How to ensure you’re drinking enough water every day

Water is such an important part of the human body and yet many people do not drink enough of it. 

We need water for many reasons including body temperature regulation, to flush toxins from the body, to keep the kidneys healthy, to keep joints lubricated and for healthier-looking skin, just to name a few.

If you’re trying to up your water intake but are finding it difficult, we’ve shared our helpful tips to encourage you to stay hydrated.

Set a daily goal

Have a goal of how much water you want to drink each day. If you have a target in mind, it will help to keep you motivated and gives you something to work towards. Write it on a post-it note on your fridge, in your phone’s notes app or use a reusable water bottle that has targets on it, whichever way you do it, make sure you know how much you want to drink so you have a goal to reach.

Make a water tracker or get a tracking app

If you’re more crafty, you could draw a little calendar-style tracker that you can colour in every day once you reach your goal, or download a water tracking app to keep you in check. Tracking is a fun way to make sure you’re reaching your daily goal and it feels like a great reward to be able to look back in a few weeks time to see how many days you’ve smashed your water goal!

Keep a bottle with you at all times

Make sure to keep a reusable water bottle with you everywhere you go. Bring it in the car, have it on your desk at work and keep it by your bedside table. Seeing your water bottle all the time is a great reminder to make sure you keep drinking throughout the day.

Drink every morning before breakfast

Before you have your breakfast, drink a glass of water. This will help to hydrate your body first thing after a night of no drinking and is an easy way to get some water in your diet without even thinking. Also, If you take medication or vitamins, try to drink a full glass of water for each tablet, rather than only a sip to help you swallow it like many of us do.

Add flavour

Drinking plain tap water all day long can get boring for some people so to add some flavour, cut up fruit like lemons, limes, oranges or strawberries to give your water a flavour boost. If you need more of a sugar hit, add some dilute. If you’ve been cutting out fizzy drinks to allow for more water intake, try flavoured fizzy water for that similar fizz that you've been missing. Setting a goal to add flavour is also a good way to keep you motivated. For example, ‘Once I drink one litre of tap water, I’ll add my favourite dilute juice’.

Set reminders

If your main issue with drinking water is forgetting to keep drinking throughout the day, set reminders on your phone. Hearing that alarm will make sure you reach for your water bottle and after a while, it will become part of your routine. 

Drink with every meal

Every time you sit down to a meal or grab a snack, have your water bottle or a glass of water with each meal. Sip at your water during your meal and don’t get up from your table until you’ve hit your goal for that time. For example, finish a pint glass of water or get half-way down your water bottle.

Eat water-rich foods

Many fruits and vegetables are extremely high in water so eating these will help to add hydration to your diet if you're struggling to drink enough. Great examples are cucumbers, tomatoes, celery, lettuce, apples, strawberries and watermelons.

Refill your glass every time you finish it

Once you finish your glass or bottle of water, refill it straight away. This way you can’t forget about it as the day goes on and is a reminder to keep drinking even after you’ve hit part of your daily drinking goal.

Reward yourself 

Increasing your water intake in a big way is not always easy and it can take a while to get used to the new addition to your diet. Treating yourself for hitting your hydration targets is a great way to motivate you and to encourage you to keep it up. Whether you take yourself out for a tasty meal or get something you’ve been wanting for a while (or buy yourself a fancy water bottle!), a nice treat is a great way to reward your achievements.