Tips to Hit Your Water Targets

1. Measure an 8 ounce/250 mL glass for at home and at work, or at least have a bottle/jug that holds an amount that is easy to calculate. This will make it easier to track how much you’re drinking.  
2. Track your water consumption. We are more successful when we know our targets and our progress. Tracking also helps to make correlations between your nutrition and lifestyle habits and your health. For example, it makes sense that you’d have a better sleep or feel more energetic when you’re hydrated.  Learn why.
3. Stop drinking water 2 hours before bed, as long as you’ve hit your daily water quota. Doing so will avoid middle of the night bathroom breaks that disturb a good night’s sleep.
4. If you’re hungry, drink a glass of water first. Often dehydration can be disguised as hunger.
5. Don’t drink water during meals. Water interferes with digestion because it dilutes the acidic juices that are necessary to break down foods.
6. Add berries, cucumber, mint, lemon, lime or other natural fruits to your water to add some natural flavour. Although lemon water is detoxifying and some people may need a break from it every 6-8 weeks, lemon is one of the most alkaline foods you can consume. Squeezing 1/2 lemon into 1-2 cups of water each morning is a great idea for most people. 
7. Keep a pitcher at your office desk. We often say it’s just a quick walk to the kitchen or water cooler but sometimes we get stuck at the desk. Having a 1L or bigger pitcher will not only help keep you hydrated but will also help you keep track of how much you drank!  Try to set a time limit for when to finish the pitcher. ie/finish pitcher #1 by noon.
8. Aim to drink a glass of water every hour. 
9. Set out 2-4 glasses of water on your nightstand so you start the morning getting hydrated!
10. Have a glass of water after each trip to the washroom.
11. Brew some herbal tea, add ice and keep in the fridge so it’s cold, iced tea. Note that this isn’t the solution for how to get your 10 glasses or more each day. It’s just an option to add some flavour for 1 glass per day.
12. I don’t recommend fruit juices, but if you’re drinking them, dilute them with some water. When my nephew was younger, I used to dilute his juice with 50% water…he almost busted me once, but overall, it worked to get more water into him!

Also remember to drink a glass of water for every serving of the following:

• alcoholic beverage (175 mL wine; 1 oz spirits; 12 oz beer)
• caffeinated drink (12 oz coffee)
• 15-30 minutes of exercise, depending on intensity

Feel like you need additional support to reach your goals? Schedule a Private Coaching Session here.