Jenny Pena, NBC-HWC

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PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES / JOSE A. BERNAT BACETE featured at https://www.eatingwell.com

It is for certain that most of us are aware that drinking more water has positive impact to our health; you hear this from doctors, friends, magazine articles, blog posts, weight loss programs, and, of course, health coaches. This is because our body is about 60% water and being hydrated properly will lubricate our joints, help our organs operate better, push out waste in the form of sweat, urination and bowel movements. On top of that it helps with weight management by not confusing hunger with thirst and avoid those headaches and other symptoms that are signs from our body saying “I need more water!”

The first step I took in my own personal health journey was working on my water intake. Since water requires little to no monetary investment and clean water is readily available where I live, I decided to work on improving this health pillar and focus first on hydration. Through this I discovered that I was barely drinking water throughout the day and that the constant need for a snack, the light headaches I would get and waking up in the middle of the night feeling thirst were all signs from by body asking for help.

After some weeks of identifying some habits and tools that helped me increase water intake, I have gathered some tips that hopefully will help you increase hydration and improve your health.

1. Estimate what the ideal amount of water you need based on your weight. There are many ways (most of them complex) to determine how much water you need according to your age, weight, height, activity levels (to name a few components) but I suggest to follow this simple calculation: Take your weight in pounds, divide it by two and slowly build your water intake to drink that amount in ounces per day. So, if you weight 200 pounds, your ultimate goal is to drink 100 oz per day; however, you may be familiar with the 8 glasses of 8 ounces a day which is also a good starting point.
2. Start your day with water. As a first step towards better hydration, I suggest that you start your day with a glass of water before you eat or drink anything else. This helps flush out your stomach and balance the lymphatic system. To make things easier, leave a glass of water or bottle at a visible place where you typically would see it when waking up; let it be the nightstand or kitchen counter. I personally leave my water bottle filled up the night before next to coffee maker.
3. Make it easier to have water readily available for you. Get a cute cup, glass or bottle to have water near you at all times. I got a large 32 oz mason jar with a lid and straw to use at home and a water bottle to carry when on the go; this helps measuring how much water I am taking and avoids “forgetting” to drink by having it near at all times.
4. Infuse your water to make it fancy. If you don’t necessarily enjoy drinking water but do enjoy the benefits, a way to make it more appealing is to infuse it with cucumbers, berries, lemon rinds, mint leaves or even some electrolytes. Infusing makes water extra delicious and will motivate you to hydrate.
5. Get some alerts to remind you to drink. Having a alarm setting on your phone or getting an app that alerts you and helps you track water intake are great ways to get support.

Now that you have some ideas on how to get started, make it a goal for this week to work on hydration and evaluate how you are feeling; do you have as much cravings during the day? How does your skin feel? Do you have more energy? Nothing motivates us more that seeing results and I assure you, you will see results quickly.

See some of my favorite items to support on your hydration journey:

1. Mason Jar. My favorite mason jar to drink at home; easy to use and carries 32 ounces of water – https://amzn.to/3M8iyvZ
2. Water bottle. I have several bottles that I like but his one seems to be affordable, BPA free and dishwasher friendly, plus it comes in three sizes to accommodate your needs. https://amzn.to/3tG6LyG
3. Tracking apps. There are many apps that are free to use to track water, as well as step tracker apps that have some features to track water. Here are my favorites:
   • Drink water (for apple) – https://apps.apple.com/us/app/drink-water-drinking-reminder/id1478980974
   • My Water (for apple) – https://apps.apple.com/us/app/my-water-daily-water-tracker/id1395390713?correlationId=07cc5972-ea00-4a8a-8019-e56421361c4e
   • Hydro Coach (for android) – https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.codium.hydrocoach

Good luck on your hydration journey. Feel free to comment on your success and any questions you may have.