Staying properly hydrated is crucial for your health. Water helps to regulate your body temperature, lubricate your joints, and protect your organs. It’s also necessary for proper digestion, absorption, and transportation of nutrients.
Consequently, not drinking enough water is linked to a number of health problems, such as fatigue, headaches, and constipation. So how can you make sure you’re drinking enough water? One easy way is to try a hydration challenge!
For one week, commit to drinking a certain amount of water each day. Start with something achievable, like 1.5 litres (6 cups), and work your way up from there, according to your individual needs. Be sure to drink water throughout the day, rather than all at once.
Want to reap the full benefits of this challenge? Try incorporating the following tips!
Tip #1: Determine how much water you should be drinking.
The general recommendation is 8 cups of water per day, and that’s a pretty safe estimate for many people but if you want to be more precise try this. Take your weight in kilograms and divide that by 8. That is how many 250 ml cups of water you should be drinking. So if you are 160 lbs, or 73 kilos, you should drink 9 cups of water per day, or 2.25 litres.
If you exercise, you’ll increase the amount above by 4-8 ounces for every 20 minutes of exercise. So for example, if you workout for 40 minutes, you’ll need to drink an extra 1 – 2 cups of water.
Tip #2: Determine how you will track your water intake.
For some they just use the simple method of calculating how much water goes in their water bottle and making sure they drink X bottles of water per day. Others love the fun of using an app. It doesn’t matter, as long as you do it!
Tip #3: Start drinking your water first thing in the morning and then spread your drinking throughout the day.
Not only does this jump start your drinking habit first thing in the morning, and make sure you aren’t playing catchup late in the day, it stimulates your digestive system and makes sure you aren’t confusing hunger with dehydration for the rest of the day.
psst. Make sure you drink before, during and after exercise as this will maximize your energy for those amazing workouts that you do!
Tip #4: Ditch the caloric beverages, especially the ones that are high sugar and artificial.
In a perfect world you would get all your liquids from water and herbal tea. Sugary beverages wreak havoc on our blood sugar and energy levels, and don’t even get me started on their inflammatory properties!
Drinking enough water is essential for good health. The 7-Day Hydration Challenge is a great way to make sure that you’re drinking enough water every day. By following the tips in this article, you’ll be well on your way to hydration success.
