Ah yes…we hear this one all the time. They say, “Each person needs at least eight – 8 ounce glasses of water each day.” I’m not sure who “they” is, but no matter. Drinking lots of water is essential for good health!
Some of you may not really enjoy drinking water, so you may not like my next statement: I don’t agree with “they”. I don’t really think that eight – 8 ounce glasses of water is enough. That’s ONLY two quarts. I drink that amount before 10 am. If I was only drinking two quarts of water each day, I think my body would be dehydrated. But what do I know? I just know what my body craves…I don’t know anything scientific. And by the way, I’m not really drinking the water because I feel thirsty. I just feel the need for water. I just feel better when I drink a lot of water.
If you don’t really like drinking water, can I just offer you a challenge to suck it up (literally) and drink it anyway? Water is so, so good for you. Your cells need hydration to function properly. There are toxins in your body that need to be flushed out. Your body craves water.
If you are feeling low on energy…it may be because you aren’t drinking enough water. Simple as that.
In my opinion, drinking lots of water is one of the simplest steps toward healthy eating. And the stinkin’ cheapest. If you’ve made the decision to eat a healthier diet and you’re working to add more fruits and vegetables in each day…try now to drink more water. Force yourself to do it if you have to at first. Before long, you won’t even have to try. Your body will beg for it and you’ll just do it.
Water is basically all I drink (with a few exceptions that I’ll talk about another time soon). I keep a full glass by the sink all day long and I chug the entire thing whenever the mood strikes me. I love it. And yes, I potty a lot. (whoa, too much information.)
Here are some tips for drinking more water:
- I like drinking my water at room temperature (or just a little cooler than that…like cold tap water). If the water has been in the fridge, I tend to get brain freeze when it’s going down, which makes me not want to drink it.
- Make sure it tastes good…or rather that it tastes like nothing. When we were out of town recently, I tried to chug down the water in the home I was staying. It tasted SO much like chemicals that I felt I needed to chew it before I swallowed it. I could NOT drink it. If your water isn’t good, get a good filter system. Do whatever you need to do to find a good source of clean water. (Not having done a ton of research on the matter because our water at home is pretty good…we just use a Brita water filter.)
- If you put ice into your water, be sure the cubes are made from good tasting water. If you make your ice cubes with yucky tasting tap water, it will taint the flavor of your drinking water as it melts. Ick.
- Squeeze a lemon or a lime into your drinking water. Slices of lemon or lime will make it look pretty and appealing, it will give your drinking water a little zing!
- Drink water out of a glass. This is just a personally preference of mine, because I simply am not a big fan of plastic. Drinking from a plastic cup makes my water taste like plastic. Find a nice tall glass and fill ‘er up. (Yes, because a tall, pretty glass is a “her”.)
Coming up soon (eventually, someday, and whenever I actually get around to it): Other beverage choices, what not to drink, how to replace pop and other liquidy type items of interest.
After reading through this water filled post, I just bet all of you need to go potty now.
Just curious, do you like drinking water, or find it hard to drink enough each day?
I love water! I like mine icy cold and I keep a full glass around always! I too am always in the bathroom but at least it motivates me to keep it clean! lol
Yep, water is great! My 2 year old even likes water better than milk or juice! I’m pregnant with our 2nd baby and have noticed that I easily get dehydrated and when I get dehydrated I get dizzy — not fun! So, all you pregnant ladies out there..drink lots of water (I know, you’ll REALLY be spending lots of time in the bathroom) but you will feel so much better!
Well I heard “they” also say that drinking TOO much water can dilute all the good for you vitamins/minerals we eat??? Have you heard anything from that side?? All I drink is water too and lots of it!! I find that carrying around my water “jug” with a cover on it keeps it yummy and I also know how much I have had…great post girl!!
I’ve read this also, and
that it puts too much of a strain on the kidneys
to drink too much water?
I have heard that drinking a lot of water with meals dilutes your
digestive enzymes. And it is possible to drink too much water and die of
water intoxication. However, that is in very extreme cases, and is usually
a side effect of certain drugs.
