Most of us are well aware of the importance of being hydrated, but sometimes drinking plain water just feels so boring. So we urged MyFitnessPal users on Facebook to share their stay-hydrated secrets by asking, “How do you make sure you drink enough water every day?” Here are 20 creative, delicious, and (most important!) hydrating tips for sneaking in more sips.
DRINK WATER FIRST
- “When I’m thirsty, I drink water. I used to struggle with it, but it really does become that simple. I had to learn that when you think you’re hungry, sometimes you’re really just thirsty.” —Benji Y.
- “I have water at all of my meals, during my workouts, and with me whenever I’m in the car, watching TV, etc. If I have it on me, I’ll drink it!” —Shelby T.
- “I stopped drinking all other drinks! I promise the addiction goes away!” —Mary P.
- “I do not allow myself to have a sugar-free latte unless I drink a gallon of water a day.” —Ginger C.
ADD A LITTLE FLAVOR
- “I fill a 32-ounce Nalgene bottle with water and lemon.” —Marlena C.
- “I have started putting lemon and cucumber slices in my ice water, which gives it a really clean flavor.” —Roxanne C.
- “I add a couple of drops of orange blossom or rose water to each glass.” —Lisa C.
- “I add frozen fruit to my water to make it tasty—then I eat the fruit later.” —Sarah S.
MAKE IT COLD AND USE A STRAW
- “Ice. I drink plenty without thinking, as long as it’s really cold. A small glass of room temperature water will sit in front of me all day, barely touched.” —Kelly Dapp
- “Drink through straws. I swear I drink more that way!” —Jill M.
FIND A CONTAINER YOU LOVE
- “I bought myself a fancy water tumbler for my office with my monogram on it. I fill it up, and it has a straw, which I’m convinced makes me drink more water faster.” —Jenn K.
- “I bought a Big Gulp mug from 7-11—can you imagine, there are folks who put soda in these jugs? H2O only, please.” —Kristy O.
REMEMBER TO REFILL
- “I have a 32-ounce bottle at work. I challenge myself that it has to be empty by each break, lunch, and when I leave for the day.” —Oscar H.
- “Every time I fill my glass, I enter it in MyFitnessPal to keep track!” —Tina C.
- “After I go to the loo, I drink a glass. I leave a glass on the basin where I wash my hands—so it makes me go to the loo again, and I drink another glass!” —Leilah C.
- “Minimum one glass of water an hour. That’s 8 glasses a day!” —Corinna H.
SET REMINDERS
- “I have an app that keeps buzzing at me until I drink.” —Tracey P.
- “A friend of mine taught me this one: if you have those reusable cups with a straw, put 4 rubber bands on the outside. For every glass you drink, remove a band. The leftover ones will remind you how many left you have to drink.” —Jody L.
- “While at work, I make sure to drink 48 ounces before 1:00pm, and another 48 ounces before I clock out at 5:00pm.” —Shakesha T.
- “I bought a 64-ounce jug and fill it with water every day. I put markers on the outside with times. I have 3 times on there: 10:00am, 2:00pm, and 5:00pm.” —Maria M.
Did we miss any? What’s your trick for drinking more water? Share in the comments below!
111 Responses
I make sure that every 2 hrs I drink a bottle of water until 8pm… sometimes is a good 8 bottles a water equivalent to 16 glasses of water a day… I tried 9 but I stay up all night visiting the potty… lol! it helps a lot and I don’t miss juices or soda.
1. bought a sodastream. Not only do i drink 5 or 6 glasses a day, but i save money from buying cases of selzer or soda.
2. keep a pitcher in the fridge, and experiment with flavors, like adding sliced lemon, strawberry, cucumber, bergamot, tea, mint, etc. Alternately you can freeze herbs & fruit in an ice cube tray and plop them into plain water.
I like the tip to drink a gallon for a latte. Yummy
The app idea has worked best for me. I use one called Waterlogged. It keeps you on track throughout the day, and gives you a badge number showing how many oz you have left to drink.
