The Hydration Habit
You probably already know how important it is to hydrate with water daily to keep your body healthy and energized. The first step is knowing, the second step is caring and the third step is making it happen!
For some reason, I just don’t naturally think about drinking water throughout the day and have never been able to make it an intentional daily habit. I drink my glass of lemon water, my smoothie, my decaf coffee, and then I just take sips of water throughout the rest of the day.
I could go a whole day and only drink about 30 to 40 ounces total, including the water in my smoothie, sipping on a glass of water and maybe some herbal tea. I know I should probably drink at least twice that amount. It is time to define my goal and to create a specific plan to achieve it.
I recently bought this nice big 40 ounce bottle to get myself to drink more water. I was excited when it arrived and then it took a few days before I even filled it up. Then one day I was inspired, filled it up with water and drank all of it. The following day, I filled it again, but it remained full at the end of the day. Unless I’m intentional and have a plan, I won’t make it a daily habit.
So just this afternoon I downloaded this app on my phone called Drink Water: Drinking Reminder. I’m hoping it will be a helpful tool, a great reminder and motivator to take the time to hydrate.
My goal: to drink 80 ounces of water daily. The general recommendation is to drink somewhere between ½ to ¾ your body weight and maybe more or less based on how much you exercise and sweat. This app and other online tools can help you determine the amount that may be best for you. So I’ll adapt as necessary, but this seems like a good place to start!
My Plan:
Buy 40 oz water bottle - done!
Download Drink Water app on my phone - done!
First thing in the morning, fill up my water bottle and put a 10 oz drinking glass next to it.
Every time I drink 10 oz of water, add that to my app.
By 10:00 AM, I should have finished 20 oz.
By noon, the bottle should be empty.
At lunch time, refill the water bottle.
By 3:00 PM, I should have finished 20 oz.
Before dinner, the bottle should be empty.
I will use this 80 ounces of water to go in my smoothie, to drink by itself and also to make any herbal teas. I’m hoping that this will just become a normal habit for me. If it helps with my dry skin and I find any other noticeable health benefits from doing this, I’ll be sure to let you know.
If this motivates you to make a specific plan to improve your hydration, please let me know!
Jan 15 - Update!
Here is a pretty cool noticeable benefit after intentionally hydrating for just 24 hours. For the first time, in as far as I can remember, I actually have a sense of thirst throughout the day. The only time I ever remember feeling thirsty is after I go for a run, do a workout or right before going to bed at night.
I thought that it was so strange that when I start drinking more water, I’m actually feeling thirsty and being prompted to drink more water. Curious to learn more, I did an online search.
It turns out that the more your body acclimates to a state of chronic dehydration, the more it loses sensitivity to water deprivation. When you are chronically dehydrated, you may not feel thirsty when you should.
Jan 17 - Update!
Now a few days later, I've noticed some other interesting benefits. Since I'm drinking water and hydrating between meals, I'm not hungry for a mid-afternoon snack.
The water keeps me feeling full and satiated, maintains my energy level and gives my stomach plenty of time to process and digest all of my food between each meal.
Jan 26 - Update!
Here is one more update almost two weeks later. The app was really fun and helpful for about a week and then I decided that I didn’t need it anymore. What is most helpful to me is filling up my 40 oz water bottle first thing in the morning and then again at lunch time.
I highly recommend getting a big water bottle that you like, using it and refilling it to keep you hydrated! One other benefit from this consistent hydration is less late afternoon headaches.