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4 Ways to Keep Hydrated

As the weather is starting to heat up, it is no surprise that staying hydrated is becoming more top-of-mind. Hydrating your body is key in keeping it healthy and maintaining all of its systems and organs such as the heart and brain.

While it may seem obvious that hydrating is key during hot weather or when exercising outside, it can be difficult to stay hydrated. By setting reminders, holding yourself accountable, and being mindful of your consumption, meeting your hydration goals won’t seem as daunting.

Set reminders

If you find yourself forgetting to hydrate, setting small reminders can be very helpful. The easiest way to do this is by using the reminder application on your phone or computer. Another great place to set reminders is through your planner or by placing sticky notes around your desk. If your hydration goals include tracking your liquid intake, mobile applications are a great place to set reminders and keep track of your daily liquid intake.

Setting reminders can be extremely helpful if you find yourself spending most of your time in-doors. For example, if you work from home or spend a significant time inside, remembering to stay hydrated becomes increasingly more difficult.

Often times, if you are not sweating from a workout or being outdoors, you may not realise you’re thirsty. Therefore, it is not uncommon to consume below the recommended intake. According to Healthline, daily water intake recommendations differ depending on age and gender.

For adult men, a recommended daily intake is 131 liquid ounces while 95 liquid ounces is recommended for women. The amount is different for children.

Once you get acclimated to keeping up with your reminders, you will slowly be incorporating hydration into your daily routines! As a result, this will help you be more mindful in remembering to have water or another liquid during meals, after working out and anytime in between.

Keep track

If you are struggling to meet your personal water intake goal, physically keeping track may help. Tracking your intake on paper is a helpful place to start. However, that can easily slip our minds and we can forget to hold ourselves accountable.

By physically keeping track of your water intake, you can visualize how much you are consuming. A great way to physically track your consumption is by drinking from a cup or water bottle that is exactly the amount of fluid ounces you want to consume. For example, find a cup that holds your ounce goal and make a mental note to drink one cup an hour.

In addition, purchasing a water bottle with fluid ounce markers can be incredibly helpful. This allows you to numerically see how much you are drinking. By incorporating physical tracking into your daily consumption, you will then be able to mindfully meet your hydration goals throughout the day.

Be mindful

Another tip to meeting your hydration goals is to be and stay mindful. For example, if you know you are going to be out most of the day, make sure to bring a water bottle.

Bringing and keeping extra water bottles on hand make all of the difference when trying to stay hydrated. For example, if you will be spending the day at the park, beach, or even indoors at a museum, you may find that storing a few water bottles in the car can be extremely handy!

Being mindful of ways to keep hydrate doesn’t stop there. A great way to maintain your hydration levels is by intentionally choosing to hydrate. If you’re going out to a restaurant, intentionally choose a beverage that will keep you hydrate such as water, seltzer or tea.

That isn’t to say that you can’t have a fun drink alongside your meal such as a cocktail or soda! Keeping your hydration levels up doesn’t equal cutting things out from your diet. Instead, choose both and being intentional with the choices you make!

Don’t exclude the food!

Many fruits and vegetables can also be a way for you to keep hydrated! Whether you use cut up fruit to infuse your water, or snack on them raw, fresh produce can help you reach your hydration goals.

Healthline provides a thorough list of water-dense foods. Some of the foods on their list include:

• Watermelon
• Oranges
• Peaches
• Cucumbers
• Lettuce
• Broth-based soups
• Fresh coconut & its water

While it is difficult to track the amount of water in each slice of watermelon or in a salad, it is important to incorporate these foods into your meals nonetheless. You can consume produce or foods high in water both in its raw or cooked form, and you will still be working toward keeping yourself hydrated!

If you are looking to focus in on meeting your hydration goals this summer, the above steps can help you get there. By setting reminders to keep track of your consumption, making mindful/intentional choices, and eating foods with high-water content, keeping hydrated will start to become a natural part of your routines.