Water is the most valuable health drink and also the most easily available gift of nature. The fact that we can survive without food for weeks, but not for more than a few days without water, is enough to reiterate the importance of water for the human body.
This zero-calorie drink has numerous other health benefits too, from keeping us hydrated to encouraging weight loss by suppressing appetite and boosting energy levels. It helps kidneys function more effectively, keeps fatigue and dehydration at bay, regulates body temperature and accelerates metabolic rate. You can have your own name or brand water bottle from customwater.com.
However, most of us have to make a conscious effort to drink more water, which can be done using some handy tips:
1. Make Your Water Taste Better
The bland taste of water lacks the zing to tickle the taste buds. Squeeze half a lemon into a full bottle of water. The mild yet refreshing change will make it easier to drink more water without adding calories.
Other flavorful options: a few leaves of mint, rose or basil or a strawberry will also do the trick. Try a new flavor every day and see which one works for you best. You can also make flavored ice cubes with these ingredients.
2. Herbal Beverages
Water based herbal drinks like green tea or black tea not only boost water intake, but also provide healthy flavonoids and catechins, which accelerate fat burning and protect the heart. It really helps to over come the trauma of drinking more water when you don’t like its taste.
Here’s a quick recipe for home-made herbal tea: Boil few pods of cardamom and some fennel seeds in a pan full of water, cool it and have this delicately flavored drink through the day. It will also help ease acidity, heartburn and flatulence.
3. Water Rich Fruits And Vegetables
A plate-ful of fruits and veggies rich in water such as watermelon and tomatoes (both have 95% water content) is another delicious way of sneaking in those extra ounces of water into the body without your mouth knowing. Drinking more water doesn’t mean we need to drink water from a glass. We just need to make sure there is a continuous intake of water in the body, be it in any form.
4. Begin Your Day With A Glass Of Water
You’ve probably heard this one several times before. Well, this practice does have some proven benefits. Beginning the day with a glass of warm water with half a lemon squeezed in not only increases volume of daily water intake, but also provides detoxification and weight loss benefits.
5. Keep Water Handy At All Times
Having water in the vicinity makes one reach out to take a sip every now and then. Make it a point to keep your water bottle handy all day long or simply make it a compulsory addition at your workspace. I do this everyday and it really works, only condition is that the water has to have a flavor.
Additionally, this also helps cut down intake of unhealthy drinks such as coffee, tea, colas and packed sugary beverages to some extent.
6. Broths And Soups
These make a flavorful as well as nutritious alternative to plain water. A clear vegetable soup is a great way to have the goodness of water as well as vitamins and minerals of veggies, particularly appealing in winters.
7. Keep It Simple
Instead of fancy flasks and the works, using the simple 1-ltr, transparent bottle will help you drink more water. In fact try it out: You will end up drinking more water if you can see it right there next to you, the visual of mint leaves floating or strawberry lying at the bottom is in itself a visual invite.
8. Dilute Your Drink
If you really must have that packaged juice, dilute it by adding water. This way you will end up consuming less of the artificial beverage and more of water. The same goes for alcohol (but you are always advised not to consume alcohol).
9. Adjust The Water’s Temperature According To The Weather
Often some people don’t end up drinking as much water as they would like because its either too hot or too cold. One trick is to keep chilled water out an hour or a half before meal time so it will be just the right temperature when you get to it. In winter, that flask you didn’t use all summer would come handy.
10. That’s It!
Well, my final tip is to use at least some of these tips, today onwards! I can bet you will be drinking more water this week without much effort!