Anyone have any hacks for drinking more water?

sarahrbraun

I know you're asking for ways to drink more, but I'm going to be the lone dissenter and say you probably don't need as much as you've been led to believe, so maybe it's one less thing to worry about. I personally only drink when I'm thirsty. I NEVER get "8 glasses a day." On a normal day I get 5, on a water-heavy day, I'll get 7. 8 would be a freak accident. I don't avoid it, I just use my body's cue to drink when I'm thirsty. I have had no problem losing weight, feeling healthy, having energy, with bad skin, etc...Drink when you're thirsty. The old adages "if you're thirsty, you're already dehydrated" or "most hunger signals are really thirst signals" are like other old wive's tales. Why would this one human need (probably the most necessary one, behind breathing) be so undeveloped or unreliable that we can't trust it to cue us to drink? How would our ancestors have survived if they didn't know their bodies were misrepresenting their NEED for water?

And I rarely drink with meals. Does it make sense that ancient man HAD to enjoy a few glasses of water while eating? Where did he store this water? Was he only able to eat creek-side in order to drink several glasses with his scavenged or hunted meal? I doubt it. He probably drank his fill when he was near water, it most likely wasn't stored in a convenient cave-side aquifer, ready for frequent, consistent doses throughout the day.

Lest you think me crazy, there are many others starting to question the old 8 cups a day: (just a quick google search...)
http://www.self.com/health/blogs/healthyself/2011/07/6-8-glasses-too-much-how-much.html
http://www.livescience.com/2425-idea-wet-8-glasses-water-daily.html
http://lakewood.patch.com/articles/poll-new-study-says-you-don-t-need-as-much-water-as-you-think
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/jul/13/myth-eight-glasses-water-day

Just something to think about. Maybe you can feel good about what you get now and not stress about it not being enough. I bet you're doing great the way you're going now. If you physically feel like you need more though, I'd listen, but if it's the media's frightening you into thinking you need more, I'd listen to my own body first.

did you even READ the OP? She started out by saying that she NEEDS to drink more because she is having health problems that her DOCTOR has attributed to chronic dehydration.

That's awesome if you feel 5 is adequate for your body....I totally understand that. I was that way until a year ago when I landed in the ER with a 14mm kidney stone. My urologist did extensive testing and found that there were only TWO contributing factors, low fluid intake and low acid levels in my urine. Now I am a MAJOR advocate for 8 8oz glasses or MORE per day and it bugs the daylights out of me when someone tries to tell people that 64oz/day is just a guide, and as long as your pee isn't dark, you're fine. I HAD light to clear urine and STILL was dehydrated.

ETA: and actually, depending on what you are drinking out of, your 4-5 glasses a day really might be 8-10. The average drinking glass is 16oz. If you are drinking 4 drinking glasses, you ARE getting 64oz a day...

Flafster

did you even READ the OP? She started out by saying that she NEEDS to drink more because she is having health problems that her DOCTOR has attributed to chronic dehydration.

Eh? Where does she say that?
She says this:

I think I get a pretty decent amount of water a day- I always hit at least the minimum recommended (8 glasses) amount, but I feel like I should be drinking more of it. My usual routine is waking up and drinking two glasses of water, and then drinking another glass of water every time I pee. Sometimes this means I drink a lot more water depending on my activities for the day, sometimes less.

What do you guys do to make sure you drink a load of water every day?

I can be fairly stupid at times, but there's nothing about dehydration here. or is there? #dodododododododo

BROscience_PHD

Heres my rule, whatever i drink, let say 1 cupp of cofee, has to be followed by 2 cups of water, also when I make # 1 , i drink 2 cups immideately after. I drink about 2 gallons a day

StephanieEmpson

I add lemon and carry it with me at all times.

fitplease

I keep a case of water in my car.

Careful! Heat and plastic are not a good combination. Heat will make the plastic leech toxins into the water. (My friend makes the point that the plastic water bottles will sometimes sit outside in the heat on the loading dock when they are transported to/from a store, so my point is probably moot anyway.) You best bet is to really use a reusable bottle to fill up with water. If you are concerned about the stuff from your faucet, you can always use a water filter system, or even a water pitcher, such as PUR. (Brita really only works for taste IMHO.)

No advertising meant.

hesn92

I just drink it. I love water.

Darrell916

I usually keep a water bottle with me and I but the water packets to flavor my water and most of the water packets have NO calories.

Cookiepusss

Squeeze some lemon or fresh fruit juice in it or make your own tea with green tea bags. Especially first thing in the morning. It's good for your liver and digestion. Don't drink bottled or tap water you don't want or need the chemicals. (FYI bottled water purity is unregulated, and there can be BPA in the plastic of the bottle and although the water in your town may be seemed at a safe level for ingested, do you really want the "safe" levels of chemicals in your body or no levels at all?)
When I'm not in the mood to drink, but I need to, I just chug it and get it over with!

