We are tip-toeing our way through April. Well I guess if you are more like my kids, you are puddle-stomping. In week one, we made some simple swaps. In week two, we upgraded our cup to a good water bottle. Now, in week three, we add another tool in our hydration toolbox. The question always comes up, how much water should I be drinking? The answer to that one, however, is not a simple one-size-fits-all. Each person and each body is different. Add in exercise, your work, environmental factors, pregnancy, and your health and the equation gets a lot more complicated. A good place to start is 64 oz or 8 cups of water per day and adjust from there. A good way to check your hydration is your urine color. If it is darker, increase water intake. Also, listen to your body! When you are thirsty, drink!! Our hydration tip for this week is….
Track Your Water Intake
When asked, a large majority of people do not actually know how much water they drink in a day. This is because of several reasons: they may not be drinking water regularly, they don’t know how many ounces their beverage container holds, or they are just not aware. The best way to create a new habit, like drinking enough water, is to become aware of your current habits. You need to know what your baseline is before you start making changes. Here are some easy ways to keep track
- Take note of how many ounces your water bottle is. Do the math to figure out how many refills you would need to get adequate hydration for the day. (Ex: 32 oz water bottle would need to be filled 2 times for the day)
- Put rubber bands on your bottle for the amount of refills. Move a rubber band up when you have finished the bottle and need a refill.
- Have multiple water bottles. Fill them all up at the beginning of the day and set them on the counter. When one is finished, grab the next one.
I would love to hear what you have tried and what works best for you! Stay tuned, next week we bring all of our hydration tips together and do a check-in on whats working for everyone.
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