Alongside “floss every day” and “get eight hours of sleep,” the gentle advice to “drink more water” is one of those golden wellness rules that makes perfect sense. However, it can be hard to achieve in practice. Luckily, there are ways you can stay better hydrated without setting alarms, guilt-tripping yourself into it, or purchasing fancy bottles you’ll use for a week and then abandon.
1. Upgrade Your H2O With Natural Flavors
Water itself lacks the properties that stimulate “visual hunger” for food. Looking at a tasty meal often triggers a desire to eat it, but the same response does not occur when looking at water. However, if the flavor does the work, then you will naturally want to drink it.
Create a Signature Water Infusion
You can easily infuse water with almost anything. This is a great opportunity to have some fun. Experiment and try out different flavor combinations until you find something you really love. The process is simple:
- Prepare your ingredients: Wash and thinly slice fruit or vegetables. Tear herbs or edible flowers and crush spices. Put the ingredients in a large pitcher or bottle and fill it with water.
- Steep: Pop it in the fridge and leave it for at least a few hours or overnight for a stronger flavor.
- Serve: Strain the infusion and decant it into your drinking vessel.
Lemon water is a classic infusion much loved for its antioxidants and vitamin C, which can boost your immune function and reduce oxidative stress. Other popular flavor pairings include lemon and lime, strawberry and basil, and ginger and pineapple, but you can choose whatever you wish.
Add Some Bubbles
If plain tap water doesn’t quite do it for you, sparkling, seltzer and mineral water are all good alternatives. These are just as hydrating, and carbonation can make hydration feel like more of a treat. It may also help you feel fuller for longer and help ease indigestion and constipation. Just be sure to stick to sugar-free seltzers to avoid unnecessary extra calories.
2. Match Your Hydration to Your Lifestyle
Many people struggle to fit regular drinking into their daily lifestyle. Women need approximately 11.5 cups a day, and men need 15.5 cups, so this is an important barrier to overcome. You don’t necessarily need to sip constantly throughout the day. Regular longer intakes work, too, so match your plans to your lifestyle.
For the 9-to-5 Professional
Try habit stacking — linking fluid consumption to existing habits. For example, make a deal with yourself to drink water before every meeting, after every bathroom break or each time you check your phone.
Set up a desktop hydration station with your favorite infusions. Once the habit is linked, you’ll find yourself looking forward to a water break.
For the Active Individual
Tie your hydration habits to your exercise routine or workouts, focusing especially on before-and-after fluids. Sports drinks contribute to your daily total but often contain excess sugar. You might prefer to add natural electrolytes from coconut water to an infusion, or even a pinch of sea salt to your everyday bottled drink.
For Children and Teens
To help kids increase their water intake, make it a fun activity. Let them choose colorful bottles and show them how to create their own infusions. You could also teach them how to make healthy popsicles from diluted fruit juice.
For Older Adults
Thirst signals can often be missed, so an older adult may not realize they are becoming dehydrated. Enjoyable daily habits like a clear soup or broth for lunch can help, as can creating a bedtime routine with hot water and lemon.
3. Eat Your Water
Another strategy if you struggle to keep drinking is to choose hydrating foods. Watermelon is famously high in water — the clue is in the name — but many other fruits and vegetables can also contribute to your daily total. Think cucumber, lettuce, tomatoes, strawberries, bell peppers and citrus fruits. In addition to boosting your fluid intake, all these contribute to a healthy overall diet.
Reframing Your Mindset From Chore to Choice
If you ask people why they don’t drink more water — and scientists have — common answers are that it’s boring, people don’t like the taste, they forget, they don’t see the point or they simply aren’t thirsty. However, your body’s thirst signals often switch off before you’ve drunk enough to rehydrate yourself.
That is exactly why experts recommend sipping water regularly throughout the day, even when you do not feel thirsty. By the time you do feel the urge, you may already be mildly dehydrated.
When you’re not motivated by thirst, fluid consumption can become just another task on your never-ending list. To increase your intake, it needs to become a conscious, positive choice rather than a chore. For that to happen, the experience needs to either be rewarding in some way or overcome the common barriers people report.
A Refreshing Approach to Hydration
To up your water consumption effortlessly, focus on flavor, tailor your drinking habits to your lifestyle and supplement with hydrating foods. Together, these strategies can take it from a chore to a choice, keeping you well hydrated and alert all day, every day.
