Change Your Habits: Drink More Water

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Happy New Year! As you’ve read in my previous post, I no longer make New Year’s resolutions. Instead, I work on changing or improving my life through small habit changes. I’m going to teach you exactly how I do this over the next few weeks here on the blog. Feel free to work on the same habits as me, or choose your own. You should have an idea of what areas you’d like to work on. This week I am working on beginning to drink more water.

Over the past few months, I’ve found myself reaching for more and more coffee and even *gasp* soda! (Why is that shocking? I quit soda over a year ago, except for the occasional dinner at a restaurant. More on that another time). While I don’t plan on giving up my coffee anytime soon (or at all), I know I felt better when I was drinking more water, less coffee, and no soda. What do I mean that I felt better? Well, let’s check out what water does for us…

Why Drink More Water?

• Water helps you to maintain appropriate body temperature and healthy skin, is needed for proper digestion, and helps your body cleanse itself of excess toxins.
• Drinking more water can improve your mood and energy since mild dehydration can cause you to feel tired and be more irritable.
• Sometimes when you think you are hungry, your body is actually trying to tell you that you are thirsty, so staying hydrated may even help to you avoid unnecessary overeating.

How Much Water Should You Drink Each Day?

While most of us have heard the recommendation of 8 (8oz) glasses of water (64 oz total) each day, I found many different suggested daily amounts when I looked this up recently. I personally feel best when I drink 2 – 3 of my large stainless steel Yeti cups, which hold 30oz, so between 60 – 90 ounces each day. Some people aim to drink 1 gallon of water a day, which is about 128 ounces. I’m not quite there yet.

The important part to remember about this habit change is that you want to stay well-hydrated, whatever amount of water you decide that is for you. If you drink very little water, and a lot of sugary drinks, start by replacing one sugary drink with the same amount of water each day. If you already drink lots of water, you may simply be working on maintaining this habit.

Set Yourself Up for Success

New habits are easier to keep when you’ve done the prep work for success. Here are some of my favorite tips. Take what works for you, and skip the rest.

• Get either one large water bottle that can hold your goal amount of water, or multiple smaller ones that add up to your desired daily ounces. This way you only have to fill the bottle(s) once a day, and you can easily see how you’re doing in regards to completing your goal for the day. There are even some water bottles that cheer you on with measurements on the side.
• If you are super busy throughout the day (or easily distracted), set reminders for yourself – on your phone, computer, watch, etc. to remind you to drink your water throughout the day.
• Connect this new habit to well-established habits for instant reminders. For example, maybe you’ll drink a glass of water with every snack and meal throughout the day. Maybe you have a bottle of water next to your bed so you drink it the first thing when you wake up. Maybe every time you take your break at work, you drink a certain amount of water. Find what works for you and go with it.
• Are you more of a paper and pencil type of person? Print out a water tracker and color in each glass or bottle as you go. This is a great visual reminder – post it where you will see it often throughout the day. Some people keep their tracker in their planner. If you’re a stay at home mom (or working from home), maybe that’s on the fridge, or on your bathroom mirror. If you are in the office, maybe that’s on the edge of your computer screen, or on your desk calendar.
• Some people prefer to find an accountability partner. This may be a friend that has the same goal, so you both check in at lunch and at the end of the day to see if you’ve each met your goal. This also might be the friend who doesn’t have the same goal, but isn’t afraid to hold you to your standard. I prefer an accountability partner that is working towards the same goal so we can encourage each other along the way and maybe even have some friendly competition.
• My final tip here is to give yourself a reward, but be strict about it. You only get the reward if you meet the goal fully, no exceptions. Rewards in this case do not have to be lavish things. It can be as simple as allowing yourself to pick up coffee on your way to work at the end of the week instead of making it at home, or a new water bottle if you’ve been using disposable bottles. Keep it simple. I usually reserve this technique for larger, more difficult habits.

Take a Before Picture

I know this may be uncomfortable for some, or seem a little silly at this point, but sometimes small changes are hard to see in the beginning. A simple side-by-side of before and after a new habit can show us results we may have not noticed otherwise. You do not have to share your pictures; this is just for you. I recommend taking a full-body picture and a “selfie” type picture of you from shoulders up. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by your new picture at the end of the week and definitely by the end of the month. For example, my skin always looks so much better after I work on drinking more water and less soda and coffee. Some people even find they lose a few pounds. Sometimes this is all you need to find renewed motivation to continue with your new habit.

Today is day one! I can’t wait to see how this small change affects your life! Let me know in the comments if you are joining me with these habit changes.

Keep up with my daily reminders on Facebook and Instagram!

Other posts in this series:
How to Drink More Water
New Habit: Drink More Water

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