5 Tips for Staying Hydrated Every Day
Water is a lot like sleep. When you get enough of it, all sorts of health benefits fall in line after it. When you’re actively staying hydrated, your muscles and joints benefit. Not to mention better skin, and there are studies showing improved overall mood. So how do we make sure we’re staying hydrated, on and off the court?
First, How Much Water Do You Need to Drink Every Day?
The short answer is… It depends. It depends on who you ask. It depends on how much you sweat. It depends on your body type. But in general, health experts recommend at least 6-8 glasses of water per day. That’s about a half gallon of water a day. On the aggressively hydrated side, some suggest drinking half your body weight in ounces per day. So if you’re 200 pounds, you’d want to strive for 100 ounces of water every day. That’s a lot of water. But we recommend using that formula as a goal. Some days, you won’t hit it and that’s okay. But having a goal is half the battle.
Okay, before you read our tips for staying hydrated, go get yourself a glass of water.
Tip #1: Get Yourself a Big Water Bottle. Or Two.
We recommend a 32-ouncer if you’ve got enough room in your cupboard for it. This helps in two ways. 1) You can better track exactly how much water you’re drinking everyday when you keep your vessel consistent. For instance, (back to our formula of half your body weight) you’d strive to fill that thing up three times every day if you’re 200 pounds. And 2) A big water bottle means you won’t have to be constantly looking for places to fill up.
Tip #2: Make Your Water Fun
Water? Fun? Yes! Add lemon or lime or cucumber or orange to your water for a flavorful twist. We like a slice of lemon in morning glasses and some cucumber for an afternoon flavor. Point is, try different flavors and find which ones you love. That way, your hydration is actually something you look forward to.
Tip #3: Match Water to Your Current Routine
We hear from many friends that a day can go by where they just forget to drink water. Only to realize at 8:00 PM that they haven’t drank a single glass of water. It happens. Don’t beat yourself up. But one way to make sure you’re hydrating all day is to pair a glass of water with your current routines. For us, before we write articles like the one you’re reading right now, we get a glass of water and put it on our desk. After a couple weeks of doing it, it’s now just a part of our daily routine. If you have a commute, make drinking a bottle of water a part of that routine.
Tip #4: Start Early
Another great way to avoid forgetting to hydrate is to start every day with a glass of water. Studies show that drinking water first thing out of bed is a great way to reset your body for the day. Plus, it puts water on your mind for the rest of the day.
Tip #5: Drink Before You Eat
You’re going to eat today. Maybe three times. Maybe less. Maybe more. So one thing we try to do is drink a glass of water before we eat anything. While we’re preparing lunch or dinner, we’ll keep a water close by. Or if an afternoon snack strikes our fancy, we’ll first drink a glass of water. Sometimes, that even satisfies the stomach by itself!
Let us know in the comments how you stay hydrated. Cheers!
