15 Tips for Getting Enough Water

Are you drinking enough water every day? If drinking the recommended 8 glasses of water per day is a challenge for you, here are 15 tips to help you make this daily requirement a bit easier.

1) Make your water cold. Drinking cold water is so much more palatable than when warm. Add crushed ice to your water, and you improve the taste even more. Plus, the ice gives you something to crunch on when you get to the bottom of the glass.

2) Start with a glass of water when you get up. This is a time when you'll be a bit thirsty, and water will go down easily. Make a mental note that you've crossed off 1 glass for the day. Or you can chart it, if you need a better way to keep track.

3) Filter your water. If you can purchase a water filtration system or a refrigerator with a water filter, you can fill your cup or water bottle with filtered water. It's a better-tasting way to get your daily water requirement.

4) Freeze water in half-full containers. You can take a frozen container from the freezer and add more water to fill it up or simply let the ice melt into water. This is one way to ensure you have ice-cold water hours later, no matter where you might travel.

5) Load up the jars. You can fill two quart jars of water and place them in the refrigerator before going to bed. The next day, they'll be cold and you can claim your daily water from the jars. By the end of the day, you'll see whether you've consumed your full 8 glasses that day.

6) Make your water tasty. Add a wedge of lemon, lime, or orange into the water or add a drop or two of flavoring to your water. The better the flavor, the more apt you are to drink.

7) Sip all day. Many people get their water requirement by sipping all day, consuming at least a half-cup of water every hour. The reason why this plan is a good one is that it doesn't tax the kidneys, and it keeps you hydrated. Plus, it doesn't flush your system all at once and send you to the bathroom in a rush.

8) Drink water with your meals. Although this may sound like a perfect plan, it does have a drawback. Water dilutes your stomach acids, making it a potential problem for good digestion, especially when animal foods are eaten. The same thing goes with immediately before or after the meal.

9) Drink seltzers or sparking water. With all the tasty seltzers and sparkling water on the market, this is a great way to get more water into your diet. What's more, it allows you to drink a bottled beverage while socializing.

10) Have a cup of herbal tea. You can get more water in your diet by adding hot beverages, such as herbal tea or decaffeinated tea. Why not drink green tea for the additional health benefits?

11) Drink from a straw. Believe it or not, drinking from a straw gets you more water than sipping from a glass. This is one trick for getting that glass of water down, when maybe you don't feel like drinking water.

12) Keep water by your bed. If you keep a glass of water or a bottle of water by your bed, you can take a few sips during the night when your mouth might be a bit dry. In the morning, you can drink what's left.

13) Challenge someone else. Make drinking enough water a challenge. Challenge a work buddy or spouse to an 8-glass per day challenge. Sometimes adding that extra level of competition is motivation enough to accomplish the task.

14) Plan water into your day. Make a list of times you plan to drink a glass of water. Your list might include: when you get up, when you eat breakfast, when you take your pills, when you take your morning break, when you eat lunch, when you take an afternoon break, when you eat supper, and when you watch television later in the evening or head to a social event. Right there are 8 opportunities to polish-off 8 glasses of water.

15) Eat your water. Yes, you can get a lot of water in fruits, gelatin, veggies, and soup, but you also get calories. If you can afford the calories without weight gain, go ahead and count some of your water this way. But if you do count this as water, it's still recommended to get at least 4 glasses of water as water.

Getting your 8 recommended glasses of water each day is important for health. Staying hydrated helps your skin look younger, allows you to concentrate, makes your digestive system work properly, flushes toxins, and can assist with weight loss. Since drinking enough water relates to good health, you're going to want to get the recommended amount. With these 15 tips, getting enough water has just become easier.