To ask for top water drinking tips?

[GonnaDrinkWater]

I'm always telling myself I need to drink more water and I'm sure I'm not alone. Some of you may have cracked it, some of you may not.

So please share your top tips on getting through your daily water quota!

don't pretend you didn't understand what the OP meant exactly.

It's a very valid question, and more people should ask the same one. If you are happy with your own water intake, good for you, why do you need to come and mock others who ask for advice?

EastMidsMummy

No need to scream - just scroll on

Get one of these water bottles -
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B00E652YB8/ref=mpssa114?ie=UTF8&qid=1507931660&sr=8-4&pi=ACSX2366SY340QL65&keywords=contigo+water+bottle&dpPl=1&dpID=31pS-E5Lz0L&ref=plSrch

There is something special about the way it is shaped, and the amount of water that you get through the spout that makes the water taste good, and, it makes it feel so easy to drink. DH didn’t believe that a bottle could make such a difference, but he’s a Contigo convert now too!

I make sure I drink a whole bottle before eating in the morning and another after dinner at night with 1-3 more refills during the day depending on what I’m doing.

And, OP, it’s not a silly question at all! I get terrible headaches if I become dehydrated but I still really struggle at times to make myself drink enough water.

Bear in mind that the 'need to drink more water' line came about just as people wanted to sell bottled water. Mankind managed to get along fine just drinking to thirst/convenience for about 99,000 years before bottled water came along

This, as told to me by a hospital Dr when discussing nutrition after a bit of a grim time health-wise. You could drink 3 cups of tea or 23 a day and that would be ok. I never have water unless I’m running.

Because it's a stupid question. The OP already identified that she needs to drink more water. The easiest way to drink more water is to drink more water. It's really not very hard.

Mistaking thirst for hunger is a well known fact. This article explains it well and may help your understanding

Not sure there's a huge amount to learn on a website where the next article reads, "What should I drink if I'm thirsty?"

Is it "sand"?

it gets harder when people are busy (or elderly) and have other things to do than remember to make themselves a drink. Some mothers have passed out because they forgot to eat, let alone drink. You have clearly a very limited experience. You don't get the issue, just move away. You are not helping anyone on this thread.

I hate the "mankind managed for centuries" nonsense too. Mankind didn't have an obesity problem until recently. Things change, the way of life evolves so comparing your daily life to the life of your ancestors is pretty useless.

EastMidsMummy let me explain to you like you were 5 years old: the OP didn't ask how to physically drink water, she asked how to remind herself to drink more, or to force herself to drink more. There, do you understand now?

Jug of water and keeping a small cup by it works best for me. It's then easy to down 200ml at a time which is a comfortable quantity.

If I leave it to my natural level of thirst, I'd rival a camel for sporadic binges.

as well as the advice above, things like that are good too:

fruit infuser

Not sure there's a huge amount to learn on a website where the next article reads, "What should I drink if I'm thirsty?"

Is it "sand"?

Is it sand? No, pet. It's not really 'drying' drinks either, like alcohol or caffeine. However some people need it spelt out to them like you, perhaps?

Another vote for having a large bottle/flask at work at all times. Not having to get up in the middle of a task makes it so much easier.

In the evenings I use pint glasses - again to stop me having to get up.

Providing no underlying health issues. hang around the colleague with the stinking chesty cough at the moment.

I have it and I'm literally mainlining 1ltr bottles of water. It's the only thing I can keep down without either coughing a lung up and or being sick.

EastMidsMummy let me explain to you like you were 5 years old

...says the woman explaining to everyone how to remember to drink a glass of water...

It's not really 'drying' drinks either, like alcohol or caffeine. However some people need it spelt out to them

Do they? Do they really? "I'm really, really thirsty. Should I quench my thirst with a bottle of room temperature Rioja?"

The easier way is to get into a habit, find one that suits you. These are mine, if it helps:

Drink a glass when I'm waiting for the kettle to boil to make tea.

Use a large mug (400ml rather 250ml) for hot drinks.

Take a 500ml water bottle in the car for each way commute.

Soup for lunch.

Large mug of fruit tea in the evening.

I also have an app which I can enter what I drink and it will prompt me with a quantity to drink, or tell me there's no need to drink now.

The easiest way to drink more water is to drink more water. It's really not very hard.

It is when you're not in the routine of remembering to drink regularly. If water is available then I will drink it but if it isn't, more often than not I won't think about it and end up getting dehydrated, which is not good as I have had kidney problems - which stemmed from not drinking enough - in the past and it's important to keep well hydrated.

But it's easy for me to forget - I got up this morning had a piece of toast while I made DD's breakfast, got DD off to school, came home and started doing some jobs, fed the cats, grabbed a sandwich & then got ready for work ... it was only as I was sitting on the bus to work with the beginnings of a headache that I realised it was 2pm and I hadn't had a drink all day.

It's easy to do when you're thinking about other things. My trick is to try and keep at least a 500ml water bottle with me at all times - if it's there I find myself reaching for it just for something to do sometimes. If I have to go to the canteen and find a glass/cup, fill it up then go back to work etc then I rarely bother as I don't often have the time to faff with all of that whereas with a bottle it's always there to hand and I just have to remember to fill it up whenever I'm on a break.

That Livestrong article is laughable, so badly written and nothing to back it up, please don't tell me anyone is really using it as a reference. You honestly do not need to remind yourself to drink, your body has this helpful response called "thirst" which will prompt you to drink before you actually get dehydrated.

Oh and, to debunk another myth, caffeine drinks are not "drying", any diuretic effect is offset by the liquid provided in the drink.

Here's a better article that actually references some scientific sources:

www.theverge.com/2017/5/10/15619544/how-much-water-a-day-8-glasses-myth

You have had kidney problems from not drinking enough water and you still forget to drink enough water? There is a word for this and it's not "forgetful."

Yes, I have always had kidney issues, from childhood, and I can still forget to drink enough water because I don't actively choose not to drink, I just get caught up in doing other things until it's been hours since I last had the opportunity to grab a drink.

If the water is there I don't have to remember to go and get it, it's already there and so I will drink it. If I have to interrupt what I am doing to go and get water I am more likely to forget/put it off.

Put fruit in your water, either chopped into chunk or frozen into ice cubes

Get a water bottle and draw lines on it and put a time next to each one (e.g you have to drink water to the first line by 10am, then the next line at 11am etc)

Set reminders/associate a certain thing with having a cup of water (when you are cooking tea drink a glass and so on)

But it's easy for me to forget - I got up this morning had a piece of toast while I made DD's breakfast,

But you remembered to eat this morning. You presumably remembered to give dd a drink with her breakfast. Why didn't you remember to have a drink yourself?

Then later you had a sandwich. Again, you remembered to eat. Why wouldn't you think to have a drink at the same time? Don't most people have a drink when they eat?

My point was that it's easy to forget to make a drink if you're busy.

I put the kettle on for a cup of tea this morning but didn't actually get round to making said tea as DD couldn't find something and I had to search for it while she finished breakfast (where, yes she did have a glass of milk) and by the time I'd got sorted it was time to hustle DD into her shoes and coat for the walk to school. When I got home I launched straight into the jobs I had to get done as I knew I had work later and needed certain things done before them.

I grabbed my sandwich whilst doing some jobs - I didn't have chance to sit down and eat at the table as I had a load of other things to get done. If I had stopped for lunch I probably would have made myself a drink but because I was eating on the go, I didn't.

You had a bad day EastMidsMummy?