Start drinking water and make it a habit.
Water is the healthiest option in terms of drinks available to us, yet it is often overlooked in favor of others such as tea, coffee and soda. Water is natural, fat free, calorie free and is essential for your body to operate optimally.
The drinking water habit
There are various factors which influence how much drinking water you should take each day. For many years people became accustomed the age-old advice that eight glasses of water a day were good for you. This, however, does not take into account the age of the person, the lifestyle or other factors such as body weight and how many other fluids such as juice, tea, soda a person might consume in a typical day.
Develop a routine
Active people, whether it is through work or exercise, will probably have a greater need for drinking water than a person who has a sedentary job and does little physical exercise daily. It is also no good simply drinking several glasses of water when you feel thirsty or dehydrated. By that time your body has already suffered a ‘lack of water’, hence the feeling of thirst. It is much better to try and develop a regular drinking water routine, for example, a glass when you first get up in the morning, drinking water with each meal of the day, and maybe a glass mid-morning, mid-afternoon and in the evening.
Certainly if regular exercise is part of your routine then you should aim to drink before, during and following such activities. This will keep your body well hydrated at all times.
How can I drink so much water?
Now, if you are going to try and establish your new drinking water habit, it makes sense to try and make it as easy as possible. It will help if you always have drinking water with you. This will avoid the need to look for it, or be tempted to drink soda or something else. Try carrying a drinking water bottle around with you. Place a large drinking water bottle on your desk at work, or near your workstation.
To develop the habit, you should be conscious of it, just like keeping an appointment. Use the alarm function on your watch, mobile phone or computer to remind you of your new drinking water habit until it becomes natural for you and you do it automatically.
Substitute water for other drinks
Replace what you would normally drink with water. This is one of the easiest ways of ensuring that you are drinking water on a regular basis. Choose to drink water instead of a soda or juice, accompany a cup of coffee with a small glass of water and get into the habit of having a glass of water with every meal or snack that you have on a daily basis.
Motivation
Don’t use cost as an excuse. You don’t have to spend more money to develop your drinking water habit. It is not necessary to always drink bottled water if you invest in a suitable water filter for your home which will provide you with pure, filtered drinking water straight from the tap.
Doing exercise regularly will make you want to drink more water naturally. This will help develop the habit of drinking water more often, as well as providing all the health benefits of regular exercise.
New habits are formed quicker than most pope think. Experts claim that in as little as 21 days a new habit can be formed, after which it is considered normal behavior. Try these drinking water tips for the next month and feel and see the difference!
