If you have trouble drinking water, you’re going to want to read this.
You know what they say about girls who don’t drink enough water… they’re dehydrated.
Please don’t come at me for that.
But seriously, most of us are dehydrated and we don’t even know it! I’m calling myself out here.
Last week I had a moment of realization.
I realized that I didn’t have a sip of water ALL. DAY.
I don’t know what happened or how I managed to go through an entire day without drinking ANY water!
And it’s not like I don’t want to drink water.
It’s quite the opposite! I WANT to drink water… I just forget to!
I even went out and bought one of those big gallon sized water bottles thinking that it would help me drink more water, but instead I end up feeling overwhelmed by how much there is to drink or I get lazy and leave it in my car.
Luckily though, I happen to live with a Certified Nutritionist who I was able to get some advice from that helped me increase my water intake that I will now share with you.
What’s all this fuss about drinking water anyway?
So it seems like every social platform you log into, people are telling you to drink water.
Heck- there are entire Twitter accounts dedicated to tweeting reminders to drink water every hour!
And while it’s great to get these reminders to drink up left and right, I thought it’d be just as important, if not MORE important, to tell you guys WHY you should be drinking more water.
I’m sure we all know by now that about 60% of the human body is made up of water.
But what we may not be aware of is all the ways that water plays an important role in the body.
Water helps not only sustain healthy water levels inside the body, but it also helps regulate body temperature, stabilize mood and energy levels, lubricate and protect your joints, and gets rid of bodily waste through urination or perspiration.
Drinking enough water also helps with keeping a clear and focused mind, healthy, strong, and enduring muscles, promotes healthy bowel movements, and helps clear and hydrate your skin.
Not drinking enough water can result in unclear thinking, sudden mood changes, overheating, constipation, fatigue, weakness, kidney stones, and overall dehydration.
So it’s safe to say that water is essential to your health and well-being and should be treated and thought of as a vital nutrient.
And just like any other nutrient, there’s a certain amount you should be aiming to consume every day depending on your age, gender, and physical activity levels.
How much water you should be drinking
The most pivotal moment in my water consumption journey was realizing that water should be treated just like any other macro nutrient.
The same way that you should be hitting a certain protein intake to build muscle, you also need to be hitting a certain water intake to sustain healthy and normal functioning.
And when I tell you that treating water consumption as a daily task/assignment rather than just relying on thirst was a game changer… I mean it.
As someone who could not bring themselves to drink water, I went from living my everyday life in dehydration to ultimate and sustained hydration in a matter of days.
According to government health guidelines, men and women between the ages of 19 to 30 years old should be drinking between 2.5 to 3.5 liters of water every day.
That’s between 84.5 to 118.3 ounces of water every day.
And I know it seems like a lot of water, but really that’s only about 4 shaker bottles worth of water a day!
Now, these numbers are but a suggestion based on the average american’s habits. You’ll need to adjust and increase your water intake if you:
- Engage in physical activity
- Live in a hot climate
- Are running a fever
- Are experiencing diarrhea or vomiting
Luckily though, there are multiple ways of hitting your water intake without having to drink ONLY water.
How to make sure you hit your water intake
Total water intake includes drinking water, water in beverages, and water that is part of food.
This means that besides drinking straight water (which we do recommend you do) you’ll also get water into your system if you use water to mix your Protein shakes, Pre Workout, BCAAs, and Creatine.
And if you’re still worried about how much water your drinking, here’s a list of fruits and veggies that are high in water density that help keep you hydrated without any additional effort on your part:
- Grapefruit (88% water)
- Watermelon (92% water)
- Strawberries (91% water)
- Cantaloupe (90% water)
- Peaches (89% water)
- Oranges (88% water)
- Cucumber (95% water)
- Lettuce (96% water)
- Zucchini (94% water)
- Celery (95% water)
- Tomatoes (94% water)
- Bell peppers (92% water)
- Cauliflower (92% water)
- Cabbage (92% water)
Adding these fruits and veggies to your diet is an easy and delicious way to help keep your body hydrated and happy on top of drinking your water.
Plus, you’ll be hitting two birds with one stone since these grocery items are not only good for water consumption but they also add color to your diet with a wide variety of micro nutrients and minerals that help strengthen your overall health.
Our tips for staying hydrated (SUSTAINABLE)
As I mentioned early on, I myself have been struggling with drinking enough water throughout the day.
So I sought help from Certified Nutritionist and PN1 Nutrition Coach Sean Torbati to help me hit my water intake for the day.
And honestly, I wish I was talked to Sean way earlier in my journey to hydration because his advice made it so that I am continuously able to hit my water intake without it feeling like a drag.
His number one piece of advice was to start treating drinking water as a task.
Instead of relying on thirst or other signs of dehydration, Sean explained that the most effective way to hit your water intake is to regularly schedule water breaks throughout your day.
Here’s his breakdown of the routine that works for me:
- Drink a glass of water as you wake up and before you go to sleep
- Drink your preworkout and other workout enhancement supplements (I had the nasty habit of dry-scooping which limited how much water I was drinking)
- Make it a point to finish at least a shaker’s worth of water DURING your workout (just take sips between your sets)
- Mix your protein shake with water (yes, this counts as water… I was shocked too)
- Drink a shaker’s worth of water before every meal (this works well for two reasons: A) while you might forget to drink water, you’ll pretty much NEVER forget to eat so drinking water before your meals is a guaranteed way to meet your water intake and B) drinking water before every meal helps jumpstart your metabolism and prep your stomach making it much more receptive to reading your hunger cues which even help with overeating)
Following these tips has helped me to not only hit my water intake, but to also control my calories, energize my muscles and my body, clear my skin, improve focus and regulate bowel movements.
And if you’re feeling motivated to start drinking water, these shaker bottles from ONESOL™ are the bottles I use. Personally, I think they’re the perfect size because they’re not overwhelmingly large and it helps me keep track with how much water I consume everyday.
But also, who doesn’t love a brand new water bottle??
Stay hydrated, queens! ✨
