Keep yourself hydrated
It’s a well-known fact that the human body consists mainly out of water, 60% to be precise. That's one of the reasons why it's important to keep yourself hydrated at all times. When your water intake does not equal your output, you can become dehydrated. Especially during hectic and busy days it's quite easy to forget to drink, which causes unpleasant side effects. In this article, I’ll share with you what can be done to make it – a little bit- easier to drink up, stay on track and keep yourself hydrated.
I am that kind of person that forgets to drink (water) during the day, causing myself getting headaches :-( . Because it's really not nice to walk around with a headache all day long, I’ve decided to make a conscious effort to drink 2L of water on a daily basis. Thankfully, I never forget to drink water during a workout which really quenches my thirst!
Why is water so important?
Our body is mostly made up of water, which makes it no surprise that water plays such an important role in our body. It transports nutrients and oxygen into cells, regulates body temperature, helps with metabolism and so on. Drinking plenty of water can help you lose weight, look younger, have glowing skin, are less likely to get sick, helps in digestion and constipation, relieves fatigue and it helps you get into a good mood :-).
Eight glasses of water a day keeps the doctor away
Aiming to drink at least a 2L of water can be very difficult. Especially when you are used to drink mostly other beverages like coffee, tea, milk or fizzy drinks. I’ve discovered that for me it’s a task (mentally). Those eight glasses are combined in 4x 500ml water bottles that I finish within timeslots during the day. Those timeslots make sure I’ve finished them all within 24hours;
- 1st bottom up: Between the time I wake up and go to work
- 2nd bottom up: Between lunchtime 12:00-13:00
- 3rd bottom up: Before I leave the office between 17:00-18:00
- 4th bottom up: Before I go to bed 00:00
Remind yourself to drink water on time
There are a lot of gadgets out there that can help you not to forget that you’re
on a waterbudget :-). You could put several reminders in your phone. It’s also possible to download an app that will help you do so. Or get a waterbottle that has a schedule written on top of it. I combine the notifications in my phone by carrying several caps with me. It almost feels like a game instead of a task I have to fulfill. Makes it so much easier!
Sharing = caring
If you think it’s a hassle to keep reminding yourself to drink enough water, tell people in your environment that you can use their help. They can help you reach your goal. Nowadays, my colleagues bring me water instead of other beverages.At the same time they remind me of the fact that I might be off track and give me a little reminder to drink my water.
Stack up
Now a days people have a gazillion containers that allow them to carry water with them everywhere they go. But those items will only help you if you really use them. I have a water bottle in every (sports)bag and sometimes when I don’t have a bag with me or have access to my bag, I prefer to buy water over other drinks. You could even buy a 2L water bottle, then you can really see how much water you are drinking during the day.
Notice your sweet tooth
Already three weeks in my –I-need-to-drink-more-water-mode- I've discovered how sweet other beverages really are. I can truly say that now certain drinks hit me with an unpleasant surprise as they are so sweet. Especially because I haven’t had them for a while. It makes me more aware of my sweet tooth and sugar intake. A win win situation don't you think?
Give it a try. I’m very interested in how you make sure you drink enough during the day. Hit me up on irisfitgirl@gmail.com or @iris_fitgirl if you want to share your experiences with me. I’ll keep you posted on how things are working out for me.
