Up until a year ago, I NEVER drank water.

Besides tea and coffee, I wasn’t much of a beverage person at all.

Even as a kid, I basically only drank water after being outside on a really hot day or after going for a swim. Other than that, I really wasn’t taking in as much water as I was supposed to.

And I had survived this way for so long that I had genuinely believed that water simply wasn’t necessary for my overall health.

I couldn’t have been more wrong.

It wasn’t until my sister-in-law started raving about the benefits of changing her water habits that I decided to try increasing my own water intake. And it made a difference in ways I could NEVER have thought possible.

It turns out water actually does make a difference!

Personally, I noticed the biggest difference in my energy level and the overall look of my skin. My face was no longer dry and red, but clear and fresh. I got tired less often. And overall, I just felt…well, good!

I loved the changes so much that drinking the right amount of water every day became a serious priority.

But of course, for someone who wasn’t naturally into water, this was not an easy task. I came up with lots of different tricks to help me stay consistent with my water intake, and I’ve been drinking the proper amount of water on a daily basis consistently for a full year now!

This change made such a difference in my life that I want to now share it with you. I hope that these tips on how to drink more water can help you with your own health journey!

So without further ado, grab a cozy seat and a warm drink (or maybe a glass of water?), and let’s get right into it!

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How Much Water do you Need?

Before you get started on your water challenge, you need to know how much water you need. The amount varies depending on a lot of factors, including how much coffee and tea you drink, what you do for exercise, whether you are pregnant or not, and so many other things.

But seriously, who has the time and background knowledge to figure all of that out?

Not me!

So instead of adding all of those extra complications, I just go with the simplest form of calculating what you need. All you need to do is take your weight and multiply it by 2/3. Easy!

And if you don’t want to do the math yourself, you can also just use a water intake calculator. Based on your weight and daily activities, this calculator will figure out how much water you should be drinking.

Once you have these recommendations, however, it is still really important to listen to your body. A good way to see whether you’ve got enough water in you is when you urinate. If you need to visit the toilet often and your urine is yellowish or clear, then you are good to go! If it is darker or lets off a smell, then you are likely dehydrated.

Play around with the amount of water you drink to see what feels right for your body! We are aiming for progress, not perfection.

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Tip #1: Keep Track of What You Drink with a Measured Bottle

Like with every task, you need to make sure you have the right tools to get the job done effectively. In this case, you will want a water bottle or a cup that makes it easy to keep track of. I use a 24-ounce bottle because I only need three of them to get my daily intake of water. It is a lot easier to keep track of three water bottles instead of 8 or more cups.

Some people swear by using a gallon jug of water. I’m not sure I would recommend that, considering that very few people actually need that much water every day. But you could take that idea and get a slightly smaller jug with the proper amount you need.

Here is the bottle that I use:

If you are wanting a bigger jug that keeps track of your intake, here is a great jug you can use!

And if you are most motivated by aesthetics, then the S’well water bottles will work great for you! They come in so many beautiful styles.

Once you’ve chosen a bottle, figure out how many of those bottles you will have to drink in a day. It will be so much easier for you to keep track of how much you are drinking this way. Just make sure that whenever you do drink water, it is water coming from that bottle. It can get easy to lose track otherwise.

Tip #2: Drink from a Straw

Okay, this is a tip that I don’t personally use, but I know a lot of people who swear by this strategy. I know a lot of people who prefer to have a water bottle/cup that has a straw. It takes more effort to open up a lid or take a swig of water from a bottle, but straws don’t really require any effort. Whenever you want to take a drink of water, you just have to get your mouth to the straw. Nothing complicated.

I am prone to spilling, so this is not my style at all, but I definitely know it works for others, so it’s worth a try!

Tip #3: Pour Your Water into Fun Cups

Sometimes, when we feel unmotivated, it helps to switch things up. If you are getting sick of drinking from your water bottle, you can pull out a fun cup to pour the water into, instead!

Now, remember what I said earlier. If you drink water, it should come from your water bottle so it’s easier to track.

