5 Simple Ways to Make Yourself Drink More Water
MAED Editors
Everyone knows it’s important to stay hydrated and drink enough water, but when it comes to putting it into practice? Well, that’s a little bit harder. Maybe you’re one of those people who just doesn’t like water or maybe you have the best of intentions, but once you get busy, you forget that you need to drink. Regardless of the reason, when you’re dehydrated, you may get headaches, feel dizzy, and have a general sense of malaise. (And did we mention it can make your skin look dull and feel dry too?)
Even worse, in the summer being dehydrated can bring on some scary symptoms like low blood pressure, rapid heart rate, and an inability to sweat—which means your body has turned off its natural method of cooling down in order to conserve water.
Here are some simple ways to overcome the obstacles you have to staying hydrated so you can live your best life this summer.
Make Sure Your Water Is Clean (and Tastes Good)
This! Is! Critical! You can read our post about the quality of drinking water, but even setting aside safety concerns, when your water is impure, it doesn’t taste good, and when it doesn’t taste good, you won’t drink it. (In fact, you might think you don’t like the taste of water, but it’s really the sediment and other impurities that you don’t care for.)
Unfortunately, the filter on your fridge usually isn’t enough to get out all of the gross stuff; the best option is a whole house filter or sink filter, but a quality pitcher filter will work too.
Add Some Flavor
If you were raised on juice and soda and the flavor of plain water is tough for you to overcome, we’ve shared a bunch of infused water recipes to help add some interest to your next glass. Make it in a carafe or a pitcher with a built-in infuser and store it in the fridge.
Need more sweetness? Consider a hydration multiplier like Liquid I.V. For sweetness and a little sparkliness, we totally love Amazing Grass Effervescent Tablets, which help you get your daily dose of greens too.
Don’t Forget About Herbal Tea
Since black and green tea (including matcha) have caffeine in them, they can be dehydrating. Instead, choose herbal teas, which are as hydrating as water. You can make iced tea or sun tea with herbal tea bags—the fruit-flavored ones are especially good for this! The KINTO Unimug below has a removable infuser, allowing you to ditch the tea bags for a greener cup of tea.
Buy a Cute Water Bottle
There’s something about having a cute water bottle that makes it so much easier to remember to stay hydrated throughout the day. We love the MiiR 32-ounce water bottle because it’s big enough to fill up in the morning and last you the whole day (it will keep your water cold that long too!), making it perfect for both work and workouts. Into Ayurveda? Consider a copper water bottle, which is believed to balance the pH of water.
Be Prepared When You’re Out
Is there anything worse than cardboard straws? Sure, they’re eco-friendly, but they are literally the worst. Be prepared when you’re at a restaurant by carrying a set of these reusable rose gold straws in your bag. When you don’t have access to clean, filtered water, use a charcoal stick to absorb impurities before you sip. If you have kids, it’s a good idea to keep an empty stainless steel water bottle in your bag so you can fill it up on-the-go and make sure they keep hydrated too.
