Water

 

Yes, water. 

That wet, tasteless stuff we all know we should be drinking, but don't. Or at least, don't drink enough of.

I don't mind drinking water, it is my drink of choice.  But it can be challenging to down my daily allotment every day.

Ok, it IS challenging.

Water is pretty amazing stuff.

It flushes toxins from your body, hydrates your skin (dry lips and hang nails? Drink more water!), eases headaches, helps you lose weight, increases energy...  Yet according to Boston College, two thirds of Americans are dehydrated and don't know it!

I had another Doctor's appointment this week and he stressed the need for me to drink an adequate amount of water each day.  I agree. However, knowing I should and actually doing it are two different things.

So how much water is enough?

No, sorry, the answer is not eight glasses of water a day.  

It depends.  Yes I'm going to start talking about math...  The correct amount of water to drink every day is half your body weight in ounces.  Therefore, if you weigh 200lbs, you should drink 100 oz of water each day.  (That wasn't too bad, was it?) But make sure you drink more if you exercise or it is summer time, because you will be losing more water due to sweat.

So how in the world do you down all that water 

EVERY SINGLE DAY?!?!?

That, my friends, is the question of the hour.

Here are some ideas I've come up with. 

~Carry a water bottle with you!  If its there, you remember to drink rather than going to the kitchen multiple times to fill a glass.

~ Break up the day.  Say you have to drink 3 bottles of water a day. Purpose to drink one before lunch, one before dinner, and one before bed, that way you are not drinking a ton right before bed and your body will stay thoroughly hydrated instead of getting all the water in one dose.

~Tired of the taste? Try adding a squeeze of lemon, lime or even orange juice to the water for some flavor.

~Instead of mentally keeping track of how many times you have refilled your water bottle in a given day put a rubber band around the bottle for each time you refill it.

I would love to hear your ideas.  Add to the list in the comments, I need all the ideas I can get!