Love waterlogged!
I have it but somehow it will not remind me even though I paid for the premium/notification part. I have emailed them to no avail. 🙁
Use a smaller cup. Sometimes the big cups are daunting. When I use a 16 oz or 20 oz bottle I drink more
I use my smartwater bottle over and over again. It equals out to four cups of water. So I challenge myself by seeing how many times I can fill it up and gulp it down
Lifehacks for drinking water???
:huh:
Here’s mine:
When I’m thirsty, I drink…
…and when I’m not thirsty, I don’t drink.
I’ve read in several places that most people are dehydrated. By the time you ‘feel’ thirsty, you’re already dehydrated…
And I’ve read in several places that A) this belief that thirsty = dehydrated is bogus, and B) that slight dehydration is not at all detrimental to health.
Mmmkay…thanks…?
When I first received the notification with your response, I thought perhaps I had inadvertently posted my comment in the wrong discussion thread. Having confirmed it is where I thought it was, I’m left with the conclusion that you don’t really understand how these discussions work.
So, best of luck with your future interactions with other people both on the internet and off.
I understand how discussions work just fine, and have very enjoyable interactions both on and off the internet, thankyouverymuch. I took your response as being a bit snarky, so I responded in kind. Anyway, let me ask you a question. If thirst is an accurate measure of when your body needs water, why do so many people end up badly dehydrated while exercising because they didn’t realize they needed water? That sounds like a disconnected somehow…
What athletes with access to water are ending up badly dehydrated? This simply does not happen and your assertion that it does simply does not make these hydration myths any less bogus.
I’m not talking about pro athletes, who have trainers and staff whose job it is to keep them going. I’m talking about weekend warriors, or people trying to exercise for weightloss/fitness. You see it happen at 5K’s, softball games, and charity running/cycling events all the time. People who end up dehydrated(even though water is available) because they didn’t realize how bad off they were. If you have not personally seen it, then that must be why you think it’s a myth. I’ve seen it in person. Hell, I’ve been a VICTIM of it twice.
you’ve lost 1% of water by the time your thirsty, it’s not that much…
I drink an entire glass when I go to the fridge/sink to fill up, then I fill it up again and walk away with it and keep it near me.
No coffee or tea unless I can match it in plain water…..also, I put 5 bottles on the kitchen counter every morning and I have to drink them before 6pm….can always see at a glance how much I have left to go….
I take a sip of my water, whenever I walk past it on the table or counter. This is helpful during those times when I don’t want water or aren’t particularly thirsty, but need to get my daily 64 ounces.
I put 16.9 ounce water bottles on the counter next to the sink in my bathroom. (The toilets in a separate room) every time I go to the bathroom I drink half a bottle.
My friend works at the hospital, so I asked her to get me one of those IV drip stands. I stay hooked up to that all day while I work, so I’m guaranteed to stay hydrated!
If I had one of those, I’d probably put Pepsi in it… 🙂
When I was working I could used that only it would be filled with coffee. A few of my coworkers suggested it as I was such a coffee hound. Now that I am retired I don’t have time to drink coffee. Unfortunately I don’t drink water either.
I take a 24oz bottle to work and don’t allow myself my one coffee of the day until it’s done…then I go to Starbucks and get them to refill it with nice ice water while I get my coffee.
I find when I drink cold water my body takes a sharp in-breath, like a reflex. So I drink hot water and it makes me think I’m drinking tea.
i drink a gallon a day…. so I fill a gallon container of water and take it with me everywhere (I work a desk job, so it sits on my desk right beside me). This way I dont have to remember how much I’ve drank. I can just look and it shows how much more I have left.
I have a 32 oz. Hospital cup and fill it with water 4 X’s every day. I like the rubber band idea. Epickett is right about when you are thirst you are generally dehydrated. I drink on average 4 filled cups each day.
