I've always been envious of my friends that seem to always have a craving, or at least a desire to drink water. Since I was little, I never had the urge to drink water unless I was really dehydrated, and I could usually get though the day drinking as little as a cup of water, about half of which was to swallow my allergy pills morning and night. I knew that drinking so little had to be unhealthy, and has been proven as such by numerous doctors across the world, but staying hydrated was such a chore. Now, not to say it still isn't, but there are a few options and tricks to make your life a little bit easier, since I know you all know the zillion benefits to drinking water. Now, I won't lie to you, it does stink having to run to the bathroom 3942890 a day, but the pros definitely outweigh the cons.
1. Pace Yourself
Personally, I find that I drink less water when I drink out of an average 16 oz water bottle than say, a 50 oz water bottle. I set a pace for myself. My classes at college usually run from 9-6, and since the average amount of water you should drink is 64 oz of water each day, if I drank the large bottle by the end of my school day, I could return home to drink just one more bottle, and I was done for the day. This was also helpful because I no longer found myself chugging to make up for the day before bed, inherently waking up many times a night to run to the bathroom. For others, counting down the number of times they refill works better than the daunting larger bottles, but this seems to work for me.
2. Check Out Water Drinking Apps
Nowadays, hydration has become a topic of many health-related articles, so if you aren't finding much progress with pacing yourself, try investing in apps that set reminders throughout the day to drink water. There are probably a few free options as well, but try a few and see what works best for you.
3. Buy a Hydration Tracking Water Bottle
Hidrate Spark® has invented a tracking water bottle that blinks when you are due to drink. It does not beep, so you can sit with this handy gadget in class or at work. This bottle may frustrate you in its' usefulness, but it is sure to keep you well.
4. Make Water Eventful
Some days, when I am having a really tough water day, I grab some lemon or lime juice and squirt a bit in to liven the taste. Tea is another option, especially herbals that do not contain caffeine (which can dehydrate some, causing a diuretic effect).
No matter what you choose or how you go about it, water keeps you healthy, energetic, and increases both your metabolism and immune system, fending off illnesses and making weight loss more effective and efficient on and for your body.
