Tricks for Drinking More Water

By Randi Morse

I recently had the opportunity to speak with a nutritionist. We spoke about a variety of things, but one of the things he asked was how much water I was drinking. I told him that I was drinking much more water than I used to, and that I had to train myself to do so. He nodded, agreeing, and said, "That's something a lot of people don't realize, that we have to consciously think about drinking."

Not Feeling Thirsty

Why would you want to drink if you weren't feeling thirsty? That was the very thing I used to ponder before I was forced to up my water intake due to a health situation. It turns out that I didn't quite understand what thirst meant. I thought that when I felt thirsty it meant I needed to drink. In reality, if you are feeling thirsty your body is trying to tell you that you are already dehydrated. Staying hydrated can be difficult, especially when you're not used to drinking a lot, but there are a few things you can do to help increase your water intake everyday.

Set a goal - Set a daily goal, every day, of the amount of water that you want to drink. It's a good idea to start with a small goal and to slowly increase the amount of water over time. 

Reusable bottle - Get into a habit of carrying a reusable water bottle around with you. Once I started doing that I found myself drinking a lot more, especially when I was in the car driving.

Set reminders - Smartphones are great at reminding us of things; set your smart phone to remind you to drink water. You can set an alarm that goes off every 30 minutes or so that reminds you to drink.

Replace a drink - Do you always have a cup of coffee when you come home after work? Switch that coffee out with a glass of water. Switching one drink a day to water can go a long way toward helping you meet your daily water intake goals.

Learning how to drink water can take time, especially if you are someone who doesn't naturally drink a lot of water. By reminding yourself that you need to drink, and setting goals, you'll be able to up your intake in no time, which is definitely a good thing for your body.

To learn more about your health, wellness and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Flagstaff, Ariz.