How much water have you drank today? We all seem to know the importance of keeping hydrated, yet with our busy lifestyles we aren't drinking enough. Water accounts for 60-70% of our body weight and being hydrated helps us in many ways. It helps the nervous system and muscles relax, carries blood and nutrients to promote healing, lubricates our joints, eliminates toxins from our vital organs, makes our skin clear and smooth, boosts metabolism and fat burning processes, and much much more.
So how much water should you be drinking per day? It's an ongoing debate with countless of studies but many sources suggest men intake 3L and women 2.2L daily. This is total water content so you will be getting a portion of this in coffees, teas, juices etc. However, caffeinated beverages will contribute to dehydration so please keep your water to coffee ratio heavily biased towards the water side.
Even mild dehydration can significantly decrease energy levels, and then you find yourself reaching for a caffeinated beverage and the vicious cycle continues. Dehydration also contributes to overall stress and stiff muscles and joints.
Your lifestyle habits of course will change the recommended water intake you need. Diets high in salt or coffee will require you to drink more water. People who sweat a lot or exercise often will also need to drink more water to meet their bodily demands.
It takes 21 days to form a new habit, so lets begin today. I personally find it easiest to have a 1 litre bottle handy at work to continuously refill, always in eye sight and easy to measure. There are also many drink water apps which give you notification reminders throughout the day. I find setting hourly reminders very helpful. Frequent bathroom breaks will occur and are totally fine, they can actually benefit you as they get you out of your chair and moving!
Other tips to drink more water include:
Rise and Hydrate: Instead of a coffee in the morning, have a nice glass of water to replenish fluid lost during sleep.
Infuse Your Water: Treat your taste buds - add cucumber, lemon or berries to make water more delicious.
Cheers and drink up!