5 Easy Ways To Increase Your Water Intake
Why is water so important?
A steady supply of breathable oxygen, nutritious edible food and purified drinking water – the three major necessities our bodies demand for survival. Now, you are unlikely to ever suffocate since inhaling and exhaling is involuntary, and gifted with about 10 000 taste buds, there is hardly anything we crave more than a fulfilling meal. Drinking sufficient water, however, is the one task we all perform poorly at.
While there is no doubt that no mentally sound individual would die of thirst in developed parts of the world, not gulping down enough Adam’s ale (water) can cause headaches, fatigue, poor metabolism and even increase your risk of stroke (which could be fatal if you are unlucky).
To fully understand why water is so crucial, it is reasonable to look at what we and our vital organs are made of. You may have heard the phrase “we are 70% water”, but that doesn’t really elaborate enough on the matter. Your lungs are roughly 83% water, your kidneys are 79% water, your brain is 73% water and the rest of the organs follow without falling too far behind. Considering how much water our bodies contain, it is no surprise that water is responsible for many biological functions, such as regulating body temperature and maintaining blood pressure and electrolyte balance.
Drinking more water
Comprehending the role water plays in just keeping us alive, let’s look at a few ways we can ensure that we are consuming enough of the life-giving liquid. It is not easy to keep up with the daily recommended intake, which stands at 2.7 liters for women and 3.7 liters for men of ages 19-30, when you are working or studying long hours during the day.
In fact, recent surveys show that most of the population only get about 75% of that amount. Considering that each individual’s schedule looks different, here are five effective ways you can increase your water intake:
Form a routine
When working long hours in the office, home or outdoors, it is easy to tie the entirety of your conscience with work and become oblivious to everything else, including your own basic needs. The odds of your colleagues or your boss specifically reminding you to drink water are remarkably low.
To avoid dehydration and to keep up with the recommended daily liquid intake, it is advisable to form a routine of drinking 1 glass of water per hour. This translates to 8 glasses of water in an eight hour long shift; pushing you significantly closer to your target. A good measure would be to tie drinking a glass of water with completion of a work-related task, such as typing a page or speaking to five customers.
Invest in a smart water bottle
Technological advancements have allowed us to create gadgets that you wouldn’t even anticipate a decade ago. A normal bottle of water would, and rather should, remind you to take a sip of water every time it crosses your field of vision. However, a smart bottle forcefully nudges you to remind you to have a sip every once in a while.
Most smart bottles are USB rechargeable and can be connected with your smartphones, just to notify you that you are not doing what every living organism (probably in the entire universe) should be doing; drinking water.
Invest in a water filter
Whether your water comes from a well or from a tap line, it is better to have another layer of safety to filter out possible impurities that could ruin your delightful H2O gulping experience.
If you purchase bottled drinking water, you would find that buying a water filter is often cheaper and more environmentally friendly, since there is far less plastic involved. Arguably, having a filter also improves the taste of water to some degree, which should encourage you to drink more often.
Replace other drinks with water
For many people, only sodas, energy drinks and colas may ‘hit the spot’ on a warm summer’s day or after a heavy meal. Unfortunately, these drinks are not considered healthy by experts due to their high sugar content, artificial flavors and strong food colouring.
In fact, consumption of soda has a dehydrating effect on your body due to encouraging higher urine production. It is no shocking news that replacing your regular soft drinks with water may be the step forward to achieving a longer, healthier and diabetes-free life.
Eat foods that contain a higher percentage of water
If all else fails and you are still incapable of covering your required daily water intake, you could perhaps make up for it by adding water rich greens, fruits and vegetables to your diet.
Cucumbers, lettuce, cabbage and similar vegetables consist of a high moisture content which hydrates you when consumed. Even though this is not an efficient replacement for drinking water, given that we do not eat any of these in bulk, water rich foods can replenish some crucial water molecules that you lose through respiration, sweat and urine throughout the day.
Final thoughts
Water is what made life possible on Earth, and water is what keeps life going. The most abundant molecule in your body is H2O, which makes us living, walking and talking bags of water. With that in mind, go pour yourself a glass full of crystal clear freshwater!