Drinking enough water daily—64 ounces, doctors say—is vital for our health; it flushes toxins, carries nutrients and provides necessary moisture for throat, eyes and nose tissues. However, we commonly drink only half of what we should, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which keeps water statistics.
Every day is a new challenge for me when it comes to drinking enough water. So I use several “hacks” to fool myself into drinking more. Here are some tricks that have worked for me.
Drink during meals: Before drinking anything else, I down 8 oz. of water at each meal. That means only five more glasses during the rest of the day.
Freeze water: I fill plastic bottles about ¾ full with filtered water, then pop them in the freezer. I sip the melting water throughout the day. Cold water tastes better to me, and before I know it, I’ve gone through three or four bottles.
Give water taste: I put cucumber slices in my Brita filter pitcher, which makes it feel like I’m at a spa each time I sip. I also freeze lemon and lime slices and throw them into a glass of water, which cools it and gives it a nice citrus punch.
Keep track: Of course, you can write down each time you drink a glass of water. But I find it easier to throw eight bangles or loose rubber bands on my wrist in the morning, and take one off each time I drink a glass of water. It’s a constant visual reminder of how much I’ve consumed and how much I’ve yet to go.
Suck instead of sip: Sucking water through a straw seems to make drinking water go faster than just sipping. I have a few metal, iced tea spoon-straws that make drinking water seem like a treat.
Set a timer: If I’m falling behind on my daily water consumption, I set a timer to ring every hour. When it rings, I get up and move and drink a few ounces of water.
Eat water: Since watermelon is 95 percent water, one serving of the fruit contains about 5 oz. of water. I feel just fine counting a slice of watermelon as a ½ cup of water.
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