Drinking water has never been something I was good at. I am usually thirsty, which really means I haven’t been drinking enough fluids. Let me share what habits I have started and how I have found ways to drink more water.
My goal for the past few years has been to up my fluid intake. Drinking water is the best way to increase fluids and has zero Calories. Water is essential for your body, so it’s a must and we all need more than we think. If you don’t get enough water you will experience headaches, dry lips, straw colored urine, fuzzy thinking and lack of energy because you are dehydrated.
I was in China ten years ago and it was HOT, especially for a Minnesota girl. I drank bottles and bottles of water each day and didn’t care that it was warm water. It was so easy to chug a bottle of water down. When I came back I noticed that when my water was iced or cold, I didn’t drink as much. I decided to start pulling my water container out of the refrigerator and placing it on the counter to keep it at room temperature or tepid. Tepid water is now my friend and something I have learned to enjoy.
This is how I now do water. I purchase light blue pint-sized mason jars and a pack of white plastic covers to fit on them. I fill them with water and place in the refrigerator. Next I purchase two to three lemons, cut them into slices, place them in a small Ziploc and freeze flat. You can also cut slices of lemon and freeze to use for serving gallons of water at summer parties. It is also helpful to purchase different color jars for each family member.
When I have Company over or I am thirsty I grab a water out of the refrigerator and add a piece of lemon to it. Company is always impressed when you hand them a cold water with lemon. The best part is if you only drink half of your water or take it outside or another room it won’t spill and the bugs don’t get in it if you put the cover on. I usually even take my jar of water in the car when I travel around town.
On hot days I can go through 2-4 jars of water. Keep in mind I am drinking other fluids during the day such as milk, iced or hot coffee, hot or cold tea, milk or Kombucha. Caffeinated drinks count as fluids but they are a natural diuretic so you shouldn’t count on them for all your fluid needs. We should be drinking half our body weight in fluid ounces each day. If I weigh 120 pounds then I would drink 60 ounces of fluid a day. Divide 60 by 8 ounces which is in 1 cup of water. I would need around 7 1/2 cups of fluid per day. Remember water is best. In a future post I will share some of my favorite low calorie drinks, for when I am not wanting more water.
Tips to Drink more Water
- Add lemon, cucumber, orange or lemon slices to your water.
- Decide if you like your water room temperature, iced or cold and drink it that way.
- Make your water bubbly by using a carbonator.
- Set a goal of 2 pint jars=1 quart= 4 cups or 4 jars=2 quarts= 8 cups or use a quart jar.
- Fill a very large container (goal size) and drink all day until gone.
- Grab your water and take it with you on the go. I use my jar in the car.
- Drink 1-2 cups of water within the first 30 minutes of getting up. It wakes up your brain, body and kidneys.
- Drink water before you eat a snack. Most of the time you are thirsty and not hungry.
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I love the idea of freezing the lemons. I drink tons of water, but my lemons and limes always go bad. I never thought to freeze them.
So glad you learned a new tip! I was delighted when I learned to freeze them too.
Tepid water is much colder than our bodies, therefore quenches our thrist. I really do not like ice cold anything.