As long as you don’t consume massive quantities of water (2 or 3 gallons)
in a couple minutes, your kidneys should be able to regulate the water
balance of your body. However, if you are consistently dehydrated, THAT
is hard on your kidneys because they have to work harder to concentrate
your urine. And, not having a good flow of water throughout your kidneys
can encourage the formation of kidney stones…that is enough to convince
me to drink more water!
I heard the suggestion once to drink a tall glass or two a couple of hours before a meal so you won’t be thirsty during the meal and your digestive enzymes won’t be diluted.
The one area I always struggle with. I had kidney surgrey at 17, so I should drink more. But for now, I drink fresh squeezed oj in the morning from my juicer (and sometimes I add some strawberries and rasberries). Then throughout the day I drink water. It keeps from over eating. But I know that I still don’t get enough. I don’t drink soda anymore and occasionally drink milk.
I like water a lot if it has tea and sugar in it. But I do drink a lot of it plain also.
Lol, I like that type of water too! But I dont drink enough of the plain kind.
Gonna work on that today :)
I still haven’t given up coffee in the morning, but I do drink a large glass of water before the coffee. :) Then it’s water all day long for me too. I like it cold from the fridge, and it definitely has to be in a glass. We have a Berkey water filter, and I keep a glass pitcher of water in the fridge. I bet I fill that pitcher about 3-4 times a day!
I drink a lot of water. I love Diet Coke and am working hard to cut them out completely. Besides that I drink water with ice, without ice and any way I can get. I drink water with all meals and keep water at my desk. Since I work at a hospital I have to keep a covered bottle of water so it is Nalgene for me. I agree that more than 8 8 ounce glasses is better. When that was originally published as a guideline I think it was meant to be the least amount not the most. Thank you for your blog. I enjoy reading it.
I’ve never liked soda, coffee, tea…so that has led to me pretty much only drinking water! I love it, but sometimes do struggle to get in my 64 oz, although now you have me trying to figure out how to get even more down without just living at the potty!
“If you don’t really like drinking water, can I just offer you a challenge to suck it up (literally) and drink it anyway?”
LOVE this. Seems like every time I suggest that someone drink more water/switch to whole milk/eat fish/get more protein/whatever healthy thing, they say, “But I don’t really like it…” I always want to say, “SO?? You’re an adult. Suck it up!”
I was planning to post on this topic soon… During my last pregnancy, I persevered and learned to love drinking water. It was hard for me to drink enough water – at first. I knew, especially since I was pregnant, that I needed more. So I kept my water in a Nalgene bottle, with measurements marked on the side, so that I would know how much I was drinking throughout the day. Soon, I was drinking 64+ ounces a day, and found that if I didn’t drink near that amount of water, then I could tell I felt worse, and my body really craved it. Now I LOVE drinking water, and it only took a little over a week of persistence for this change to take place. Like you, I keep my water next to the sink, since I’m in the kitchen multiple times throughout the day. Even when I’m not thirsty, seeing my jug is a reminder to grab it and rehydrate. Great post!
Oh, and one thing that helped me in the beginning was having a friend ask me often how much water I was drinking. Accountability can help you conquer a lot of goals. ;)
The exact same thing happened to me when I was pregnant! I rarely ever drank water before I was pregnant and then as I got a little further in to my pregnancy I couldn’t get enough and fortunately that habit has carried through and I still really only drink water. I have noticed that if I don’t drink ALOT of water I feel icky. I always wonder how people can not drink water and just drink things like coffee and soda. I have also taught my children the importance of water and they have a large water bottle that they drink from all day.
I drink a lot of water myself, but I struggle getting enough water in my kids. We don’t keep soda or even much juice in the house, but they still fight me about drinking enough water :-(
I’ve always struggled with drinking enough water – it’s not cold enough out of the tap, it tastes blah, etc., etc. Then I got Nalgene bottles for everyone in our family and started keeping them filled with water in the fridge, along with a big pitcher for refills. Now that we have water that’s cold and ready to go and right smack in our faces every time we open the fridge, we’re all drinking much more of it.