What I do is pour water out of my water bottle into a fun glass. This will help you continue to keep track, but it gives you flexibility to choose other cups.

I like to save this strategy when I’m really low on motivation to drink more water. For some reason, water just feels different when you drink it from a new cup. It is just enough of a change to keep you motivated a little longer.

Tip #4: Take Your Water bottle EVERYWHERE

This tip is another reason why it is so important to have a water bottle that you use daily. Have you ever had a moment when you are out in public and you’re really thirsty? If you don’t have water with you, then you go without drinking anything and eventually the moment passes.

But with a water bottle, you can take advantage of the little moments in the day where you otherwise would not have had anything to drink. I’ve actually found that this habit has made one of the biggest differences overall.

I mean, when I’m at home or at work, I’m usually pretty occupied. But when I’m on public transit or just taking a walk somewhere, I am not distracted by anything. In fact, sometimes these transition times are a little boring. As weird as it sounds, my water bottle becomes a welcome distraction to keep me occupied while I wait to get to my destination. I end up drinking more water during these times more than any other.

Tip #5: Take Advantage of the Morning

I don’t know about you, but the only time in my day when I am consistently thirsty is immediately after waking up. I don’t know what it is that makes me feel this way, but I can easily guzzle down a 24-ounce bottle when I get up in the morning.

Water also has some really great benefits when you drink it right away in the morning. The best benefit is that it wakes up your body and makes you feel more alert.

But it’s the morning…should we really expect ourselves to get up and fill up our water bottles and drink an entire bottle before we’ve even had our morning coffee?

Yes…and no.

Yes, you should definitely try to drink some water when you get up, but no, don’t try to get it all ready while you are still groggy. Instead, fill up a full bottle the night before and put it beside your bed. When you get up in the morning, all you have to do is reach for the bottle and sip it while you are still sitting warm under the covers. Mmmm, so nice!

As far as how much you should drink in the morning, that depends on you. Basically, just drink your water until you don’t feel like it anymore. Then sip on it as you are getting ready. When I use this strategy, I am able to finish an entire bottle within an hour. That leaves only two more bottles for me to tackle throughout the day, which is much more manageable. It feels oddly productive to get a full bottle out of the way before your day has even started!

Tip #6: Chunk the Time

If you’ve ever had to study for a big exam, this tip will make sense to you. Preparing for big exams requires small periods of study every day leading up to the exam. If you ever forget and need to cram everything into one night, you know you are doomed to failure. It’s just too much to manage at the last minute!

The same goes for water. Not only is it REALLY DIFFICULT to drink a ton of water all at once, but it’s terrible for your body, too. So instead of waiting until the end of the day to drink all of your water, separate the day into chunks.

For example, I drink one bottle upon waking up, one bottle throughout the morning, and one bottle throughout the evening. I try to be finished with my daily intake by dinner so that I have some room for error.

You might have more bottles you have to drink, or you might have less. Whatever amount it is, it helps to separate the time so that you can pace yourself and drink more water without chugging it all at once.

Tip #7: Set Specific Times to Drink Water

In the same vein as tip #6, it helps to set reminders throughout your day to help you stay on track. This could be in the form of setting literal timers on your phone to tell you to drink more water.

It could also be in the form of daily routines that trigger reminders to drink more water. For example, you could tell yourself that you have to drink a couple of gulps of water before every meal and snack. Or you could drink water every time you come back from the bathroom. If you’re often receiving texts from people, you could say you have to drink every time you get a message from someone. The possibilities are endless!

But in the end, it’s up to you to decide what things would work best for you. Establish those times, and stick to it, even if it’s just a couple of sips every time. Each little action adds up!

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Tip #8: Find a Water Buddy

You’re probably not the only one trying to drink more water every day. It seems as if most people in the world struggle with this particular task (I’m certainly no exception!)

It helps to find someone else who is looking to drink more water, too. Then you can help keep each other accountable.