We do water challenge at work & basically all we do is keep a 300ml bottle of water on our desks & we have to finish it within the hour. So 7 hour day = 2.1l of water drunk, that way you have reached the 2l a day level & anything extra is a bonus 🙂
I fill a smartwater bottle before meetings at work – that way, I mindlessly drink it when I’m not fully engaged in the conversation – sometimes I see if I can drink the whole thing during a one hour meeting!
it always
It amuses me that this is a topic. Drink.
I have conditioned myself to drink in the car. I drink a minimum of a liter on my drive to the office and again on the way home and I just fit the other two in during the day. It has reached the point where I get thirsty as soon as I pick up my car keys and I keep spare bottles in the car just in case I hit traffic and the liter I carry around with me wont last. 🙂
I have a 64-oz jug that I fill up every day. I usually put an herbal tea bag in it for a little flavor. I don’t do this, but I like the idea that I read in the article about putting times on it, so I may start doing that.
Every time I get in the car, I take a full water bottle. I have water with me for that trip if needed but they key is to always empty it on the way home. An easy habit to get into and maintain.
My husband suggests just drinking it in the form of beer!
The key for me is the free water coolers at work. During the week I do great with water. I have to work on the weekend water drinking habits sitll.
Force yourself to drink a cup of water before each meal and snack. It’ll make you fuller quicker.
I just get a big tall plastic cup, which I know holds four cups of water and then make sure I fill it up at least twice a day…Also, I mix just plain lime seltzer water to it.
I shoot for a gallon of water a day. I only drink Kangen water because of the clean fresh taste as well as the antioxidants
The more you drink the more you want. Seriously your body will crave water to the point where that is all you want. You just have to get over the hump and practice for a few months. Like everything you do.
Why does it have to be water? A Dr. once told me that it can be a combination of water, coffee, tea, fruit juice etc. they will all keep you hydrated.
I drive a lot, so everytime I see a red car, I’ll take a sip of water.
My tip for drinking more water is simply this: whenever I have to urinate, I must drink 8 oz of water before I allow myself to do so.
I used this trick when I was nursing my babies. Drink a tall glass of water every time you pee. You pee so you drink so you pee so you drink. It’s amazing how it works.
Indeed. If you’re thirsty, then drink more water.
/lifehack
I take about 7 vitamins at lunch so I drink lots of water to down them all with my food. It takes me through about 16 oz or more in one sitting.
Also, I bring a bottle of water to the pool with me when I swim laps – it’s amazing how it helps my breathing while swimming! Swimmers, try this one!
When I was much younger, drinking water was no problem. Somehow, over the years, I’ve developed an “inability” to drink water —- even though I am drinking tea, coffee, Coke Zero (which I’m slowly cutting out). I know I should be drinking lots more water than I am presently drinking and have been looking for ways to accomplish this. I love the suggestions especially about adding lemon, berries, cucumber, oranges, etc — will try these. Thank you for these posts.
Hmmm you don’t seem to care about facts.
If by “facts” you mean websites propagating bogus myths, then yes, I don’t care about “facts”.
Lack of employers does not equal being forced to work starvation wages. Nobody wants to open businesses there because it’s dangerous. Simple as that. And the wages are set at what people are willing to work for. In order to get higher wages, employees and their competition need to refuse to work for less.
Thanks for turning a simple comment on carbonating water into something completely unrelated. You are now “that person”
“and the wages are set at what people are willing to work for.” do you honestly believe this? i don’t want to make any assumptions so i’ll just ask, and not sarcastically at all: do you or have you ever lived outside of America or any other country that isn’t considered a “First world country”? lack of employers really does equal being forced to work starvation wages if there is no other option. it’s usually take what you can get or get into criminal activity to pay the bills.
Jen: I think in the West it is not lack of employers that causes low wages but too many people looking for jobs who are willing to work for peanuts and the employers know this so they pay as little as they can get away with legally.
