6 Easy Ways to Drink More Water Everyday

Water. It’s one of the simplest things we can do to transform our health. It helps to flush out toxins, is responsible for many important functions in our bodies, and is absolutely vital for overall health. Yet, many of us are still not drinking enough. I remember doing a health consultation 4 years ago and my client mentioned that she only drank soda throughout the day. I sat there, trying to make sure my jaw didn’t drop to the ground, and just listened. In that moment I truly realized that we are all at different stages in our health and wellness and as a health coach you have to meet people where they’re at. And sometimes we need to go back to the basics and focus on the little things, that over time will have the greatest impact. I sat there thinking “my head would feel like a bunch of tiny men slamming a hammer if I didn’t make sure I drank water everyday”. But sometimes people don’t realize how bad they feel, until they start to feel good again. I’ve also had people ask how much water they should be drinking on a daily basis and if they don’t love drinking water, how they can jazz it up and make it a little more appealing. I simple tool to gauge how much water you should be drinking on a daily basis is take your weight, divide it by two, and drink that many ounces daily. So, if you weigh 200 pounds, you should be drinking roughly 100 ounces of water. This is, of course, just a suggestion, but I always thought it was silly that the recommended amount of water was 6-8 glasses a day when we all differ in size. Keep reading on if you want a few tips on how to incorporate more water into your daily routine.

1. Keep a glass of water or full water bottle next to your bed. When you wake up, before anything else, chug the whole thing or as much as you can. This will ensure that right off the bat, you are getting at least 12 ounces of water into your system (or more depending on the size of your glass). Remember that our livers detox at night while were sleeping, usually between the hours of 1 and 3 am, so we should show our body some love by helping to flush out those toxins our livers worked so hard to expel.

2. Make warm lemon water or tea first thing in the morning. This is a great trick to add to the first tip, or just on its own. The warm lemon water is great for alkalizing the body and lemon is a gentle detoxifier for our livers. If you don’t have lemons on hand or don’t prefer warm lemon water, a nice organic tea is still a great way to hydrate.

3. Carry a water bottle with you at all times. Preferably a reusable water bottle in order to not produce lots of waste and to be more cost effective overtime. I recommend finding one that has a straw or adding in a reusable straw. I find that I drink SO much more water when drinking out a straw. When you carry a water bottle with you all day, you won’t ever have the excuse of not drinking enough water and it’s also a good reminder.

4. Infuse your water with fruits and/or vegetables, tea leaves, or essential oils. I have a post here on my tea infusion recipe that I love making. I also love to add fresh squeezed lemon to my water or sometimes I’ll add cucumber slices too. There are so many combinations to play with. If you’re looking for a quick addition, I love adding essential oils like wild orange, tangerine, lemon, lime, or grapefruit. Be careful which brand of essential oils you use because not all brands are created equal. My favorite brand is dōTERRA.

5. Eat fruits and vegetables that have a high water content. Produce such as cucumber, celery, watermelon, grapefruit, oranges, romaine, and strawberries all have a very high water content and will help your body to stay hydrated plus they have added fiber, vitamins, and minerals too!

6. Drink juices or include bone broth in your diet to help stay hydrated. If you’re incorporating juice, make sure it’s organic because there isn’t any protein, fiber, or fat to slow down the absorption process into your bloodstream meaning that if the produced juiced isn’t organic, you will get a quick hit of pesticides and chemicals into your bloodstream. Also, make sure you are opting for juices with a lower sugar content. I recommend cold pressed organic juices that are made with mostly vegetables. You can make your own at home too, that way you know exactly what’s in it! Besides incorporating high quality juice, including things like bone broth will help your body stay hydrated and get a mineral and collagen boost as well. Bone broth is also really beneficial for soothing and healing the gut.

Try implementing 1 or more of these tips this week and see how they help you to up your water intake. Remember that when you are hydrated, you have more energy, feel less tired and fatigued, you tend to be less hungry, you sleep better, and you feel better overall.

With love,

Ashley