Ways to Help Ensure I Drink Enough Water?

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  • pamelak5
    pamelak5 Posts: 327 Member
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    I break it down into manageable goals...I keep a 27 oz water bottle (camel bak eddy) with me. I drink one before my workout - usually around 11 am. One during my workout, one before I leave work, and one between coming home from work bedtime. I just keep it near and keep sipping, it's not a chore at all. My only beverages are coffee (1-2 cups in the morning), soymilk or almond milk and water.
  • Karamel_Kay_
    Karamel_Kay_ Posts: 15
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    thanks! looks like i will be investing in a soda stream machine soon... in the meantime, sparkling water :) gotta get myself away from the soda.
  • CreepingBriar
    CreepingBriar Posts: 11 Member
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    I am seconding the idea to carry a 24 oz. container. I am for emptying it 3 times a day, putting me at 9 servings of 8 oz. I also aim for 3 sodas a day. So I make myself put the water before the soda! Finish one before my lunchtime coke, another before my dinner soda, and the last one before my evening snack drink. I went from struggling to get 3 8 oz servings, now I get more like 9-12. Ice helps!
  • Gaffadin
    Gaffadin Posts: 2
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    I intensely dislike the taste of water and so have tried almost every zero calorie drink on the market and I didn't care for any of them...

    ...until I found something called Sparkling Ice. It's lightly carbonated and comes in about a dozen different flavours. They sell it at Wal-Mart here in town, although I also pick it up on Amazon where they sell them by the crate as well.

    I can't speak highly enough about it. Raspberry lemonade, black raspberry, and normal lemonade are three of the best flavours. It's not especially cheap (~$1 per bottle) but you can't put a price on health.
  • doubleohstatus
    doubleohstatus Posts: 37
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    I use a 32oz water bottle, makes it easier to consume water. Plus every time I down the bottle, its 4 cups of H20 down out of the 16 min that I usually drink. Easily average a gallon+ a day. Def is a chore when you start out but it gets easier.
  • smithed812
    smithed812 Posts: 289
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    Keep it with you... I have a 24 oz bottle with a built-in straw. With the straw I can put away water like nobody's business.
  • Karamel_Kay_
    Karamel_Kay_ Posts: 15
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    sounds delicious. i like variety. i will check amazon for them... i dont mind the $1 per bottle price. thank you.
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
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    I have several of these:
    Customized_Contigo_Madison_Bottle_ezr.jpg

    Contigo 24 oz bottle (I have a 32 oz one too) that goes with me everywhere! Leak proof, spill proof, dishwasher safe (yay!) - I fill it with filtered water from my fridge and keep it with me at all times.

    I also made it a rule that I have to drink at least 8oz before coffee in the morning (usually workout first thing, which also helps), or I'll sip the coffee all morning and realize at noon that I've hardly had any water to drink. So I go for one or two cups even before breakfast.

    But keeping a bottle with me at all times has really helped. You can order them online on Amazon - they usually have some good deals.
  • misti777
    misti777 Posts: 217 Member
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    I try to keep in my mind that when doctors say 8 cups, they mean 8 servings of 8 ounces of water. A 16 oz bottle of water will there are two servings of water in the bottle. So just try to find a water bottle brand that you really like the taste of. I know arrowhead tastes like faucet water which is not good at all. Put the bottles in the fridge or somewhere you will come across them and take 2 or three bottles with you to work.
  • Karamel_Kay_
    Karamel_Kay_ Posts: 15
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    i feel that a straw will actually help alot. i will have to get a 24 oz bottle since so many of you suggest that. thanks.
  • mahoganysun
    mahoganysun Posts: 2
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    I love water! However, I wasn't always a water drinker. I loved apple juice and Kool-Aid (which is the worst type of sugar water lol!) Anyway, I tried to drink water with at least one or two of my meals a day. I also started to add lemon juice to my water to help with the taste. I love bitter lemonade and I know lemon juice is VERY bitter but I liked the taste. The more water you drink, you will feel a difference in your body. You will feel your body replenish itself as you drink more water. Your taste buds will change and you won't crave other drinks like you use to. I still like apple juice and other drinks but in order for my food to really digest, water is the way to go. I think that starting out with adding fruit to your water REALLY helps.
  • mahoganysun
    mahoganysun Posts: 2
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    I agree with the other posts about carrying a water bottle. I carry my water bottle everywhere I go. It really helps.
  • Karamel_Kay_
    Karamel_Kay_ Posts: 15
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    oooooooo pretty colors. haha thanks!!
  • MrsFowler1069
    MrsFowler1069 Posts: 657 Member
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    Just don't surpass 2 cups at a time and take your time, it can be dangerous if you drink too much!

