Let’s talk about some of that High Quality H2O people! Today we are going to dig in on the ever looming question, how much water do I actually need?
There is a general rule of thumb when it comes to drinking water and that is to drink at least half of your body weight in ounces. I weigh about 185 right now which means I personally need to drink at least 95 ounces of water. However, there are a lot of other factors that take place that affect us all. How much do you sweat during exercise, what is the temperature today, humidity level, etc.
One way to add up how much additional water you should intake is that for every 20 minutes you are active, you drink an additional 8 ounces. So for everyone who takes group training or private training, you will need an additional 24 ounces!
If you aren’t great at drinking the amount of water you know you should be drinking, don’t worry, you aren’t the only one! Below are some different ways (from Prevention.com) to make sure that you are drinking enough water and getting into the habit of drinking more water daily.
- Add flavor (the right way) – We aren’t talking about those artificial flavor packets, were talking about REAL FOODS! You can easily add lemons, berries, oranges, mint, cucumbers, etc. to flavor your water.
- Turn your water bottle into a timer- A water bottle may be too small, but by marking lines and putting times on the lines, it gives you a “deadline” to drink!
- Turn transitions into triggers (My personal favorite)- If you have a hard time remembering to drink water, make it a task. I always drink 1 blender bottle as soon as I wake up; Another after I finish breakfast; 1 on my way to work; 1 when I get to work and get settled; 1-2 while I work out; and then an additional blender bottle full of water with each meal. Easily over 180 ounces of water!
- Sip, don’t gulp- If you are a number 3 person like me, you might not do much sipping, but it’s actually better than chugging and feeling bloated and sloshy.
- Use an app- Many apps have the ability to track water, but you can also specifically download an app for ONLY TRACKING WATER!
- Drink before breakfast, lunch and dinner- Another way of transition triggering, but it also helps with keeping you full and stops you from overeating.
- Find your happy temperature- Yes, everyone knows “cold” water is better, but I personally can only drink water if it’s “warm.” The colder the water is, the slower I drink it, but that doesn’t mean there is a right or wrong way.. Water is water!
Don’t wait until you feel thirsty to make sure you are drinking water, by then you are likely to already be dehydrated! My goal for you- Try one of the 7 ways to get more water in daily and TELL someone at Notch 8 about it! I want to hear everyone talking about how much more water they have been drinking. Let’s do our best during these next 6 weeks of our first Whole Life Challenge of the year to make staying hydrated a habit!
– Coach Samantha Jones
