.

for me, I found that having a routine helps me. I drink 24 ounces before I leave the house. I drink another 24 ounces on the way to work (30ish minute drive). I then drink 4 more cups of water before lunch. I then drink 4 more cups of water before I leave work and I drink water with dinner. sometimes I substitute 2 of the afternoon cups of water with one sobe lifewater.

summersmi

When at work I have several water bottles which I keep in the fridge. I carry one with me and when it gets warm I just grab one of the other bottles to carry and refill the warm one to be cooled in the fridge.

Painten

Thanks, lots of great tips there. I needed them.

The flavour of the water has never been a problem. Our tap water tastes just fine. It's remembering to drink it. I drink coffee as well. I can literally go days without a drink except just a couple of mugs of coffee a day. I know i really need to change that.

ATT949

Why do you feel that you need to drink more water than your body wants you to drink?

I've found two reasons to drink more water than my thirst mechanism tells me to drink:
1 - I run. And, per advice from running sources, I drink 8 oz of water about 15 minutes before I run. During my run, I drink about 7 OZ every 20 minutes.

2 - When people are trying to lose weight, drinking water gives a "full feeling" so people tend to eat less.

Other than that, I've never found a credible, scientifically-based study that shows that there is any value in drinking more water than our thirst mechanism signals us to drink.

Two sources:

http://ajpregu.physiology.org/content/283/5/R993.full

The author is a medical doctor. There are lots of those floating around but this one has some cred. He's on staff at Dartmouth (or Princeton, I can't remember…) and that's a good sign that the fellow has some moxie. Second, he wrote a text book on how the kidneys work.

Take the 60 seconds that you'll need just to read the abstract and that will help kill the myth. Oh, yes, 100 citations to published medical documents.



Second source, is the Runners World book "Guide to Road Racing". I got my copy for $5 from Amazon. In the "Fuel" chapter there's a section entitled "Hydration". First sentence under the heading "How Much do I Need?" (page 221)

"The old formula—everyone needs eight glasses of water a day—is out."

It then goes on to give a formula for men and women:
Men = body weight (in pounds) * 0.35
Women = body weight (in pounds) * 0.31

That's the "drinking requirement in fluid ounces" for water.

The authors go further and cite the decision of the International Marathon Medical Directors Association (isn't that amazing - they have their own association!), who, in 2006 threw out their old guidelines which was to drink more water than you felt that you needed so that you could "drink ahead" of your thirst because "the message being that by the time you feel thirsty, you're already on the road to dehydration."

They tossed that out and support the "increasing scientific evidence to support the notion that thirst is actually the ideal way to gauge hydration needs."

They quote Timothy D. Noakes, MD, a professor of exercise and sports science at University of Cape Town, South Africa, and the author of "Lore of Running" "It is the only system used by all other creatures on earth. Why should it not also be ideal for humans?"

(page 224)
According to the medical director of the New York City marathon, who is also the chairman of the board of the International Marathon Medical Directors Association, "We're used to hearing that thirst follows too far behind what you really need, but that doesn't hold true scientifically.…Your body's thirst mechanism is giving you real-time feedback on your internal fluid balance."

My thinking about water and weight loss?

If you need water to curb your appetite, drink water until you learn to control your appetite. But drinking 8 cups of water a day 'to flush toxins" or "because your muscles need it to work smoothly"? Sorry, our bodies have evolved over millions of years to tell us when we need water. I'll stick with that, thanks.

Painten

It's the headaches. It's really hot here right now and i'm exercising which is something i haven't done in previous summer's so i am sweating. The headaches are killing me. Once they arrive they take days to go. I reckon they are a pretty big signal i should be drinking more.

atomdraco

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/308810-20-tips-for-getting-your-water

KathyEarhart

I personally prefer tap water temperature, as I am able to drink more. I make sure to drink my big cup full 3 times a day and that's 9+ glasses (usually I drink closer to 11 or 12). I always have water with me, whether I grab a water bottle or two when I go run errands or my cup at home. I NEVER drank water before my most recent pregnancy, maybe 2 cups a day at most; so for me having it means I'll drink it. Also, if it's noon and I haven't clocked water, I will guzzle a couple of cups, same thing throughout the day, I know how much I should have drank by that time.

For the cold issues, my sister takes a water bottle everywhere and she fills with as much ice will fit in it, then adds cold water. She also puts it in a koozie to help it stay cool. We have been in a mall for 3 hours on a hot day and come out and it is still cold.