I bought 4 X 750ml drinks bottles. I fill them all with no added sugar vimto, add a slice of lemon to each of 3 and a vitamin c effervescent tablet to the other one. I always carry at least 1 wherever I go and keep sipping all day. I make sure I have drunk 2 by 3.30pm them I have time to drink the other 2 before bed time x
I found a Thermos brand water bottle that the neck has 1-6 and u our move it for each time you refill the bottle and the bottle is 20oz so helpful check it out.
Sabrina L
Can you share the link the for this? It sounds like exactly what I’ve been looking for and I’m not finding it.
I used to hate water. But once I started keeping one of my crystal goblets by the kitchen sink, I had fun drinking it from our special wedding china, and soon it became so natural that I didn’t need a special glass.
Me n my tumbler are bestfriend. Bring it along everywhere i go. Of course it got my fav colour.
I always drink 3-3oz. cups of water when I brush my teeth, that’s a guaranteed 9 oz. 3 times a day (27 oz), sometimes more. I carry both a 32 and 20 oz water bottle all day and try to drink one in the morning and one after lunch. That is at work and my drive in and home. I usually drink a 12 oz glass of water after dinner and allow myself something tasty during dinner.
I just got a Brita! Ice cold filtered water! Taste so much cleaner!
I fill my glass up with crushed ice BEFORE I add gin and tonic.
Looks like everyone has a 4 month head start on me now….
Better get to drinking to catch up then. (Over-)hydration is key to optimal health (apparently).
I’m not allowed to look at my phone without taking a drink of water! Voila, no dehydration.
Ya gotta workout or have some kind of physical activity as well… Just drinking water all day isn’t going to help much. And that sugar free latte has aspartame in it, yu are better off getting regular sugar with a small sized latte. Just my two cents
I have a 32oz jug at work and I complete one at lunch and another one a couple hours later. I then drink at least 4 16.9 Oz bottle water when I get home.
My trick is to fill my 2-quart pitcher of water in the fridge and then fill my 8 oz glass from it all day. Empty and repeat
Need suggestions for us over 70 crowd. I’m active, but unless it’s warm enough to work up a sweat, I don’t get thirsty, therefore I don’t think about water. In the winter time anything cold makes me shiver and gripping a cold glass or bottle makes my poor chilly fingers freeze.
Drink warm water or hot water. Unfortunately, it’s a habit that you have to develop.
I started using an insulated cup at work w/a straw and I definitely drink much more water that way!
For those of you adding lemon or anything citrus into their water – you will get acid erosion wear of your teeth and sensitive teeth especially if having eight glasses of water a day with lemon. So beware.
After every bite of food, take a sip of water. It increases your water intake and fills you up, too.
Room temperature or warmer works well for me.. especially during the colder winter months. I like the idea to put rubber bands around my cup so I know how many I have had toward my goal each day – going to add that one to my routine.
I use the 33 ounce smartwater bottle with the top of the smaller smartwater sport top, I fill it up 4 times a day. For some reason I can drink soo much more water with that set up. At this point I can’t drink anything else, I absolutely love water.
I have meds that I’m required to take when I wake up and before I go to bed. My tip? In stead of having just a sip to wash them down, I drink a full 20 oz glass with them. I also drink a full glass of H2O after I’m done rinsing my teeth after brushing them. I’m not getting a full gallon or anything intense like that, but I am getting more H2O than I used to!
I put Crystal Light in my water bottle at work and the water that I drink with lunch during the week. Even though I’m getting tired of the latter and wanting to change, all other options I’ve thought of are higher in calories and sugar (which I get enough of with my dessert) so I stick with the Crystal Light. It’s only 5 calories per 8 oz!
