Drinking Water and Tracking Water Intake

04 Sep Drinking Water and Tracking Water Intake

Full disclosure: I’m not naturally great at drinking enough water. In fact, every time I’m sick or feeling run down, I have a close friend who asks me: 

“Katy, are you drinking enough water?” 

And the answer has always historically been no. That said, this swiftly changed when I learned just how important it is to drink the right amount of water. I mean, aren’t we all more likely to stick to a habit if we know the science behind it? If you’re kind of unaware of the benefits like I once was, don’t sweat it. This one’s for you!

Drinking Enough Water: The Benefits Are Endless

Let’s just get one thing straight here: now that I’m nursing a tiny human, I’m basically a camel. I need ALL of the water.

However, even if you’re not nursing, you still need to be drinking plenty of water. And here’s why.

It Helps With Weight Loss

Since I have two active kiddos and a newborn to look after, my diet and exercise are in survival mode. Therefore, drinking water feels like a really easy way to support my health goals while transitioning into a new stage of motherhood.

Did you know that water is a great way to boost your metabolism and help you to feel fuller for longer? This results in a higher loss of calories on a daily basis.

Drinking water can also curb hunger cravings as we often confuse dehydration with feeling like we need to eat. Personally, I’m someone who relies on snacking when things get stressful, but one of the best ways to slow this down for me is to drink some water!

It Improves Your Skin’s Appearance

Trust me, the best part of a beauty routine is making sure that you’re getting enough water.

In addition to having the ability to clear acne, it can prevent wrinkles. 

How, you ask? Well, the more water you drink, the less likely it is that you’re consuming sugary drinks (which are the root cause of lots of skin issues)

It Improves Your Energy Levels

Dehydration can affect your brain, mood and energy levels. When it comes to the latter, one of the first signs is feeling fatigued and sluggish as you go about your daily business.

In short, the more water you drink, the more power that you’ll have to tackle a busy day. Who couldn’t use a little more energy to get through the day?

It Improves Your Concentration

Sure, you might not realize that you’re dehydrated on an average day—but your brain does. When this happens, your brain starts to focus on conserving its resources, meaning that it has less space and energy to focus on the task at hand.

Thankfully, the Artful Agenda digital planner can take away some of the mental load by allowing you to keep all of your important tasks and to-do lists in one place. 

Be that as it may, you can keep those items in your memory a little longer by making sure that you have enough water!

It Enhances Physical Performance

This might seem like a no-brainer. Since your body is so dependent on water, it’s VERY important to make sure it’s hydrated before you lose large amounts of fluids during a workout.

Essentially, if you don’t have enough water in your body, your muscles build and recover slower and your body doesn’t perform as well as it possibly could!

Pro tip: Don’t just start drinking water while you exercise, try to go into your workout hydrated. If you’re a first-thing-in-the-morning workout person, drink a glass of water before you get going to make sure that your body is the well-oiled machine that it needs to be.

My Top Tips to Up Your Water Intake

If you aren’t drinking enough water currently, try the following tried-and-tested methods to begin feeling better today.

Drink Eight Glasses a Day

Sure, there are lots of different opinions out there in terms of how much water you should be drinking every day—but you have to start somewhere!

The general consensus is to go for eight 8-ounce glasses a day (which is about half a gallon of water). This is called the 8×8 method—and is a good rule of thumb for the average person to stay well hydrated.

That said, keep in mind that you may have to bump up this number based on your body composition or activity level.

Use Flavors to Mix It Up

Sometimes I get super bored of water. , I have to make it fun if I want to up my intake.

How do I do that? Well, I’m currently obsessed with flavored water, so I have an infuser bottle that I will stock up with delicious fruit to drink from. (FYI, the strawberry and mint combination is particularly tasty!)

Treat Yourself With Fancy Bottles and Restaurants

When I know I’m about to enter a tough period for water intake (being sick or overwhelmingly busy), I plan ahead to make it fun.  There is a particular brand of fancy bottled water that I NEVER buy UNLESS I’m in one of those seasons. It’s amazing how much it makes me want to drink it just because it’s a luxury.

I’m also a ROCKSTAR at water intake when it comes to eating at restaurants because I constantly get my glass refilled. Come to think of it—maybe I should teach Oliver to do this for me?

In the meantime, support your water goals by taking yourself to dinner in a restaurant that has attentive wait staff.

Challenge Yourself to Stay on Track

Like any habit, the best way to instill it is to make a goal and start tracking your progress. That’s where Artful Agenda’s water tracker comes in.

And do you know what? This is extra helpful now that I’m back to being a nursing mom. I know that my body needs more water right now, so tracking my intake makes sure that I’m getting in every glass!

As a result, my water intake has increased exponentially.

Stop Making Excuses and Get Going!

Getting enough water has always been tough for me, but the above methods have really helped me to do better—and I bet they’ll help you too.

If all else fails, just keep your water in an adorable bottle. Why? Well, it’ll be a friendly reminder to your brain that water is not only essential, but it can also be a fashion accessory.

Here’s to us all being healthy and hydrated!