8 Simple Ways to Stay Hydrated Every Day

When you’re thirsty, recovering from a hangover, or trying to slim down, the advice is likely always the same: drink more water. But if we’re honest, that’s easier said than done.

Perhaps you’re always on the go and barely have time to hydrate. Or maybe you prefer tastier options like iced coffee, soda, or juice over plain ol’ water. Then again, you might only feel thirsty a fraction of the time, so you don’t think much about drinking more. Sounds familiar? We know the struggle.

That’s why we’ve decided to share a few simple but effective tips to help you get your fluids in daily. It doesn’t matter if H2O isn’t your fave or if you always forget to hydrate throughout the day; this super-helpful guide will help you stay on top of your daily hydration game!

Why is it Important To Hydrate Every Day?

It’s pretty simple: you either hydrate or diedrate. It sounds dramatic, but drinking more fluids is crucial for your health and well-being.

According to a recent study, people who hydrate more appear to live longer and develop fewer chronic diseases. It makes sense because every cell in the body is a tiny sack of fluid surrounded by even more fluid. Each relies on a constant supply of H2O to help perform critical biological processes. Without adequate water, your cells (and you) would die, which explains why people can survive longer without food than water.

Drinking enough water helps improve the function of all major organs, including the brain. It keeps your digestion on point, nasal passages clear, and your kidneys primed. Proper daily hydration also helps lubricate your joints, regulate body temperature, transport nutrients and oxygen to cells, maintain a good electrolyte balance, flush out waste and toxins, and normalize blood pressure.

But one caveat: Your body constantly loses water through breathing, sweating, and waste removal. So, you’ll need to replenish this loss by drinking enough fluids. Otherwise, dehydration will kick in fast, with symptoms like thirst, headaches, fatigue, and dry mouth.

How Do I Know If I’m Not Drinking Enough Water?

Well, some early signs you should watch for could signal that you’re dehydrated include:

Sweating or urinating less than usual
Excessive thirst
Physical or mental fatigue
Headaches
Tiredness
Dry mouth
Dry skin
Dark urine
Muscle cramps
Lightheadedness

In severe cases, you may experience more serious symptoms, such as confusion, a drop in blood pressure causing fainting, little to no urine, and rapid breathing and heartbeat, to name a few.

Who’s Most Likely to Become Dehydrated?

While we all can become dehydrated if we don’t drink enough fluids, certain groups of people are especially vulnerable. Due to factors like age, physical activity, and medical complications, these individuals must be extra mindful of proper hydration.

If the below sounds like you, it’s crucial to be proactive and prevent dehydration by getting sufficient fluids daily:

You live in a hot climate. Living or working in hot temps means your body likely sweats more to cool itself. This causes you to lose more water, so you’ll need more fluids to replace what’s lost.
You’re pregnant or breastfeeding. Pregnant women need extra fluids to support increased blood volume and other changes during pregnancy. Breastfeeding moms should also up their water intake since breast milk is over 85% water.
You’re on medication. Some medications like diuretics, blood pressure pills, and laxatives can cause excess water loss through increased urination and bowel movements.
You live an active lifestyle. Runners, athletes, and fitness lovers must replenish fluids lost through sweat! Heavy exercise requires extra hydration before, during, and after working out.
You have an underlying medical condition. Certain conditions like diabetes, kidney disease, urinary tract problems, and some heart conditions can increase the risk of dehydration.

8 Tips for Staying Hydrated

If you’re struggling to take in enough H2O, use these simple tips to ensure you meet your daily quota:

1. Always have a water bottle with you.

If you’re always out and about or stuck at your desk all day, it’s easy to get lost in the day’s activities and forget to get your liquids in. So, pack a water bottle to hydrate on the go. Ensure the bottle is reusable and made of glass, stainless steel, or other safe material. It should also be super sturdy, light, leak-free, and time-labeled to show how much you drank during the day and at what time.

Fill the bottle with clean filtered water every morning and take it wherever you go. If you work at a desk, keep it in plain sight so you remember to drink up. In a meeting? Bring it. At home? Keep it on hand.

Bringing a reusable water bottle is a great way to build the willpower to choose water over liquid candies like sodas, energy drinks, fruit juices, and sweetened coffee. It’s also better for the environment and will save you from buying those pricey, non-eco-friendly single-use plastic bottles.

2. Set drink-up reminders.

You won’t always remember to hydrate, so consider setting a reminder on your phone or another mobile device to know when to drink. Maybe you set alarm reminders on your phone to drink water, say, every 1-2 hours, or download an app—like Hydro Coach or Daily Water Tracker Reminder—that reminds you when to hydrate throughout the day. You can set custom alerts for however often you need. Not big on smartphones or apps? Put a sticky note above your laptop or somewhere around your house where you can’t miss it.

3. Flavor your water.

If you get bored of drinking plain water, try adding fruit, vegetables, and herbs for a subtle splash of flavor. Lemon, lime, cucumbers, mango, pineapple, or orange slices are excellent options, but you can add fresh herbs like mint, cilantro, basil, or rosemary. And, of course, you can’t forget strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, or raspberries.

Toss them into a pitcher or bottle of water and let them sit for a few hours. Better yet, make large batches to have enough when you’re busy or not feeling up to the task. Also, try keeping some in the fridge at work so you always have something tasty and healthy to drink while on the grind.

4. Eat more water-rich produce.

About 20 percent of our daily fluid intake comes from food, so eating more foods with a higher water content only makes sense if staying hydrated is your goal. Watermelons, cucumbers, grapes, peaches, and citrus fruit are obvious choices. Lettuce, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, tomatoes, zucchini, berries, and pineapples are also packed with water.

There’s a place for these juicy, hydrating fruits and veggies at breakfast, lunch, snack time, dinner, and even dessert, so add them to your regular rotation. Many of them are hydrating and may be loaded with healthy vitamins and nutrients that keep your mind and body feeling energized and productive. You can also opt for broth soups instead of creamy ones and avoid salty foods that make you lose more water.

5. Set a daily goal.

It might seem simple, but setting a goal for how much to drink daily can motivate you to stay on track and make a positive, lasting change. Your goal should be SMART, an acronym for the following criteria:

S - Pick a specific amount of water to aim for each day. (See below.)
M - Make it measurable by tracking your intake in a journal or app. Attainable
A - Ensure it’s
R - It should be realistic based on your lifestyle. Start lower if needed.
T - Give it a time frame, like daily or weekly.

Seeing your goal will help you build the water-drinking habit and, hopefully, keep you motivated to achieve your goal.

6. Know how much you need to drink each day.

General guidelines say healthy women should drink 11.5 cups of water daily and 15.5 cups for men. However, everybody’s fluid needs are different. The ideal amount will vary based on how much you get from food and other beverages, weight, and activity level. Climate, sweat rate, and certain health factors can also influence how much fluids you need. It’s best to check with your doctor to determine the right amount.

7. Monitor how much caffeine and alcohol you consume.

Alcohol and caffeinated drinks like coffee, tea, and soda act as diuretics that make you urinate more frequently, causing you to lose more fluids than usual. Try to balance caffeinated and alcoholic drinks with extra water before and after. Limiting the intake of dehydrating drinks prevents water loss and the need to catch back up on hydration constantly.

8. Replenish your electrolytes.

Electrolytes are EVERYTHING for proper hydration and optimal health. Without enough, you’ll crash hard—muscle cramps, fatigue, headaches, and all that bad stuff. Luckily, ADAY’s sugar-free electrolyte mixescombine the perfect daily amounts of sodium, potassium, and magnesium to replenish you when you need it most! Plus, they taste delicious without any artificial flavoring or other junk.

Final Thoughts

With so many ways to increase your fluid intake, there’s no excuse for not staying hydrated every day. We know it can be challenging sometimes, but it doesn’t have to be. Remember, keep a reusable water bottle handy, flavor your water, set reminders, eat more water-rich foods, and set a daily goal. With planning, determination, and consistency, you can effortlessly meet your daily hydration needs. You’ve got this!