Staying hydrated is an important part of having a healthy lifestyle. This means drinking water, green tea, and herbal tea. These can all count towards your water intake for the day. Coffee, black tea, juice, and other beverages don't count.
How much should you drink?
Figuring out your ideal water amount is going to be easy. How much do you weigh?
Water Range = [half of your weight] to [your weight]
No conversions needed here. We're just going to make it ounces instead of pounds.
Example: Water range = 90 - 180 oz ---> for someone who weighs 180 lbs
This is the amount you should be drinking on a daily basis. If you drink less, you will be a little dehydrated. If you drink more, you will be oversaturated.
How Can I Make This Easy?
You may look at your own water range and think "wow, that's a lot of water". Some people really don't make an effort to drink water. Here's the thing, you can increase your water with a few tips and tricks.
Top Tip - New Water Bottle - I highly suggest getting a bigger water bottle. Tell yourself that you need to drink X amount of bottles per day to reach your minimum needs. Additionally, if you're a tea drinker, you could always get a large French press and consume green or herbal tea daily to also help you reach your goals.
Tip - Water Enhancers - You have probably seen the 0 calorie water enhancers at the grocery store. These are flavorings that you add into your water to help you drink more. Brands include Mio, Crystal Light, Stur, Water Drops, Crush, Dasani Drops, etc. See photo to the right of various types. These come in fruity flavors, iced tea flavors, coffee flavors, and brand flavors. Sometimes they have a little caffeine or vitamins.
For those just starting to increase their water, these drops can really help make it easier to suck down liquid.
Tip - Avoid Soda, Juices, and Energy Drinks - In an effort to be healthier, avoid all soda, juice, and energy drinks for a month. These are loaded with sugar and can ruin your efforts. Sugar can also make you crave more sugar. If you have a sweet craving, try having some protein. It sounds weird, but it works. You can also try adding water enhancers to trick your brain into thinking you're drinking something fun.
Can I still have coffee?
Absolutely. It just doesn't count towards your water intake.
Will I pee all the time?
It may seem so at first, but you'll adapt. Your body just has to get use to more water.
What are the benefits?
Better functionality of your body, flushes out toxins, improves skin, increases brain function, lubricates joints, regulates body temperature, assists in maintaining proper blood pressure, improves digestion, and improves muscle function. I'm sure I'm forgetting a few things.
Anything I should worry about?
You may need some additional salts or electrolytes in your diet since increasing your water will flush salt from your system. If you start to feel fatigued or have reoccurring muscle cramps, add in some electrolyte powder to your water. If you want, you can just add some in once a day and not have to worry about it too much. If you take vitamins and supplements, you could make sure you have magnesium, calcium, sodium, potassium, and chloride listed in whatever you're taking. These are the five sources of electrolytes.
What happens if I don't drink water?
Simple...
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