Are You Drinking Enough Water?
I
don't have to tell you how important it is to drink enough water. A
minimum of eight glasses of water per day is usually recommended. You should
try to drink a little more if it is really hot, or you are working out and
sweating a lot. Drinking enough water will keep you from getting
dehydrated. Are you drinking enough water? According to WEBMD.com the early signs of
dehydration include increased thirst, dry mouth, sticky saliva and
reduced urine output with dark yellow urine. Dehydration is also
associated with
a lack of energy and a headache.
None of these sound very fun. I know it is hard sometimes to drink
that much water and we quickly get bored of plain tab water. However,
to stay healthy and feel great, we should strive to drink those
eight glasses of water a day.
Here are a few tips to help you remember to drink the water, and to
make it a little more pleasant or interesting.
-
Keeping Track
This can be as simple as
a little piece of paper on the fridge, or a page in your day
planner. Just make a little checkmark, or dash on the piece of paper
every time you drink a glass of water. The log will help you keep
track of how much water you have had in any given day. You’ll also
be surprised how motivating it is to try to get those eight little
checkmarks on there every day. Another idea would be to use little
stickers instead.
-
Lemon
Juice Adds Favor
I tend to get bored with
drinking just water after a few days. Change things up and add a
little flavor by adding a teaspoon or less of lemon to your water.
You can also try some other fruit juices. Just make sure you are
still drinking mainly water. Just a splash of juice should be enough
to make things interesting and give the water some flavor without
adding a lot of sugar and calories.
-
How About Some Club
Soda
If you are craving the
fizz of a soda, try some Club Soda. Most brands have a little too
much fizz for me. I end up watering them down with – guess what –
water. If you want to get really fancy, check your local grocery
store for flavored club sodas. Alternatively, you can also add a
splash of fruit juice to your watered down club soda.
-
Are You Really
Hungry?
Unfortunately many of us
have gotten so out of tune with our bodies that we feel hungry when
we are actually thirsty. If you feel hungry, try drinking a glass of
water first. You may just be thirsty.
-
Carry A Water
Bottle
It’s much easier to
drink water when you have it readily available. Carry a bottle of
water around with you in the car, at work, while running errands, in
the yard, and even while you are working around the house. You’ll be
sipping away the water without even noticing it.
-
Working Out?
Drink Some Extra Water
We already touched on
this, but it bears repeating. Make sure you drink a few extra
glasses of water if you work out, or if you spend some time outside
while it’s hot. Your body uses and needs more water when it sweats a
lot. So don’t forget to fill back up on water during and after your
exercise.
Just pay
attention to how much you drink and implement some of these ideas if
you don’t get the recommended eight glasses of water a day. Your
body will thank you for it in the long run.
Susanne Myers is
the co-creator of Healthy Menu Mailer. Busy Moms love the
easy-to-prepare healthy dinner recipes, grocery lists and
encouragement to stay healthy every day of the week. Get 7 free
easy-to-prepare recipes that everyone in your family will enjoy by
visiting
http://www.healthymenumailer.com/sample.html
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