10 Tips to Boost Your Water Intake

We all know that drinking water is vital for our overall health. Water plays an essential role in the normal functioning of our bodies. After all, our bodies are made up of 2/3 water by weight. The list of things water consumption can do for you is super long but here’s just a few:

• boost your immune system
• flush out toxins
• assist with weight loss
• help prevent & treat headaches
• help maintain regularity
• improve your skin’s complexion

But the sad fact is that most of us just don’t drink enough water. So many of us are actually dehydrated without even realising it. Each of us can offer any number of reasons why we don’t drink enough water: too busy, don’t like the taste, keep forgetting, and at this time of year - it's too cold! At the end of the day, they are basically just poor excuses really. Like anything worthwhile, ensuring that your water intake is sufficient takes a little effort. But if you stick to it for a while, you’ll soon find it becomes second nature and very little effort is required after all.

With that in mind, here’s our list of tips and tricks to get you started on your water drinking journey:

1. Start your day with 1-2 glasses of water. This apparently helps to activate your organs. I always make sure I have a couple of glasses of water on my nightstand when I go to bed: one for sipping if I wake up thirsty during the night and another to drink first thing when I get up in the morning (ok, you can visit the bathroom first if necessary but then get stuck into that first glass of water before you leave the bedroom).
2. Drink a glass of water before each meal. This is said to aid digestion and can also help prevent overeating.
3. Make sure to drink regularly throughout the day – especially if you exercise (that should go without saying). It’s easy to forget when you’re busy. Set a timer on your smart phone if necessary as a reminder.
4. Whether you work from home (that includes ‘stay at home’ mums) or in an office or even if you're out and about on the road, try to keep a bottle close at hand so you can drink throughout the day, even if it’s just a few sips here and there.
5. Drink a glass of water before bed. This is said to help your body clear out unwanted toxins and dispel waste. Apparently it can also reduce the risk of muscle cramps, even stroke and heart attack.
6. If you have a tendency to drink too much tea or coffee, try drinking boiled water with a little honey and a squeeze of lemon added for flavour.
7. If you hate the taste of tap water, invest in a filter of some type – you’ll be amazed at the difference it makes.
8. You can make drinking water a little more interesting by putting bubbles in it. Get a Sodastream machine and discover how refreshing drinking sparkling water can be – but skip the sugar-filled flavour bottles. You can add your own flavours – see next tip.
9. Enhance the flavour of your water by adding a squeeze of citrus – lemon, lime or orange can all add a zesty little ‘zing’ to your water.
10. You can also add chopped up fruit and ice cubes to your water to boost its appeal. Berries are an excellent choice. Slices of cucumber work well too as does a sprig of mint – think mojitos without the alcohol. Yum!

Hopefully, this article has got you thinking about your water intake and inspires you to take steps to increase your consumption. I’m going to go drink another glass of water right now.

P.S. If you need some more inspiration, take a look at the man in the accompanying picture. Just look what drinking water has done for him!

Disclaimer:
The writer is not a health professional. Any information or advice provided in this article is of a general nature only and taken from my own research. It is not intended to replace professional medical advice.