my water consumption.....

The only times I drink water voluntarily is if I am at the gym or if it is ICE COLD. I need my water (besides when I working out, I will drink it any way then) to be filled with ice cubes. I also use just a HALF packet of crystal light, I don't like it too sweet. I will also try putting a couple of lemons in it. One of my gym instructors puts a leaf of fresh mint, sliced cucumber and lemon in her water, she said it is delicious and acts as a detox....I hate that word lol

I like "True Lemon", "True Lime" or "True Orange"
All natural dehydrated juice one packet equals one slice...

Also years ago I went to a nutritionist who said 1 (8oz) glass of water for every 25lbs of body weight is fine. So I generally don't stress about intake. (Makes more sense to me than the 8 x 8oz rule. I would think some who is 100lbs wouldn't need as much water as someone who is 300 lbs)

Read a recent study, (by cornell I think) saying that it was okay to count coffee as water. And that the difference in hydration is only slightly less that water, not enough to stress over. Coffee does not dehydrate you.

I love a cucumber in my water. It takes away any icky flavors that might in there and gives it a nice crisp refreshing taste. I too struggle with drinking enough water, but not because I hate the taste, but because there are just other things I like to drink. Mostly tea and coffee. I now make myself drink a glass between each cup of team/coffee to ensure I get enough water.

My advice is to always have a litre bottle with you, whether it's in your bag or on your desk at work! If I didn't have mine with me I wouldn't drink half as much as I do! And if you really struggle with the taste try adding a slice of lemon or lime to it, or even a tiny amount of no added sugar squash, just to give it a hint of flavouring!

When I work out I drink a bottle of water, to me as long as it's wet while working out you will drink it. I then carry a bottle with me at work all day long with a spare one in the fridge. For lunch and dinner I drink some homemade brewed tea with a little sugar in it just to get a different flavor other than water. Then I play alot of ball so 4 nights a week it's easy to drink water as I need it to moisten my throat. I do agree though cold water is the best!!

I have been working on this and I find when I am conscious about it I do better. What other posters have said about telling yourself to drink water before you do XX or drink something else etc.

At work have a camelback water bottle that has a straw. 32 oz and I try and drink at least 1 sometimes 2 during the day. Then I don't worry about it the rest of the time.

I prefer stevia as a sweetener for everything now and there is a kind of crystal light that is hard to find called "pure" that is sweetened with stevia, and that is good to add sometimes.

At restaurants I think to myself that I want to get at least one refill!

If I don't think about it I reflect and find I did not drink hardly at all. So it is something I have to work at.

I like herbal teas like mint, "weightliess", and yogi teas but I have those before bed in the evening

What works the best for me is to make a bargain with myself. I don't get to eat meals until I drink 1 pint of water. I have 4 meals per day, so that equals 64 ounces.

I try to use bigger glasses that hold 3 or 4 cups of water that way it seems like I am not drinking as much. It tricks my brain to drink more.

Eight glasses of water a day an urban myth'?

Water and a well-balanced diet 'do far more than water alone,' Australian researcher says

CBC News

Posted: Jun 10, 2012 12:51 AM ET

Last Updated: Jun 10, 2012 12:48 AM ET

The common advice to drink eight glasses of water a day doesn't hold water, say nutrition and kidney specialists who want to dispel the myth.

"What drove us to drink two litres of water a day?" asks an editorial in this week's issue of the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health.

The recommendation was driven by vested interests rather than health, suggests author Speros Tsindos of the department of dietetics and human nutrition at La Trobe University in Victoria, Australia.
Other beverages also help us meet the body's fluid needs, say nutrition specialists. (Aaron Harris/Canadian Press)
"Humans need to maintain fluid balance and need to drink water when required, but should also consider fluid in unprocessed fruits and vegetables and juices. There is further evidence that water and a well-balanced diet does far more than water alone," Tsindos wrote.

"Water is important for health; however, the recommendation of eight glasses of pure water per day appears an overestimation of requirements."

Even a baked potato is 75 per cent water, said nutrition Prof. Susan Barr of the University of British Columbia, who sat on a Canadian-U.S. committee that looked at fluid intake.

"There's nothing magical about water from a glass of water as opposed to water from a food or any other beverage," Barr said.

Drinking caffeinated beverages such as tea and coffee do not lead to dehydration, said Dr. Stanley Goldfarb, a nephrologist at the University of Pennsylvania who reviewed research claims on drinking eight glasses of water and studied how the kidneys handle it.

Let thirst guide you

"Drinking the coffee will count towards your total water intake for the day," Goldfarb said.

Goldfarb said despite the common idea that it's important to "drink eight glasses of eight ounces of water" a day, "There’s no evidence that benefits health in any real way and it really represents an urban myth."

There's no evidence you need to drink more water than what thirst dictates, Goldfarb added.

Studies on desert nomads showed people can consume minimal amounts of water in harsh environments. The military has also looked at how much water soldiers need to take with them when patrolling in hot climates without harming their performance.

"If one is just playing a game of tennis in an indoor facility, for example, or having a short run on a treadmill in an air-conditioned gym, the need to maintain hydration during that is just non-existent," Goldfarb advised.

People have died of dehydration and from drinking too much water too quickly.

A good guide to tell if the body’s finely tuned fluid balance is to check the colour of your urine. If it's very dark, you're on the dry side; if it's very light or translucent, then you need to drink a bit less water, said Dr. David Price, head of family medicine at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ont.