As I said before I don’t drink a lot of water and it came home to roost for me the week before the Christmas just past. I foster cats and the latest one had been abused. He got himself tangled up in some venetian blind cord and when I tried to untangle him he panicked and bit me three times. I went to a clinic got some antibiotics but the next day it was much worse with my hand really swollen and red streaks running
up my arm. I went to emergency and they wanted to put me on an IV drip. They couldn’t. I was so dehydrated they could not get a vein to open. I had to drink 110 ounces of water in three hours so they could find a vein to puncture. I had to go every day to the IV clinic at the hospital Christmas day included for more meds and each day I was reminded to drink at least a quart of water before I came.
I started doing this during a cleanse when I could not drink coffee or tea, instead I drank just plain hot water. Turns out what I needed more than the coffee or the tea was the warm liquid. Now I drink hot water all the time even though I’m not on a cleanse.
It might sound weird but I don’t like cold water and herbal tea can get tiresome so I drink hot water as if it were tea or coffee, doesn’t stain my teeth like coffee/tea would either!
I don’t drink much water since I moved into an apartment building, 1, water here is hard, has a bad taste. 2, the salt they use don’t help, 3, my place is to small to put in a bottle water bottle holder, 4, I can’t afford to buy bottle water much, 5, did get a pichter with a filter but the charcoal always got into the so called clean water
I drink a bottle of water at 7:00am, another at 11:00 am , other at 3:00pm, and the last one at 7:00pm. If, by any reason, I forgot to drink at these times, I have to drink it before I eat. But I love cold water, if it is possible with ice.
I personally don’t believe this idea works for everyone. Water intake depends on activity. If you are more active, you automatically need more water. In that case, you need not force yourself. You automatically reach for a bottle/glass of water. But if you are sedentary or you do not move much, you obviously dont need much water because you don’t lose too much water due to perspiration or other things due to activity. I have noticed this in my life that when I work out a lot on a day, I easily drink more water. And my grandparents (not just that; a lot of old people who have lived really long healthy lives) have all lived 90+ years of healthy life by only drinking water when they need it. And when I tell them that I keep hearing this thing that “I need to drink 8 glasses of water everyday”, they laugh and say “who told you all this?”.
I like the suggestion of keeping a glass in the bathroom to drink a glass after you go.
Or I line 4 16oz bottles on the kitchen counter
to drink by days end. I’m trying the bathroom rule for now.
I like and drink more water when it’s really cold. When I know I will be at work or on the road and no access to ice, I put a bottle of water in the freezer the night before. Before heading out I take a cold bottle from the fridge and the frozen one from the freezer. I drink the frozen one once the ice starts melting. Very refreshing on a hot day.
I love my Nalgene bottle and I have tied 550 para cord around the collar so I can carry it everywhere. Nalgene has an app that lets you track the number of bottles and amount of water you have consumed. It also lets you know how much money and plastic you have saved by drinking from a reusable bottle.
Keep water on your nightstand next to your bed. If I wake up in the middle of the night I immediately reach for my water just out of habit. Also, when I turn my alarm clock off in the morning I sit up and drink my water as a wake to wake up a little more without getting out of bed right away. Drinking water early in the start of your day allows your body to be more energized, especially when that 3pm nap sneaks into your mind
I buy the Sweet Leaf Original Sweetner drops from Sprouts (my colon hydrotherapist recommended this healthy sweetner!) Or a big bag of Great Value Sweetner from Walmart + plus beautiful, bright, yellow lemons (from Sprouts or Walmart) + a reuseable Voss Water Bottle (buy at Walmart, under $5 good quality glass bottle with a lid). Add fresh cut lemons + lots of Sweetner (or to your liking) Put lid on bottle. .mix. Voila! Enjoy!
Tip#1:Turn water bottle upside down 25 times to mix (don’t shake as this messes with the molecules in the water that our body needs).
Tip#2: Pick out seeds before squeezing lemon juice into water bottle.
My trick is chugging a cup of water every time I have to go to the bathroom, the more you drink the more you “go” which makes you drink more…it works.
