Drinking water each day and staying hydrated all day is one of the most important things you have to do for your body and your health.
Your vital organs depend on fluids to function properly, and staying hydrated helps the body absorb important nutrients from the food we eat.
Your body loses water throughout the day and dehydration can happen when you have excessive water loss or if you’re not drinking enough fluids throughout the day.
According to a study done by the National Academies of Science Engineering and Medicine, “Women who appear to be adequately hydrated consume an average of approximately 2.7 liters (91 ounces) of total water — from all beverages and foods — each day, and men average approximately 3.7 liters (125 ounces) daily.” For people who lead a physically active lifestyle or live in a hotter climate, the recommended amount is more.
A misconception some people have is that fluid loss and dehydration only happen in the hotter seasons. However, the truth is that it can happen in the colder seasons just as easily.
So, you need to think about your fluid intake during the whole year, every single day.
To help you do that, I’m writing this post to teach you how to stay hydrated all day, and how to never have to deal with a sign of dehydration and fluid loss.
How To Stay Hydrated All Day
An adequate intake of fluids per day, according to The National Academy of Medicine, is 13 cups for healthy men and 9 cups for healthy women —with a serving size of 1 cup equaling 8 ounces. So drink away!
And, as promised, here are some of my favorite tips for staying hydrated all day and easy ways to drink water more than you do now each day.
Drink Water In The Morning
When you wake up, drink water right away. It’s very good for your body, and since you often lose a lot of fluids while sleeping because of sweating (especially in summer), you need to hydrate as soon as possible.
Bring A Reusable Water Bottle
This is probably one of my favorite tips for staying hydrated all day and getting the needed fluid intake each day.
Bringing a reusable water bottle can help you so much! When you’re running around doing errands, one of the main reasons you don’t drink enough water is that you don’t have a water bottle with you, and you forget to go buy one.
So, reusable water bottles are the solution! They don’t only save you money, since you reuse them everyday, but they also help you get the water intake you need for the day.
That way, whenever you feel thirsty and you’re not home, you’ll have a water bottle on you, ready to sip water whenever you feel like it.
Plus, there are so many water bottle designs these days, you will definitely be able to find one that goes with your style! You’ll drink plenty of water each day, and be stylish while you do it!
Drink Water Before Each Meal
Since drinks contain caffeine, you’ll want to minimize how often you consume beverages that aren’t water. One way to do this is by pregaming your meals with a glass of water.
It’ll help you with digestion and leave you feeling full faster (while also keeping you hydrated all at the same time).
Sip Water Before, During, And After Workouts
Depending on your activity level, when you’re working out, you’re losing more fluids than you usually do.
So, to keep yourself from becoming dehydrated, you need to sip water before, during, and after workouts. This will help you with weight loss and also ensure you’re getting the daily fluid intake, and not dealing with any fluid loss, not even after a heavy workout.
To help with that, you can bring your reusable water bottle we mentioned previously to the gym, so you know you’ll always have your water ready right next to you.
Add Zero Calorie Drink Mixes to Your Water
Did you know there are now drink mixes with zero calories and zero sugar? If you’re not the biggest fan of the taste of plain water, add in a flavored drink mix to your water bottle to help make drinking it a more enjoyable experience (and help keep you hydrated all day).
You’ll want to stay away from the ones that are high in added sugar and instead get the sports drinks mixes that contain electrolytes and have no sugar, no fillers, and no junk.
Eating Water-Rich Fruits And Veggies
Since food is something you need anyway, when you’re eating, it’s great to eat fruits and vegetables that are high in water (like watermelon, tomatoes, oranges, etc.), so you don’t have to drink all of the needed water intake, you can intake some in the form of food as well!
We will cover in a bit which fruits and vegetables have the biggest amount of water in them, so you know which ones to eat to stay hydrated all day.
Set an Alarm About Drinking Water
Sometimes we get busy and forget. Set an alarm to remind you to drink water throughout the day to drink a large amount of water. It can be a simple pop up on your phone’s calendar or it can be an actual alarm that you set and hear when it goes off throughout the day.
Let Thirst Be Your Guide
As obvious as this tip sounds, this is really important. Listen to your body. If you are thirsty, drink large amounts of water. As simple as this sounds, it’s true. Don’t feel thirsty and then not do anything about it. Get up and get you some plain water to drink. By listening to your body, you can also help remedy any signs of dehydration.
Stay Indoors When It’s Hot Outside
Depending on where you live and what time of year it is, it can get really hot outside.
When it does, you lose more fluids than you would normally, and it’s much easier to get dehydrated then.
So, to avoid that, if it’s an extremely hot day, it would be best to stay inside, drink water, and eat some refreshing fruits and veggies.
However, we can’t always stay inside when we want to. If you have to go out, do not forget your reusable water bottle! Fill it up, and drink it often to ensure you’re drinking more than enough glasses of water. Find a place where you can fill it up again after you drink the whole thing, and make sure you’re hydrated the whole time you’re out!
Fruits And Vegetables With High Water Content
As we already mentioned, besides drinking enough fluids, it’s important to eat fruits and vegetables that have a high water content, especially if you’re not drinking enough water, or if it’s extremely hot outside.
So, as I promised, here’s a list of some refreshing fruits and veggies that have a high amount of water in them, that you can eat whenever you want to be extra hydrated throughout the day!
Fruits and veggies with high water content:
- Cucumber
- Broccoli
- Lettuce
- Zucchini
- Cauliflower
- Cabbage
- Bell Peppers
- Celery
- Watermelon
- Tomatoes
- Watermelon
- Cantaloupe
- Honeydew
- Strawberries
- Pineapple
- Peaches
- Grapefruit
- Oranges
So, now that you know which fruits and veggies contain a lot of water, try to eat them often, especially during the hot seasons!
You can even mix a few of these in meals, eat refreshing salads, fruit salads, bowls, and many other things to keep yourself hydrated all day. And most importantly, don’t forget to drink your water!
