15 Easy Ways to Avoid Not Drinking Water

By Kaitlin Bitz Candelaria | July 13, 2016
not drinking water

H20 is pretty much the bee’s knees when it comes to your health. In fact, not drinking water can lead to everything from headaches to death within just a few days. Although most of us (hopefully) drink enough to stay alive, you’re not alone if you’re struggling with drinking enough water each day.

Water plays a key role in everything from keeping your limbs moving smoothly to keeping your body temperature normal. How much water you drink each day depends on a lot of factors — your size, your age, the climate where you live and your activity level just to name a few. However, a safe estimate is about an ounce of water per pound of bodyweight.

Although water is about as healthy as it gets, there’s such a thing as too much of a good thing. Be careful about consuming large amounts of water, especially if you aren’t used to it. It can put you at risk for conditions like hyponatremia (also known as water intoxication) and even lead to death.

15 Easy Ways to Avoid Not Drinking Water

1. Chug a Glass the Minute You Wake Up

Sometimes people will encourage you to work out early in the morning by saying to get your exercise in before your body knows what’s going in. Those people are not to be trusted, but it’s a good theory to apply to drinking water.

Leave a glass of water on your nightstand or a cup on the counter and chug a small glass of water to start every day.

2. Make It Fun

You can find joy in the simplest things — even drinking more water. Go buy a few cute water bottles at your favorite store or order a cute decal on Etsy to spice up your current bottle. Grab an empty gallon jug and write inspirational phrases on it or tick marks to motivate you to drink throughout the day.

3. Spread it Throughout the Day

You don’t want to drink too much water at one time. It can make you really sick, but more than likely it’s just going to make you pee like a pregnant woman and no one enjoys that — not even pregnant women.

Try drinking a glass with each meal and then spreading the rest throughout the day to minimize your bladder rage.

not drinking water4. Cut Out Soda and Alcohol

If you can’t cut them out completely, make an effort to cut back. It’ll save you money at restaurants — a soda can run anywhere from $1.50 to $3 and don’t get me started on alcohol pricing.

Your health will join your wallet in thanking you. Drinking soda has been linked to obesity, Type 2 diabetes, heart attack and more. Soda and alcohol contain no nutritional benefits — they’re lots of empty carbs and sugar. Replace them with water and watch your waistline shrink.

5. Use an App to Track Your Progress

You can use an app for everything these days, including tracking how much water you’re drinking. If checking things off a list or making something as a complete really gets you going, an app may be the perfect way to keep from not drinking enough water. Some great apps to try are Daily Water Free, DrinkMinder, Aqualert and Waterlogged. Find an app that fits what you’re looking for, download it and have fun!

6. Experiment With Flavored Water

not drinking water

You can use fruits, vegetables and herbs to create yummy combinations of flavored and infused-water. This is the perfect option for people who don’t like water because it’s “tasteless”. Not sure where to get started? Check out our six easy recipes for flavored water.

7. Set a Timer

Looking for a no-nonsense way to trick yourself into drinking more water? Set a timer on your phone for every two to three hours to drink four to six ounces of water.

8. Eat More Veggies

The answer to your H20 problems may not lie in the water, but in adding more fruits and vegetables to your diet. Watermelons, avocados, cucumbers and celery are all fruits and vegetables with high water contents. If forcing yourself to drink a lot of water just isn’t working, try incorporating a big bowl of greens into each meal.

9. Knock Back a Bowl of Soup

Another sneaky way to add more water to your diet is by eating soups. By definition, soups generally have a watery base comprised of — you guessed it — water or some sort of stock. Check your labels and get to slurping.

10. Carry a Water Bottle

not drinking water

It’s hard to consume more water if you don’t have a container. Keep a water bottle in your car, at your desk, in your gym bag and at home so that you’re never caught without one. Be sure to read your labels carefully — your bottles should ideally be made of glass or a hard, BPA-free plastic.

11. Drink a Glass of Water Before Eating a Full Meal

This trick is another double whammy that will impact your health and your waistline. Meal time is the perfect reminder to drink more water and drinking more water before a meal will help you to feel more full and satisfied while eating less.

12. Use a Straw

Not only are straws just more fun, but they help you to drink water faster without feeling like you’re about to drown.

13. Get Your Friends Involved

If you’re the type of person who’s hyper-motivated by competition, then challenge your friends to a water war. Track your intake daily and compare it to your friends or use an app like our Challenge App for a built in leaderboard.

14. Ice, Ice, Baby

Want cool, icy water all day long but you’re on the go? Simple — freeze several water bottles overnight and then grab them on the way out the door in the morning. Pro-tip — make sure you don’t overfill the water bottles. Best case scenario, they won’t seal properly and worst case scenario your freezer will look like a cut scene from Frozen.

15. Try Sparkling Water

If you really want to drink more water, but just aren’t quite ready to give up the fizz of your soda, sparkling water may be just what you’re looking for.

Brands like LaCroix offer tons of flavors of carbonated water, none of which have sugar or calories.

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