    This is "mostly" untrue. The kidneys of a healthy adult can process 15 liters per day, which is over 63 cups. It CAN be dangerous if you try to drink an enormous amount all at once, if you have a "very" low sodium/electrolyte diet (or are an endurance athlete who is taking in only large amounts of water and no electrolytes), if you have renal trouble, etc, but drinking way more than the average person does is not dangerous. Almost every case of deadly water intoxication has been associated with pranks, dares, hazing, and stunts.

    For a person who is having trouble getting down a recommended minimum, I doubt that this is likely to be a problem.


    Edit for getting off track and forgetting to answer the question.....

    I'm sure it isn't true for everyone, but I think a lot of people become more fond of water as they become healthier. When I'm thirsty, there are times when only water will do the trick (not because I'm healthy, although I hope to be someday, but because I just like it lol). And we, especially in the US I think, have an overdeveloped taste for things salty or sweet or fatty....as we begin to make other choices and develop new preferences, simpler things like water and veggies can become more appealing.

    I think the berries or frozen berries sounds really good - I've never thought of that. I do like lemon or lime (fresh) sometimes. For me, during times when I'm just not drinking enough, I just make a point to always have it handy and to make myself drink some before I have something else, like others have said. Too, in the morning when I take my meds, I drink a full glass instead of just a couple of swallows to wash them down.

    In addition to drinking water, you can get 20-25% of your water (recommended, I should say) from food sources. Here are a couple of links for some suggestions:

    http://beta.active.com/nutrition/Articles/Stay-Hydrated-With-High-Water-Content-Foods

    http://www.davita.com/kidney-disease/diet-and-nutrition/diet-basics/food-that-counts-as-fluid-on-the-kidney-diet/e/6965

    http://health.heraldtribune.com/2012/04/10/dr-oz-some-daily-water-intake-can-come-from-food/
  • Joehenny
    Joehenny Posts: 1,222 Member
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    I always lol when I hear this. You just got to do it. I don't know how the heck anyone expects to live a fitness based lifestyle and not drink a fair amount of aqua. lul
  • Karamel_Kay_
    Karamel_Kay_ Posts: 15
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    thanks! a previous comment suggested strawberries and blueberries in my water. lemon juice might work for me, i just wouldnt like it too bitter haha.
  • Pitena
    Pitena Posts: 2 Member
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    I have a meeting request in my dairy that pops up every morning and I then have it pop up again every hour, it reads 'Drink some bloody water...NOW'. Really works
  • MrsFowler1069
    MrsFowler1069 Posts: 657 Member
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    If you want fruit with it, infuse it with strawberries and blue/blackberries! It is sooo good! Icy cold water that tastes like berries...yummy!

    This does sound good! :) I actually like water, but something different occasionally would be nice too, especially since my whole beverage lists is typically water, coffee, and whiskey. lol
  • WenHurley
    WenHurley Posts: 166 Member
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    I use Mio, Dasani, or the Walmart brand of water flavorings. I checked with my dr about it when I 1st tried them. He said they were better than soda. I like that you can control the amount of flavor. Somedays I want a little more, others I want less. It helps because I really didn't like water. Now, I drink plain water too - it does have to be really cold though.

    It's been 4 years since I gave up soda. Now, I can't drink it anymore. It upsets my stomach too much.
  • Karamel_Kay_
    Karamel_Kay_ Posts: 15
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    I always lol when I hear this. You just got to do it. I don't know how the heck anyone expects to live a fitness based lifestyle and not drink a fair amount of aqua. lul

    for one, i never said i was living a "fitness based lifestyle"... i just asked for ways to make water more appealing to me. im 110% positive i didnt ask for personal opinions on whats funny and not funny to you though.

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