I am assuming that most of us know that drinking water is good for our health (we lose weight, decrease kidney stones, have clearer skin, decrease fatigue, decreased pain in joints, fight illnesses, and improve brain function). Most of this is probably old news. Still, it seems like it is hard to actually get water in the body throughout the day. However, many people find they feel better after a few days of drinking more throughout the day. Therefore, the intention of this article is NOT to tell you all the important reasons to drink water, but rather, to try and give some practical advice to help us reach our goals each day.

Figure out how much you want to drink. Most of us grew up learning that we should drink 8 glasses of water each day (8 glasses of 8 oz would be 64 ounces total).  I think the most important thing to realize is that there is not actually a standard recommendation that is agreed upon throughout the research. Many people subscribe to the 8×8 philosophy because it is easy to remember. The reality is that everyone needs a different amount of water, based on where they live, their health status, and how much activity they participate in each day. More recent recommendations (not backed entirely by research either) is to measure your body weight in pounds, and drink half that number in ounces per day. For instance, a 150 pound person would aim for 75 ounces of water each day. Some even recommend more. Are there large differences between 64 ounces and 75 ounces (or more)? Not really. However, there is a large difference between drinking 16 ounces (a minimal water consumption that many people average per day), and these higher numbers. We know that more water is good, and only in extreme cases do we drink too much water (hyponatremia or water intoxication – avoid competitions that ask you drink absurd amounts of water). But drinking water should not fell like a chore. I personally average around 60-80 ounces per day. I tried for 100 ounces/day for a while, and just found that to be too challenging of a task. I landed on this 60-80 goal, based off how I felt when I would drink less, which would leave me feeling sluggish and hard to motivate. I drink closer to the 80 (or even more) if my activity level is high, if I feel sickness looming at my door, or just feel generally tired. I would suggest starting with half your body weight in ounces (see example above), and gauge how that feels for you. Feel like too much or too little? Modify from there.

Don’t do it all at once. Drink throughout the day. The bottles pictured above are a sample of what I drink. I don’t actually buy new Voss water each time – I just liked the glass bottle. I just went to the grocery store, purchased a few Voss bottles, and now just fill them with whatever water I have on hand. They are about 27 ounces. That means I try to drink 3-4 of these per day. However, the key is to space them out over the day. I drink one in the morning as I am getting ready for the day (always good to drink water first thing in the morning to replenish water stores used overnight). Then I drink another between breakfast and lunch. I finish with one between lunch and dinner. If I had an exceptionally active day, I will add in another bottle after dinner, but I like to stop drinking before 8:00pm, to save off from nightly trips to the bathroom. When I have these smaller goals throughout the day, it seems less daunting, and I feel like I have accomplished something good every time I finish a bottle. It  also helps me not to feel like I am a boat floating around, since it is paced throughout the day.

Spice it up! Let’s be honest – plain water can be quite boring. I can drink it all day on any given day, but over time it loses its flare, and my water consumption will drop off. I like to add flavoring to my water, but don’t want to add sugar. Above are a few examples of water/fruit/herb combinations that you might find in my bottle each day. On the left, is a mixture of oranges and blueberries. Next is my usual stand-by, which is lemons and limes (I still find it interesting that when placed in fresh water lemons will float and limes will sink). Next is a cucumber and fresh mint leaves combination. You could also add ginger to this for some zing, but I didn’t have any on hand today. On the far right is strawberry and fresh basil leaves (cut them up a little to give it more potency). I will refill the bottles with water throughout the day, reusing the fruit and herbs. Then I toss the solids at the end of day, and wash out my container.

Challenge:

My challenge to you this week is to drink more water at least for 4 days this week. Start with half your body weight in ounces. Keep up the intake for at least 4 of the 7 days this week. Let me know how you feel!