6 Amazingly Useful Ways to Drink More Water

6 Amazingly Useful Ways to Drink More Water

Drinking the right amount of water can help you lose some serious weight! It’s the first thing I mention in my ‘10 Weight Loss Hacks for Busy Moms‘ blog post. If you haven’t read it yet CLICK HERE.

Yet most of us don’t drink enough water! Plus it can be especially challenging to get our kids to drink more water!

As a mom who helps other moms lose weight and remove toxins in their life, one of the biggest complaints I get (and that I use make myself) is that I get bored with just water.

So let’s talk about some amazingly useful ways for you (and your kids) to drink more water!

Why Water Is Best

The simple truth though is that water is the best thing we can drink for our bodies! Things like soda, some juices, coffee and some teas are dehydrating to our bodies, actually robbing us of the much needed hydration. We need to drink more water! The sugar found in soda and juice is bad for our bodies because of the way we process it.

According to the USGS Water Science School, water is of major importance to all living things. In some organisms, up to 90% of their body weight comes from water. Up to 60% of the human adult body is water. According to H.H. Mitchell, Journal of Biological Chemistry 158, the brain and heart are composed of 73% water, and the lungs are about 83% water.

Water is an essential building block of our bodies! Yet most of us don’t get enough. So how can we drink more water? It’s easy to trick ourselves to drink more water. Read on and I’ll share my secrets to drinking more water every day and loving it.

1. Add flavor to your water so you drink more of it

If you’re bored with your water then jazz it up! Trick yourself into thinking you are having a treat. Do that by adding some zip and flavor to your water.

Option One: Use a Natural Liquid Water Enhancer

One of my favorite ways to drink more water is to add a natural flavor enhancer. It’s quick, easy and great for an on-the-go busy mom.

When using a natural flavor enhancer it’s important to read the labels. Often times these liquid flavor enhancers will have things like sugar, food coloring, or other ingredients that are harmful to your body and may cause your body to retain weight and negate the effects of drinking more water.

Even if the bottle or package says “natural” – please still flip it over and check the ingredients! I have been duped into buying a few “natural” brands that were ultimately garbage.

My favorite natural flavor enhancer and the only one I recommend is, is Stur Liquid Water Enhancer. There are no harmful or fake ingredients.

Just one squirt per glass of water.

You can get them at your health market or on Amazon, super convenient and fast. These little bottles last a while. During the winter I use these a lot use as fresh fruit is more expensive. Each little bottle makes between 20-30 servings.

My favorites include:

Stur Variety Pack

Fruit Punch, Strawberry Watermelon, Blue & Blackberry, Orange Mango, Pomegranate Cranberry.

Option Two: Make Fruit Infused Water

This is the second way to naturally enhance your water. It takes a bit more time consuming, but if you have the time it is worth it as infused fruit water is always the best.

Start with a Good Pitcher

Using a high-quality glass pitcher really does improve the flavor of infused water believe it or not. It also makes it much easier to serve and enjoy! There are several great options for pitchers or jars, here are a couple of my favorites:

Glass Pitcher with Infusing Lid

This pitcher is my absolute favorite because it is all glass with a stainless steel lid that keeps the fruit in the pitcher so it is easier to pour. It stores easily in the fridge for infused water on demand.

A half-gallon glass mason jar – A cheaper option is a 64-ounce mason jar.  We love mason jars in our home, they are so versatile.

I always have mason jars around the house in various sizes, and use them for infused water and dozens of other things.

Next Add Your Fruit or Vegetable

This is where it can get a little tricky if you are first starting out. We fiddled with a few combinations in our home before finding our favorites.

You can infuse water with any number of herbs, spices, edible flowers, fruit and even vegetables! Here are some quick ideas of what you can play around with in your infused water.

• Herbs: Rosemary, thyme, mint, basil, cilantro, parsley
• Spices: Cinnamon sticks, fresh ginger, cloves, vanilla bean
• Edible flowers: Lavender, citrus blossoms (or any that are 100% pesticide free)
• Fruit: Berries (fresh or frozen), melon, tropical fruits, citrus, apples, pears
• Vegetables: Cucumber, celery, fennel, carrots

Filtered water is best to use, but if you don’t have a filtration system then tap water is fine too. Infused water should really be consumed 2 to 4 hours after you’ve made it. You can let it infuse overnight in the refrigerator depending on what you have added in the water.

Just be aware that some ingredients last better than others. For example, herbs such as fresh basil last 2 to 3 days but rosemary can last up to a week. Strawberries get mushy fairly quickly, verses a fruit with a thicker or more dense skin.

Have you ever made fruit infused water? What is your favorite combination?

2. Drink Up Every Time You Go to the Potty

Do you remember Pavlov’s Dogs & the discovery of classical conditioning?

During the 1890s, Russian physiologist, Ivan Pavlov was looking at salivation in dogs in response to being fed when he noticed that his dogs would begin to salivate whenever he entered the room, even when he was not bringing them food.

Do the same thing with your desire to drink more water.

Start linking the act of drinking water with some of your most common daily activities. Going to the potty? Stop by the kitchen to chug a glass of water after leaving the restroom. Every time you pass the water cooler, fill up a cup. Get the idea?

3. Track Your Water Intake

You can do this with a simple sheet of paper or a post-it note. Or you can go totally techie and get an app for your phone. 

You can also try a tracker bottle. That’s a bottle that’s marked with ounces or even hours can help you reach your personal water goal each day. Plus, you’ll know exactly how many times you need to refill!

Try the 30oz Inspirational Water Bottle With Time Marker + Measurements

4. Drink water before every meal

Try to drink a full cup of water before every meal. If you find you have no desire to do it, just use some of the tips to enhance your water that I mentioned earlier in this article.

Drinking a full cup before each meal can curb calorie intake because it causes you to feel full.

For more easy tips CLICK HERE to read my article 10 Weight Loss Hacks for Busy Moms.

5. Dilute sugary drinks with water

We all know it is best to just cut out the sugary drinks – but I totally get it – it tastes good right? Well try this, the next time you get a sugary drink, dilute it with some water.

Dilute just a little bit the first time and then gradually dilute more and more over time.

I started doing this with my own drinks whenever we would eat out, as well as the kids. For instance, going to our favorite Jimmy John’s or Chic-Fil-A instead of getting 100% lemonade – I will now do about half and half – half lemonade and half water. That may sound gross to you but honest it tastes great to us because we have worked up to being a virtually sugar free home. If we had tried this a few years ago it would have been gross to us too. Baby steps!

6. Get Filtered Water

Filtered water honestly just tastes better. When something tastes better you tend to want to drink more of it. Besides, filtered water is also better for your body.

There are a few ways to enjoy filtered water.

• You can buy a filtration system for your faucet.
• Purchase monthly water jugs or a monthly water jug subscription like Culligan water
• Try a filtration carafe like the Soma Sustainable Carafe & Plant-Based Water Filter
• Enjoy a personalized on-the-go filtration like the Water Bobble

 Did you enjoy these tips? Comment below with your favorite take-away or your own tips!