Want to Drink More Water? Here’s How!
We all know how important hydration is – all of our cells, tissues, and organs rely on water to function properly. Water is necessary to cushion your joints, protect your brain, and regulate your temperature. In fact, we are all about 50%-70% water, so when we don’t refill our water reserves and become dehydrated, we feel terrible. Dehydration usually begins with fatigue and a mild headache, but will eventually lead to mental and physical decline. Research has shown that being as little as 1% dehydrated has negative effects on your mood, attention, memory, and motor coordination. In severe cases, dehydration can lead to syncope, kidney infections, or seizures.
We here at Optimum fully believe in the power that hydration has to lead you to a happier, healthier lifestyle. We strive to make sure our clients stay hydrated, allowing them to perform better and feel better. Despite knowing the importance of staying hydrated, you may feel as if you don’t have the time to ensure you’re getting your daily intake of water, so we have compiled some helpful tips to keep you hydrated and feeling your best!
How Much Water Should I Drink?
Before you can start tackling all of your hydration needs, it is important to understand how much water you should be drinking every day. Scientists have introduced a simple equation to help you figure that out. Current research shows your body needs approximately half its weight in ounces of water every day. For example, if you weigh 150 pounds, you need 75 ounces of water every day. However, that amount will only be sufficient for your body while at rest – doing household chores, running errands, and working at your desk. This equation only computes the bare minimum water requirement. If you’re exercising or if your job requires a lot of physical activity, you will need to add to those ounces.
Once you know how much water your body needs, how can you make sure you’re drinking enough without it interfering with your daily routine? We’ve compiled these helpful tips to make staying hydrated as simple and painless as possible!
Always Have a Water Bottle and Set Goals
Water bottles are an inexpensive and simple way to increase your water intake. You can buy a reusable water bottle on Amazon for as low as $1.99, and research has shown that just having water with you at all times will cause you to drink more. When shopping for a water bottle, be sure to find one that is BPA-free. BPA stands for bisphenol A, an industrial chemical used to make polycarbonate plastics, such as water bottles, since the 1960s. Scientists have found that BPA can seep into water from containers made with BPA, and BPA consumption has been linked to fertility problems, male impotence, heart disease, diabetes, and other conditions.
Once you’ve found a water bottle you like, take it with you everywhere you go. In fact, some doctors recommend buying several water bottles and stashing them all over your house, in your car, at the office, and in all of your bags. Simply having water easily available to you will increase your water intake. If you want to take it to the next level, you can come up with your own timed drinking goals and mark them on your bottles. Get some tape or a label maker and mark how much water you’d like to drink at certain times throughout the day. This will help you track your water intake, letting you know if you’re ahead or if you need to catch up on your water consumption.
Drink on a Schedule
In the busy rush of our daily lives, it can be hard to remember something as simple as meeting your daily water intake goals. Most of us rely on our bodies to communicate with us when it needs something, but simply drinking water when we’re thirsty is not sufficient. If you have trouble remembering to drink water, try to do it on a schedule. For example, drink a glass when you wake up, a glass with each meal, and a glass before bed. You can even set a reminder on your phone to match your water-drinking schedule. Eventually, drinking water at those times will become habitual and you won’t even need to think about it anymore.
Make a Game Out of It
Remembering to meet your daily intake of water is easier if you know there’s a reward waiting for you at the end. Incentivize drinking water by making it into a game. Did you go a whole week meeting your water intake goal every day? Treat yourself to something you normally wouldn’t do. Didn’t drink enough water yesterday? Don’t let yourself watch TV or play video games until you’ve made up for what you missed. Competition can also help keep you motivated. Consider competing with your friends or family to see who can go the longest without missing any of their daily water intakes. Challenging yourself is an easy way to make sure you stay engaged with your habits.
Use an App to Track Your Intake
If you have trouble remembering exactly how much water you’ve had in a day or aren’t sure whether or not you’re meeting your goals, there are lots of apps that can assist you. Apps such as Daily Water or Gulps help improve your water intake by providing visuals of how much you have consumed daily. Not only do they allow you to track your intake throughout the day, but you can also set daily reminders and alarms to encourage you to reach your goal. If gaming is more for you, you can download Plant Nanny, a game that links your water intake to keep a plant alive.
Make Sure There is Always Clean Drinking Water Available
None of these tips are possible if you don’t have clean drinking water on hand! At Optimum, we are thrilled to be able to offer options for safe and clean drinking water, whether at home or at the office. If you want to keep yourself, and your employees hydrated, Optimum offers bottleless water systems! How does that work? Our water coolers connect directly to the waterline, eliminating any need for those heavy jugs. Our advanced, five-stage purification process removes all the dirt, sediment, chlorine, and other toxic components found in regular tap water, purifying it on demand.
Our higher-end units utilize reverse osmosis to ensure the highest quality drinking water. Our 3I+ model even has an electrolytes boost button, which our customers call ‘Gatorade Water’, to help your body retain its fluids! Each system is equipped to dispense hot or cold water, as well as ice. Clearly. Pure. Water.