I fill up a gallon jug of water with lemon in it, and bring to work and drink on it all day until gone sometimes I finish it by the end of the work day, but if I don’t I drink on the way home, if still not finished I drink at home with dinner until gone, that way I know I drank my gallon for the day, and repeat the next day…….works for me…
I got a watch that reminds me each hour to stand up from my desk. When it reminds me, I walk to the restroom, do a lap around the halls, the drink a cup of water back at my desk. Kind of a two-fer (three-fer?) – lol!
I got a watch that reminds me each hour to stand up from my desk. When it reminds me, I walk to the restroom, then I do a lap around the halls, then I drink one cup of water back at my desk. Kind of a two-fer (three-fer?) – lol.
Watch out for adding lemon to your water as suggested. I did that for a week and my dentist was shocked at how much the acid in the lemon has eroded my teeth enamel in such a short time!
If you open a bottle of water, throw the cap away. For me anyway that helps me finish what I opened,
If you take daily supplements, or medicinal pills, be sure to drink and entire 16 oz glass of water. This helps to get part of the daily minimum built in to your routine.
Every day, I fill an insulated, 20 oz. cup (with a straw), with water. I also carry a 5 Liter bag of water with me everywhere I go (I have a consulting business and I’m in the field all day). Every time I have to ‘wait’ for anything (a traffic light or jam, a computer process, a webpage to load, etc.), I drink water. This has forced a 90 oz./day habit to occur. If I have any exceptions, I feel it the next day, horribly.
As long as my water is cold I have no problem drinking it. I keep my glass filled all day so I drink it up (8oz glass.) I do get bored though so I started drinking Peppermint tea (hot.) There’s no calories (don’t add sugar or milk) and it’s basically water so mixing the tea in really helps. I quit drinking coffee years ago so it’s a nice hot beverage that relaxes too!
I have a tumbler cup at work, and I always make sure that I fill it up and drink it by 11:00, 1:00, 3:00, and 5:00, that way I drink 4 big cups of water before I even leave work.
Use an insulated bottle – like the onya ones that you can get with a neoprene sleeve. I drink more if I have a large bottle of water by my workstation but not if it gets warm!
Using a straw definitely helps me drink more..I have a’special’ 24 oz water cup at work & home. I also cold brew green tea w/ lemon or ginger for a bit of flavor.
Great advice-but one thing to think about is that straws are a big part of the plastic pollution problem. Can we do this without straws?
Great suggestions! I have used my FitBit app for logging water as well as the ‘favorite cup and straw’ at the work desk. I think it really works!
I have the my hydrate bottle and it beeps if you don’t drink every hour.
Any suggestions for teachers, who can’t drink water as we should, since we can’t leave the classroom when needed?
This! So much this. I know we’re not the only profession that would be in this situation, but it really is bad.
Additionally, I find I take my water bottle to every class and I might be lucky to get through 300ml (~10 oz) in three hours. School days are just non-stop.
I started by setting the alarm on my phone to ring each hour to remind me to drink water. But I recently received a water infuser which has become somewhat of an obsession..I enjoy trying different flavors so my water intake has increased.
I have a 64 oz water bottle and a cup with a straw. I fill my cup with ice and have my water beside me to fill my cup everytime its empty so I only fill the water bottle once at the beginning of my morning and by the end of my shift its all gone. 64oz for the work day. More when I get home.#hydrated
These tips for drinking more water makes me want to try them all too. They’re creative and sounds delicious. That straw thingy is gonna be the first tips I will try. It looks fun to do and may be effective for me.
I love the rubber band and cup reminder–genius!
A nice side salad with your main meal and fruits for dessert does help
I have an app that reminds me too, and I also drink a bottle before supper. Another hack I use is that I came into dieting knowing that I would only limit my sweet, not cut them out (can’t live without em completely lol). But whenever I come to decide I want, say, some cookies or a chocolate bar, I make myself chug a full bottle before I eat it. That way not only am I hydrated I’m encouraged to eat less of the snack because I’ll feel so full.