8 Easy Ways to Increase Your Daily Water Intake

One area of my health I’ve been very diligent about over the last year is proper water in take! I feel like everything good-habit related on my blog starts with “leading up to my wedding”, but the same goes for this! Six months before our wedding, I kicked in my fitness routine, went back to eating really clean and also upped my water game. I’ve stuck with this habit through the last year too! I found a few tricks along the way that make water more enjoyable and convenient!

1. Find the Perfect Cup – This may sound silly, but it’s so true! Once I found a couple drinking tumblers and water bottles that worked for me and my lifestyle, it was just more convenient to get my water in – whether at home or on the go.

While at home, I prefer to keep water and ice loaded up in my favorite 30 ounce thermos with a big old reusable straw. I fill up my Simple Modern tumbler with water when I wake up at 6AM and my ice isn’t melted by the time I go to bed. It’s crazy! To get my suggested daily water in take, I just need to refill this about twice, but I honestly average about four or more a day since the water is always perfectly chilled and I don’t need to refill it constantly!

They are only $20 on Amazon and virtually the same thing as a Yeti tumbler, but for half the price. They come in a huge array of colors. I also have the 20 ounce version in the color ‘blush’ at my office.

When I’m headed running errands, I like to keep water on me since it’s easy to forget to drink it up while out and about. I use this water bottle because it’s leak-free and *bonus* there is a built in straw/sippy part. I also enjoy that it has a built in shaker, so I can easily throw in a scoop of protein powder or collagen peptides and run out the door. It’s only $12 too.

2. Add Collagen Powder – Of course water on it’s own is vital and amazing for our health, but knowing that I’m taking it to another level of goodness with collagen peptides just mentally encourages me to chug it on down. Collagen powder has many health benefits and you can read all about the differences I’ve seen in my body with drinking it every day here, but one major thing I love is that it curbs (curves?) my appetite so I don’t snack all day!

3. Add Magic Elixers: I consider a ‘magic elixer’ an item that’s super simple that brings a dish up a notch. It brings a meal from bring good to restaurant ah-maze level. I also love adding magic elixers to my water!

Lemon and mint is my favorite combo. I just squeeze one whole lemon into my 30 ounce jug and throw in a bunch of fresh mint. Again, it sounds obvious and simple, but are you doing this?! The deliciousness makes me chug water! Plus lemon is a superfood that has so many benefits – strengthens immunity, balances body’s pH levels, boosts collagen production for smooth skin. If you tend to drink sugary drinks, then this can also boost fat burn since you’ll be lowering your overall calorie in take. I’m not a soda person, but I love lemonade, so this is a healthy fix for that craving. Oh and mint helps to aid digestion, which will help your skin glow from the inside out.

4. Add a straw – Another area that you may find silly at first glance, but personally it makes me increase my liquids X4. I’m clumsy and always pour drinks on myself if I don’t have an adult sippy cup or straw, haha. I love these because they are more environmental friendly than plastic disposable straws and are really tall/wide. Perfect for smoothies too! Bonus – I always get asked how I keep my teeth so white.. it’s mainly due to drinking all liquids through a straw – even my coffee!

5. Set Alerts – Whether you have a FitBit, iWatch or just a phone you can download an app that sends you water reminders. There are so many different apps out there and they are all very comparable. I use ‘Drink Water Reminder & Tracker’ and it pushed notifications to my iWatch. This really does make a huge difference for me.

One day I wasn’t wearing my watch when I was in the office and realized when I got home the huge lack of water I had drank! You get in the zone when working and chatting with coworkers that something as simple as drinking doesn’t even come to mind. These reminders are really key for me and I love adding my ounces to the daily tracker because it’s just one less thing for me to store in my mind. I just click that I finished my drink and the app removes those ounces from my remaining ounces balance for the day.

6. Add Herbal Tea – While I don’t think replacing your water with caffeinated green tea is apples to apple, I do think that incorporating an herbal tea is just fine! I love fruity flavored things, so I will brew two pouches of this herbal peach tea, let it sit in hot water for five minutes, then pour it into my 30 ounce thermos that’s filled to the brim with ice cubes. I do this when I work from home with my lunch and love it!

7. Drink a Glass Before Meals – Another tip you’ve probably heard before, but again are you doing it?! This makes a huge difference. I find that I don’t overeat at meals if I always start with a glass of water.

8. Water Before Coffee – When I’m not being diligent about my water in take, I’m very guilty to only reach for coffee from morning until 2PM. This isn’t healthy! For every coffee I drink, I try to balance it with taking down one glass of water before.

I hope these tips to increase your water in take were helpful! I suggest just starting with one. I have developed these little tricks over the span of a year and have my own routine down. To reduce being overwhelmed, take one tip and implement it this week and try another next week! Do you have any tricks for drinking lots of water?! Xo Mindy

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