Getting healthy is hard. We are too busy living life, tacos & burgers are too delicious and going to the gym requires putting on pants. One small step to a healthier life is to just drink more water, which is the easiest health habit to adopt.
Here are some health benefits of drinking more water:
Maintains Fluid Balance. 60% of your body is made of water. Drinking water helps maintain the right balance of fluids and flushes out toxins
Hydration is cooler than dehydration. Dehydration causes fatigue, muscle weakness, dizziness & headaches. Have you ever been thirsty? If you’re thirsty, it’s already too late, it means you’re already dehydrated.
Helps your body absorb nutrients. During digestion, the important nutrients from food your body needs are absorbed via water.
Lose weight by avoiding extra calories. Water can replace high calorie drinks; sometimes when you feel hungry, you’re just thirsty
Bonus Vanity Benefit: Healthier Looking Skin. One of the most important benefits of drinking water is healthy skin. Water naturally replenishes your skin, assisting with natural elasticity and moisture.
How much water should you drink? Depends on your size, activity level, and where you live. But you want to drink about half an ounce for each pound you weigh. For example, if you weigh 200 Lbs, that would be 100 ounces of water, or about 12 glasses per day.
Fun fact. Less than one percent (0.37% to be exact) of water on Earth is drinkable! Here are 3 ways to get more of that 0.37%…
1) CHANGE YOUR ENVIRONMENT
WHY DO IT: Here is a simple lesson on behavioral design. Most of our behaviors are driven by our environment. If you put potato chips on your desk, you'll probably eat those chips. If you put a water bottle on your desk, you'll probable drink that water.
HOW TO DO IT:
Carry around a water bottle.
Keep a water bottle or glass near your bathroom sink and nightstand.
Keep full water bottles in your car.
2)Â COUPLE DRINKING WATER WITH OTHER HABITS
WHY DO IT: Another lesson in behavioral design is habit coupling. Since you already have habits you do without thinking, drink water each time you do these.
HOW TO DO IT:
Drink a bottle of water after brushing your teeth.
Drink water before AND after each meal or snack.
Drink water after each bathroom visit.
HOW TO DO IT REALLY WELL (THE FINER POINTS)Â
Make your cell phone's background screen a picture of a water bottle to remind you each time you check your phone to take a sip from your water bottle.
Bonus Points:Â Drinking water in the morning activates your organs. Drinking water before meals helps digestion.
3)Â MAKE WATER TASTE BETTER
WHY DO IT: Between Flintstones Vitamins, Capri Sun and everywhere else High Fructose Corn Syrup reared it's ugly head, most of us were raised on sugar  . So we will be the first to admit that water doesn't taste that good (shocker!). Make your water taste better without sugar.
HOW TO DO IT:
Add fruit (e.g. lemon, strawberry, cucumber).
Add herbals (e.g. ginger, tea, mint).
Get water from other healthy sources (e.g. fruits or vegetables).
HOW TO DO IT REALLY WELL (THE FINER POINTS)Â
Use a fruit infusion pitcher or water bottle to make adding fruit to your water very easy.