1. Set a daily goal to increase your water intake
It’s generally thought that you should be drinking two to three litres of water a day. So setting yourself a realistic target is important, start with just observing how much water you’re drinking at the moment, then say to yourself where and when you can squeeze more hydration in.
2. Get a reusable water bottle
Using a reusable water bottle is sustainable and helps you to carry water with you wherever you go. A reusable water bottle also means that whenever you run out of water, you can fill it up and the physicality of having an object will remind you to drink water more often.
3. Drink a glass of water before each meal
If you’re making dinner or at a restaurant, you can have a glass of water beforehand. Remember, you aim is to drink more water, not to drown yourself in hydration anxiety! A small glass with dinner is fine, don’t put too much pressure on yourself to stick to a hard regime of water drinking.
4. Sip throughout the day
Now you have your reusable water bottle, you can sip water throughout the day. Drinking a lot of water in one go isn’t the best (or healthiest) way to stay hydrated. Sipping around 100-200ml of water every 30 minutes or so will keep you feeling well hydrated and getting the best out of yourself.
5. Pre-bedtime water
Pour yourself a glass before bed. Even if you don’t manage to get the whole glass of water down before you turn in for the night, having a glass on your bedside table will curb any middle of the night dehydration that hits you - so it saves you having to get up and out of bed to get a drink. Top tip: It can also help you to sleep if you reduce your blue light intake before bed.
6. Add fresh fruits
The best fruits to add to water are… whatever you want! Adding fresh fruits (and herbs like lemon balm) to infuse into your water not only gives it a delicious flavour, it also increases the nutritional value of your water. Sure, it adds a little natural sugar, but don’t be too harsh on yourself. Drinking more water is important, no matter how you’re doing it.
7. Use an app to track
Apps are endlessly useful. There are plenty of apps out there that send you a notification when you’re supposed to drink water or help you reach your goals by tracking the amount of water you’ve drank today. It can also help to reward yourself when you’ve reached your hydration goal for the day.
8. Tech water bottles
There are some particularly fancy water bottles out there - some that themselves track your water intake. If you use tech in your daily life, it only makes sense to make your water bottle a part of your lifestyle too. They can connect to your phone to send you notifications or some even have screens on to let you know when you need to have a sip.
9. Marked water bottle
If tech isn’t your thing, you can get a water bottle with marks on to measure how much water you’ve drank and how much you should drink. Most of these bottle can hold up to one litre of water and have half-day increments to show that you should be drink a litre in the A.M. and one again in the P.M.
10. Eat salty snacks
Snacks like nuts and seaweed will make you want to drink water more. Obviously it’s important to watch your salt intake, but if you’re looking for a quick trick to get you drinking more water, look no further than a handful of almonds - extra points if you eat snacks that are mostly water i.e. cucumber or celery.
11. Reward yourself for staying hydrated
There’s nothing better than giving yourself little treats when you’ve done your task! Make sure that you pick something to reward yourself with that you actually like, not just something that sounds aspirational. Get yourself some nice snacks or a bottle of our Nightcap to unwind - it still helps you keep hydrated, but just more delicious.
Remember, achieving your goals of drinking more water and staying hydrated every day should be attainable, sustainable and healthy for you. There’s definitely such a thing as drinking too much water!
If you’re looking to mix it up for a group of friends or just a night in, have a look at our ideas for summer cocktails sans alcohol.