I have never really been much of a water drinker, but ever since I became pregnant, I am not so much thirsty as I just crave water. And it needs to have ice in it, room temperature water doesn’t do it for me, even refrigerated water isn’t exactly what I want. But I know my body needs water now more than ever to maintain an increased blood volume, so it is good that I want to drink water all the time.
It’s also an easier habit to adopt in the summer! Good timing.
I live in a hot country and NEVER leave the house without a bottle of water. Having water around is key to drinking it. If you have to make an effort, it probably won’t happen.
I love my water! I like to drink it cold with a lemon or lime. I agree with you on the feeling sluggish. Water perks you right up.
After about a week of forcing myself to drink water I usually start to WANT water. Crazy, huh? But that first week is tough. My skin looks better, some of the body bloat goes away, and eventually, the peeing evens out to a manageable level.
I can absolutely agree that the more you drink the more you crave. I started off with just switching my soda at night for water and now find myself drinking at least 5 glasses a day. On the days that I short change myself (Ahem – Saturday I’m looking at you!), I can really notice the drop in my energy level by that evening.
Thanks for the reminder!
Ooh, I consider myself a healthy eater, usually but I really struggle in this area. No, we (myself and my husband) don’t drink soda, juice (except a little while I was pregnant) or flavored drinks, I just don’t drink enough water. All I drink is water and a tall cup of coffee in the morning. I just struggle with it. I really think I’m struggling with losing some of my pregnancy weight because I reach for food when I’m really thirsty. Thanks for the reminder Laura!
Water is just about all I drink too. I like my as cold as I can get it. “They” say it takes more calories for your body to warm up the cold water, plus I just like it better very cold. I have a glass of juice in the morning with breakfast and then it’s water the rest of the day. I used to drink soda, but it gives me such bad indigestion that it’s now just all water for me. The same for my kids. Juice in the morning and then water the rest of the day, except for the little ones. They drink milk with their snack at night. Now if only I could convince my husband to give up the soda, coffee, iced tea, etc. He says he needs it for the caffine, but I think he just needs to go to bed earlier!
My motto is that if my pee isn’t clear, I’m not drinking enough water! lol! Lovely, right? But really, I can feel it if I don’t drink enough water. It usually happens on the weekends when I am out of my routine. Around 2-3pm I will feel yucky and sometimes dizzy and that is when I realize I am dehydrated! I’m not sure how much I drink a day, but I try to always keep my glass full. I drink out of habit and sometimes my glass is empty again before I even realize I drank it!
A great reminder for me to get back on track and to drink my water!
I second your tips. The two things I had to do to start drinking water were to stop drinking it from plastic, and get a filter. We just use a Brita pitcher, too.
I just recently said this is one of my worst health habits. I am not a “drinker” and find it difficult to drink the amount of water that I need in a day. My husband and children drink a lot. But I can go most of the morning without even thinking about getting a drink. I normally only drink at meals. So this is a struggle for me. It has to be a focused effort to get it done. I do struggle with enough energy( but thought it was because I am always busy with 5 kids, house, and school). I need to get back into the habit of taking my vitamins and drinking plenty of water!
I think drinking water is so important and that we really need to be teaching our kids to do it. When I was growing up we didn’t HAVE anything but water and milk, so we learned to like it. Now I am married to a guy who has a Lipton Green Tea addiction (i.e. candy flavored corn syrupy liquid) and I am trying to find a healthier substitute for it, though I’d rather just win him over to drinking water.
I totally agree with the fact that we need to drink LOTS of water. i’ve recently lost 26 pounds, and i totally believe that drinking lots of water helped me lose the weight. i feel so much better when i drink a lot of water. to be honest, i fill a 32 oz. water bottle with water (cold from the frig water dispenser) twice a day and i drink every bit of it. for me, i have found that drinking out of a water bottle w/a straw is the easiest way for me to drink a lot. my teeth are sensitive,making it hard for me to drink cold drinks directly out of a glass, so i started using a straw and i can down a bottle of water in seconds drinking it that way. if i drink both bottles of water, i then feel free to enjoy another type of beverage later in the day. that’s just what works for me. i hope that’s helpful!!
~patty
I drink tons of water – at least 4 quarts a day. I always drank a lot, but when I was pregnant then nursing, I found I had to drink a lot throughout the day. My body just works better when I’m drinking lots of water.
My kids drink a fair amount of water, too. Everyone has their own water bottle and our fridge has a water and ice dispenser. We always fill up the bottles before they go to bed because they like to get a drink during the night, especially in the hot weather. We’ve never had an issue with a wet bed, even with the ones wearing diapers.
I too want to get into the habit of drinking water… With four little boys that have a sweet tooth like their daddy, I had a really hard time to get them to. Recently we added a brita water thingy with a spout to put in the fridge, now my boys LOVE drinking water!I dont know if its because they like pulling the lever or what, but all I know is that they are drinking water WILLINGLY!! Now, I have to break my habits of not drinking anything at all except for a glass of milk twice a day of nothing really at all, and start drinking water myself…BABY STEPS! Say a prayer for me! lol
Jeesh! Hope drinking water helps build consentration too!
Wow! I struggle to get in 8 glasses before 10 PM! Then I find myself thirsty at night. :( I really need to work on this! I like water and that’s pretty much all I drink, excepting herbal teas- no soda and rarely juice here. I just feel water logged when I drink more-maybe I just need to gradually add more each day and then keep it up instead of losing the habit. I have a glass quart bottle and I have the goal of filling it twice, plus 2 cups of tea. But I find myself rarely finishing it all! :(
Maybe I would eat less if I drink more-that would be nice! I feel like I eat a ton, but then again I’ve always been that way. (And no, I’m not overweight-only 115 lbs.) Ok, back to the point- I think I’ll go drink some water!
It IS possible to drink too much water. It can flush out all the nutrients you’re taking in.
I think it’s best to listen to your body and let it tell you the right amount – don’t try to force it down if you aren’t thirsty! :-)
The general rule of thumb for drinking water is to divide your weight by 2 and drink that much in ounces. I’ve read this in various places, including “Your Body’s Many Cries For Water.” I often add lemon juice to the water I drink, and always drink lemon water first thing in the morning. I never drink with meals, except to swallow a few supplements, and never ice water. In the summer, drinking coconut water with lemon now and then helps replenish electrolytes. Often by the time the body says it’s thirsty, it’s already becoming dehydrated, so I find it better to always have water available wherever I am, and drink throughout the day.
I NEVER drank water until we lived in Colorado Springs. The water in CS is DELICIOUS! No foolin’!!! I’m with you Laura, 64 oz. is not enough. I chug water constantly throughout the day and can tell a HUGE change in my energy level when I haven’t had enough H2O. Now that I’m nursing I drink even more and have thought about just getting a camelback so I can “guzzle on the go”!
A camelback is a water system that you wear on your back and it has a straw so you can sip while you hike, very handy!
My husband and I love drinking water. At work we each have a 27oz stainless steel canteen. One refill of the canteen equals 3 glasses of water! Refill it 3 times during the day and well, that equals around 9/10 glasses of water. When we’re home I drink out of a glass. It definitely tastes better! Sometimes for fun I’ll add crystal lite single serve pouches (some varieties are skin essentials, fitness, immunity, etc).
An easy way for me to make sure I’m getting enough water is to set out 8 pennies by my sink each morning. Each time I drink a glass I toss a penny in a dish. That way at the end of the day I know for sure I’ve had at least my 8 glasses.
I do like water and drink a lot, often more than the 8 glasses but when I’m busy or really want to be sure I’m getting enough the penny trick is an easy reminder.
I was nodding throughout the entire post. I LOVE water, and almost can’t stand drinking anything else now. I’d never thought about it before, but like you said, I don’t ever feel thirsty. I just NEED water. My body craves it. And it’s gotta be out of a glass, at room temperature.
I’m a pretty deep sleeper, so I have to do two things when I first wake up. First: potty. :) Second: water. I usually have at least 24 ounces the first hour I’m awake.
I drink straight from the tap, and just found out that our city water isn’t fabulous, so now I have to scrounge up some money for a filter.
Water is great stuff!! Got stainless steel bottles for everyone in the family, and we only have water, herbal iced tea sweetened with honey, or milk as beverages in the house. We drink tea like crazy in the summer, but I also make sure everyone drinks water as well. I have been known to hide the jug of tea from my husband!! ;-D
Don’t like water at all as I am trying to break a Diet Coke addiction – BUT – I will agree with you 100% that we need to drink more water. My child had a kidney stone which they said was likely caused by NOT ENOUGH WATER!!!
I’m not a fan of plain water, but will drink it straight from the facet anyway. My 3 and 5 year old like water with ice and lemon juice. good cause they can get it themselves. And I generally mix my water (in a glass thank you) with about 1/3 of fruit juice. Love that, cause the juice is usually too sweet for me.
I’ve struggled off and on to drink enough water. One thing I wanted to share though was that we recently invested in a Berkey water filter for our counter and we have LOVED it. I know you didn’t go into filters on here, but I just wanted to recommend to others to get one of these. They have many different sizes. Ours also came with free fluoride filters, which we were wanting as well. So much junk is in city water these days (chlorine, fluoride, and the other obvious nasties) and we have really noticed a difference since we started drinking water from our Berkey. It tastes much better too! No electricity needed either. And if you like your water room temp then it’s perfect! Hmm now I’m thirsty… I’m going to go grab a glass of water now. :)
If your water tastes a little chemically, a cucumber slice can help too and is also very refreshing.
I have been working w a bio chemist for some time now due to my 2 year old getting ill from some A1 milk – he can only handle A2 raw milk..anyway the other upset his liver and he started to get eczema, so I wanted to get him cleared up and better from that. It was really bad all over his legs – Praise God 4 months later of working w her we got it cleared up and ALL gone and he is healed. Anyway she knows her stuff…she has been doing this for 30 years…On water she taught us it is NEVER good to chug – very hard on the kidneys. It is best to drink 1/2 cup every 30 min – best for kids too. So we set cups out for the kids and I & set a timer when to drink our water and just sip it. This helps the kidneys flush properly and boy does one feel hydrated this way too. If kids (I really see it in my boys) don’t get enough water this way they will get salt build up in their kidneys and they will get hyperactive. I have really seen the truth to that w my kids on days we don’t drink the water on schedule/not enough water…
Now – also working w her I have learned that you need to watch your urine – if it is clear urine then your blood sugars are low – and you will do more damage to your overall body than good drinking water at that point. At that point you need some herbal tea w honey to get your blood sugar back up and then you can start drinking water again. They could not stress that enough to me when I started working w them. With the kids you will notice when their blood sugars are low b/c they can get crabby, irritable, feet cold and so on..I just tell the kids too to tell me if their urine is clear – you really will wash more of your blood sugars out if you keep drinking more water if your blood sugar is low. This is very important to watch.
We drink water all day in this house – almost the only thing we drink.
I keep a 30oz bottle filled and keep it with me. I probably drink at least 4 of these a day. I drink mine with a squirt of liquid chlorophyll (mint flavored), and it’s made such a difference in my energy level! I’ve done this for so long, that plain water seems, well, plain! LOL
Great reminder, Laura. Few folks drink enough water. And I don’t buy the argument that you can drink too much water and have not seen any good research to back it up. I’ve also heard to drink 1/2 your body weight, but that would not be *nearly* enough water for me!
Thanks, once again, for a great post!
It’s all I drink! I feel the same way you do. I am on my 2nd water bottle and it is only 11 a.m. My body craves it, and sugary drinks make me think of rotting teeth, so I am not drawn to those. People are always asking me how my skin stays clear and well hydrated and I tell them it’s the water! I don’t have any health problems and never had, so I am thinking that water as a way of life has a lot to do with it. I just wish there was more clean water available. I am always worrying about what’s in the water and it is a struggle to buy bottled all the time. I don’t dare drink from the tap with a filter because we live in a city where major pharmaceuticals are manufactured, so I always wonder if those chemicals are in the water and cannot be filtered out. Just paranoid I guess!
Long live water!!!
“They” don’t say that anymore. “They” say that we should drink when we’re thirsty, and that the eight glasses of water per day thing is not appropriate for everyone.
Plus, depending on what water you drink, the benefits of flushing out toxins may not be so great when you consider the toxins and carcinogens you’re bringing INTO your system. Chlorine, flouride (No, it’s NOT good for you!), etc.
Before you spread propaganda about something as silly as water, look it up!
It’s even on Snopes!
http://www.snopes.com/medical/myths/8glasses.asp
I’m glad I’m not the only one that thinks water in a plastic cup tastes like plastic! My husband makes fun of me for it lol. This is one of the things I have struggled with, giving up Dr. Pepper and drinking more water. A filter on our sink isn’t really an option since I have a portable dishwasher that hooks up to the sink so I had to take it off. The water here tastes nasty. I have a pitcher but it only hold 40oz and i forget to refill it! x_X
Yes, yes and yes again! You nailed this one. My doctor said that if I feel thirsty I am already dehydrated, so waiting until you feel thirsty is not good for your body at all. Another indicator is if your urine has any color to it, then you are dehydrated and keeping toxins in your body. He also stated that you there is not a steadfast rule for how much water to drink, just listen to the clues of your body.
If one doesn’t like water try lemon or limes like suggested but also cucumbers, any berry that you like, and any melon or pineapple wedge. Think of these items like spices for our food, add what you are in the mood for. Whatever you do drink your water.
I do like to drink water, but I am the opposite of you. It has to be COLD!! I don’t get brainfreezes… ever, so that is not a problem. I do, however, have to add something to my water to make it go down. We, too, have a Brita filter, but I have been spoiled with really good- Perfect Water, and it is hard to drink even Brita filtered water. I usually add a type of juice to the water to flavor it. It is healthy for you, and not over-abundant enough to hurt you. And, yes, I notice the difference when I don’t drink enough water. I get sleepy.
I liked this challenge because it’s free and easy! So, after I read it, just made a conscious choice the first two days to drink more. I had to keep reminding myself. It’s now day 5 and I am much more thirsty! I keep reaching for water because it feels like I have to! This is easier than I thought it would be, but how in the world does drinking MORE water make me thirsty?
Thank you for the tips! I’ve been trying to drink more water and have found myself counting how much I drink. It helps a lot! My body feels much better, too!
We use a Berkey Light water filter system and LOVE IT!!! We live in a campground, yes, that’s right since we are full-time RVers bc of my husband’s job and the water here is literally orange. The Berkey gets it clean as a whistle and awesome tasting! Also, since I don’t necessarily like the blah taste of water, I like adding 3 drops of liquid stevia to a tall glass which gives it just enough of a sweetness for me to drink the whole glass with no problem!
I genuinely think each person’s body and diet determine the right amount of water to drink. I think personally I am related to a camel. I can drink 16-32oz of water a day forever and feel fine mostly. I know I get some other liquid from a glass of tea or fruits, but that still is low according to “them.” Meanwhile, my hubby can drink gallons a day. I worry about both ends of the spectrum, but I hope our bodies are honestly telling us what is best. One thing to note–if you drink a lot of water, your sugar or blood pressure may be high and trying to self-regulate, just something to look into inc ase!
I heard that if you take your body weight and divide it in two that is how many ounces of what you need to drink each day. For example: if you weigh 130 lbs divided in half that’s 65 ounces of water per day. My personal experience is that, that number is very close to accurate. I get busy and forget to drink & am kicking myself for it later in the day. I read somewhere that someone puts a pretty pitcher of water on the counter and fills it each morning and tries to finish it before bed each night, especially when she is pregnant. Great Idea and because its pretty it makes you feel better about it. :D