My brother and I had a pact when we were spending whole days together. Anytime either of us reached for our water bottles, we would remind the other person to do the same. It was very effective!

Find someone that you can communicate with regularly, ideally someone who you see in person on a daily basis. Work together to remind each other to drink more water. Make it a competition if you are into that! (Personally, I DO NOT deal well with competition, but that’s a story for another day…) Encourage each other daily, and you will have more success than you would have had alone.

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Tip #9: Flavour Your Water (Naturally, Please!)

This is a game-changer, especially if you really don’t like the taste of water. There are so many ways to flavour your water, but I am only going to advocate for ONE WAY, and that is to infuse your water.

Simply put, it means that you toss some fruits and veggies and herbs into the water and let it soak up all the yummy flavour. I only suggest this way, because many other products are not as natural as you’d hope, and they add other ingredients that may not be good for the body. Putting in your own fruits and vegetables makes it pretty easy to discern whether or not it’s healthy for you.

Now, one thing you should be aware of is that exclusively drinking infused water is going to lose some of the benefits. It is still important that some of your water stays pure and unflavoured. However, infusing some of your water is a good way to switch it up throughout the day.

Tip #10: Play with the Temperature of Your Water

This is another good way to switch up how you drink your water that might keep you motivated throughout the day. Have your water at different temperatures throughout the day. Have some with ice, some from the fridge, or try it at room temperature. If you’re feeling brave, have some lukewarm water, or even straight-up hot water.

When I was living in China, the way they drank their water really threw me off at first. At restaurants, your water is served warm, often with a slice of lemon in it. Water fountains always had a warm AND a cold option-even at schools! When you are sick, their first advice for you is to “drink lots of hot water.”

At first, I was a little put-off, but it didn’t take long for me to change my mind! Now, I actually prefer warm water to cold, even without any extra flavouring. In fact, I actually have trouble drinking water with ice now! (Side note: for anyone out there with asthma, drinking hot water instead of cold water in the wintertime is a serious lifesaver! You should try it!)

Anyways, experiment with different temperatures throughout the year. You might find that you prefer one way that you’d never thought to try before!

Tip #11: Eat Water-Rich Foods

Hmm, this one might be a bit of a cheat, but it’s still worth mentioning. If drinking more water is really that abhorrent to you, it might be good to consider what foods could provide you with some water. Think soups, soft fruits and watery vegetables.

But don’t think that you can get by on food alone! No matter how much you eat, you will NOT be able to fill your body’s need for water. Don’t let yourself off the hook just because you ate some water-filled food, okay?

Tip #12: Give Yourself a Reward!

Within reason, of course! I’ve studied up on a lot of behavioural management theories, and my favourite has always been natural consequences.

For example, if a child breaks a vase, you don’t ground them for a week. The natural consequence would be for them to write an apology letter or do chores to earn the money back for the vase they broke, or spend personal time trying to fix the vase themselves.

The consequence is directly linked to the action.

It can also be for positive things. For example, if a child does all of their chores right away, you give them extra play time, because they saved time by working hard and quickly on their chores.

I’ve found this strategy to be very effective in my own life. I don’t like to reward myself with things that are completely unrelated to my achievement, and I typically don’t encourage buying things as a reward- unless it’s food. If I finish my water quota by dinnertime, I reward myself by choosing what I would like to drink with my dinner. If I don’t finish my water by then, I have to stick with water as my dinner drink.

I figure that once my body has all the water it needs, I am free to have one extra drink without ruining my progress (usually a glass of wine or ginger ale- nothing too extravagant). It’s a small treat that you give yourself daily to keep you motivated.

Conclusion

I hope that some of these ideas can help you drink more water on a daily basis. It really does help to improve your overall health, so it’s worth the effort! And remember- it’s not about whether or not you reach that daily goal. It matters more that you are trying and that you are moving forward, even if it’s just one small sip at a time!

What about you?

Did you try any of these tips? How did they work for you? Do you have any strategies you like to use? Tell me about it in the comments below- I’d love to hear from you!