Powergirl123

if ur having trouble with water intake then at leasst drink 1 to 2 glasses of water before any other bevrage
if u eat a meal and still dont feel full brocoli can help eat broccoli it fills u up!

thegirlwhoateitaly

Hi! My name is Kristina and I can relate...I am very , VERY bad about drinking my water. I used to tell myself I can't have a diet pepsi until I drink at least 8 glasses of water, that doesn't seem to work anymore because I get very bored with drinking water. I did buy MIO, it's a liquid drink enhancer, no calories and no carbs. Its great because it comes in a little squeezy bottle, I can carry it in my purse and its not like crystal light all messy and powdery. It helps alot at work when I am craving a little something sweet or a pick me up, I just add some in my bottled water. It is especially helpful when I go out to eat, it stops me from drinking soda, I just put alittle squirt in my drinking water and I am all good! Sometimes if I am really craving a fizzy drink I add it to club soda, its like creating my own flavored soda without all the calories, lol! I hope this was helpful

kneasles

I need to figure out a way to psych myself into drinking more water too. My doctor said that my heart rate is actually high because I'm constantly dehydrated. When I'm at the office it's usually 120 bpm o.0. That is the one major thing I need to work on and I just can't seem to figure out how to remember to drink water!

With a heart rate at 120 bpm at rest, you definitely need to take this seriously. I started drinking more water for a month now. My blood pressure and resting heart rate have both gone down. I read somewhere in a post you should drink 1oz of water for every 2 pounds of weight. If you divide your weight by 16 you'll get how many 8 oz glasses of water you should have daily. If you drink coffee and alcohol remember they dehydrate you also, so I don't count them as water. Here's a calculator that takes a bunch of different factors into account to estimate your recommended daily water intake.

http://nutrition.about.com/library/blwatercalculator.htm

btw, I drink a fresh squeezed lime in a pint of water 3x's a day and keep it in the fridge in plain sight along with the rest of the water I should have for the rest of the day, so when I open the fridge it's a reminder. I get my daily allowance of vitamin C this way. Good luck and take care.

lauravasseur

I keep a case of water in my car and drink a 16 oz bottle with breakfast, between bfast and lunch, another one at lunch, another one at 3 pm snack time, one before my workout, one after my workout, one with dinner, and one between dinner and bedtime. A total of eight 16 oz bottles equivalent of a gallon a day. Some days I go a little over that, on days I don't workout, I usually drink about 96 oz.

Don't leave the water bottles in your car. If they get hot the plastic releases a carcinogen that can cause cancer. My cousin got a very deadly cancer from that (the doc said that was the main cause)

BR3ANDA

Flavor your water and see if that helps, I use Crystal Light.

josyjozy

I have a job where half the time I'm on my feet and the other half at a desk. I keep a glass of water there and I have a little scrap piece of paper on my desk I write my weight and then I write down water. Throughout the day I put tally marks down. I usually have 4 in by lunch and if I notice that I don't I try to keep that in mind to have in at least 7 by the end of the work day. It was only hard the first two days. Just making myself keep the tally marks reminds me to drink more.

laughablyginger

Well, I did the calculator, http://nutrition.about.com/library/blwatercalculator.htm and it says I should be drinking 97oz (.76 gallons) of water for my weight, exercise level, and environment. I guess that means I should be drinking more of it for weight loss purposes! I was getting about two-thirds of that amount by the eight glasses a day recommendation. I'm going to have to make a concerted effort to ramp up my water intake and you guys all have a lot of great ideas.

Thanks!

Phoenix59

I generally don't drink a lot of water (although plenty of coffee and a Diet Coke a day), but recently discovered that Crystal Light makes a margarita flavor! It's delicous...even without the alcohol! :laugh: Definitely has me drinking more water, so much so that I haven't had a Diet Coke since I started with the water.

miracle4me

I went looking for ice cube tray to make stick ice cubes to fit in my volvic water bottle. All of a sudden I had a "Duh dumb blonde moment"That is what my hubby calls it :laugh: I stuck the water bottle in the freezer and froze the entire bottle solid, as it defrosts of course the thick stick ice cube is all ready in it! This solid frozen bottle is gone by end of day. Nothing can be easier also you can still add the fresh juice to it. It is true it takes about an hour before you can drink from the solid frozen bottle of water, but I just drink something else in the meantime. I hope this helps someone else. :drinker: Now I am on a new mission and that is to find a machine that makes slushy or snow cones hey who does not love crushed ice? My hubby says I am regressing to my child hood and instead of getting older I am getting younger. I told him "well thank you that is something every woman wants to hear!":laugh: I know I will drink more fluids if I have fun with it, and using my Sugar Free koolaid which I love making it into a slushie or snow cone is another way. Having said all of this, if anyone can recommend to me a slushie maker/snow cone maker for European voltage I would appreciate it very much just email me please. :flowerforyou: