Hydration Hacks: Tips for Drinking More Water

Aug 9

Written By Kate Freed

Water makes up nearly 70% of our bodies. No wonder it’s important to stay hydrated!

There are a variety of important reasons to drink enough water to remain hydrated including:

Help deliver nutrients to cells
Promote skin health
Increase exercise recovery
Transport body’s waste
Supports body temperature regulation

This list is by no means exhaustive, but hopefully shows us that being hydrated goes beyond just avoiding headaches!

How much water should I drink?

How much water your body needs is affected by various factors such as physical activity, nutrition intake & habits, environment, and medication.

Physical Activity

You can find a variety of recommendations for hydration as it relates to activity level. The American Council on Exercise (ACE) suggests the following hydration amounts around exercise:

Pre-Workout — 17-20 oz of water 2-3 hours before exercise + 8 oz 20-30 min before exercise
During Workout — 7-10 oz every 10-20 min
Post-Workout — 8 oz water 30 min after exercise & 16-24 oz for every pound of body weight lost during exercise

See https://www.acefitness.org/resources/pros/expert-articles/5397/how-hydration-affects-performance/ for more info.

The main point to take away from the post-workout recommendation is that the more sweat loss = the more fluid needed to replace it!

Another hydration recommendation provided in the Online Fitness & Nutrition Coach certification is increasing water by 15-20 oz based on activity level alone (i.e. light, moderate, or vigorous).

Nutrition Intake & Habits

In some cases, people with higher caloric intake may need more water to aid with digestion. People with high sodium diets need more water than those with low sodium diets.

Environment

People living in high altitudes and/or hot dry climates may need more water than those who live in more mild climates.

Medication

Certain medications act as diuretics and cause dehydration. This is common for blood pressure and heart medications. People on such medications may be advised to be extra mindful of dehydration.

So really, how much water should I drink?

Because of the factors that play a role in every individual’s hydration status, it can be difficult to make a blanket statement of how much water to drink.

However, a common bare minimum calculation is: bodyweight / 2 = water in oz

It’s important to note this a minimum and not necessarily for optimal function and does not take above factors into consideration. The Online Fitness & Nutrition Coach certification suggests 1 gallon per day is generally a good rule of thumb for most people.

Urine color is a practical and highly individualized way of assessing hydration level — the chart below is one of my favorite guides!

The below infographic is taken from https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/environment/beattheheat/Pages/urine-colour-chart.aspx.

Drinking more water throughout the day is a common habit my clients build early on working with me. For some, it’s an easy addition they don’t think too much about. However for many, it can feel difficult — I often hear something along the lines of “I don’t feel thirsty so I forget.” If this sounds like you, keep reading —

Practical Tips for Drinking More Water

Reminders — Set alarms throughout the day as reminders to drink water.
Night Before Method — Fill a glass of water (10-16 oz) & put it by your bed at night. When you wake up in the AM, make sure you consume this before your feet even hit the floor!
Flavor — Flavor water with fruit, decaf tea bag, or even a splash of juice.
Habit Stacking — Plug drinking 10-16 oz of water into your current routine. Do you take medication or vitamins at the same time of day? Get water in then! Do you make your breakfast? Get water in then! Use something that you are already doing to introduce the one new behavior of drinking water during that time. Latching a new habit onto a current habit or series of habits is much easier than starting from scratch!
Reward — Commit to drinking 10-16 oz water before you do X, where X is something you enjoy. If you drink coffee every morning, can you commit to drinking water before you enjoy that morning brew? If you love winding down with Netflix or a book in the evening, can you commit to water before you dive in? This idea is similar to that above, but also relies on rewarding behavior. Drink your water and reward yourself for consistency.
Drink in Style — Drink out of a water bottle/glass/straw that you like! It sounds silly but sometimes a little water bottle glow up can work wonders!
Timestamps — Set a water goal for different periods throughout the day (i.e. 50 oz by lunch and 50 oz by dinner). Whether you keep a tally in a planner, on your phone, or have one of those big water bottles with written timestamp messages on the side, hold yourself accountable!
Mindset — Stop telling yourself you struggle to drink water! Don’t overthink too much and stop using phrases like “I’m never thirsty,” “I always forget,” and “I’m bad at this.” Instead use phrases like “I used to forget but I’m so much more aware now” and “I’m getting better at this.” You shouldn’t lie to yourself but you do have to stop undermining yourself with the inherent belief of what you can and cannot do.