Habit of Drinking Water

According to one report, 59% of women and 78% of men drink too little water. Through our own carelessness, we give ourselves headaches, problems with concentration and digestion. Meanwhile, the solution is at your fingertips. See for yourself how easy it is to stay well hydrated.

Do you know why green has a soothing effect on many people? Because the sight of green plants means that there is water in the area - the most critical substance (apart from oxygen), without which we cannot survive even a week.

What are the benefits of this habit?

Drinking water will not only allow you to extend your life but also increase its quality, giving you a whole range of essential benefits:

1. It will cleanse your body. Your kidneys cannot rid your body of all toxins without enough water. Do you want poisonous metabolic waste in your body? I bet no. Tell them to run off by drinking lots of water 🙂
2. It will let you lose weight. No changes in diet or exercise. This is confirmed by the research of Dr. Jody Stookey, which shows that just drinking the right amount of water helped women lose 2 kg a year. Water fills your stomach, making you feel full, which in turn will help you avoid eating in between meals and overeating.
3. It will improve your well-being. Lack of hydration can make you dizzy and give you a headache, including severe migraine. Even after 8 hours of good sleep, you may feel sluggish and tired if you don't drink enough water.
4. It will increase your concentration and efficiency. According to research by Dr. Mark Gardner from the University of East London, drinking 300 ml of water can increase concentration by up to 20% and increase exam results by an average of 5%.
5. It will improve your endurance and physical fitness. It is no coincidence that most people at the gym go with a bottle. The right amount of water is responsible for proper blood pressure, which translates into good body oxygenation.

What will be a good trigger for this habit?

There are many ideas for drinking water regularly. I use and recommend these two:

1) AFTER I go into the office in the morning (start working at home), I will IMMEDIATELY pour water into the (filter) jug and put it on the desk with the glass.

2) AFTER I hear the app reminder, I will IMMEDIATELY take a few sips of water from the glass.

3) AFTER I see the bottom of my glass (it will be empty), I will IMMEDIATELY add water and take a few sips.

What reaction do I propose to develop?

Supplying yourself with water and drinking it is an excellent set of two complementary habits.

Let's start with the first. I suggest getting more water at a time. A jug or 1.5 liters bottle will be just right. If you put a whole "water tank" in front of you, it will be much easier for you to empty it gradually. If you pour water into a glass, then after drinking it to the bottom, there is a good chance that you will not want to bring another glass of water from the kitchen or dispenser. A large vessel of water solves this problem.

The second habit is drinking water. It can combine with many different triggers.

1) AFTER I see a jug/bottle/glass of water, I will IMMEDIATELY drink 2 sips.

2) AFTER I finish the task / take a break from work, I will IMMEDIATELY drink 2 sips.

The Water Reminder application has become my favorite trigger. You enter your gender, weight, time of getting up and going to bed, and the capacity of the glass in it. The app creates a drinking water schedule for you based on these data. When the time is right, you will hear your phone make the sound of pouring water.

3) AFTER I hear the sound from the app, I will IMMEDIATELY pour water from the jug into the glass and/or from the glass to my throat 🙂

I mention the Water Reminder app several times, not because its developer paid me for a sponsored article ; -), but because I use it myself. There are many other apps on the market that you can also test. The ones recommended by Internet users are Water Tracker, Hydro, or Water Your Body.

It is also worth following a few simple pieces of advice from doctors:

• Drink water frequently but in small sips. Otherwise, instead of hydrating you, it will pass through you, flushing out valuable minerals from your body. Therefore, in the app, I recommend setting the glass capacity as small as possible - you will get more frequent reminders.
• Don't drink water right before and after eating. This way, you will dilute your gastric juices and worsen your digestion.
• Drink water at room temperature. Coldwater (especially straight from the refrigerator) will cause your blood vessels to constrict, which will worsen nutrient absorption. It is wildly inadvisable to drink cold water right after a hot drink. Unless you want to send your stomach into the Middle Ages ; -)

What will be a good reward in this habit?

... THANKS TO THIS, I will drink something I like.

Pleasant taste sensations can be the obvious and meaningful reward.

Do you have your favorite brand of water that you like the taste of? Are you spinning with bubbles, gently massaging your palate with slightly sparkling water?

If No - nothing is lost! You can add many flavor to enhance to taste of the water, e.g .:

• lemon juice - adds a pleasant, citrus aroma and stimulates the digestive system, which will help you lose weight
• fruit - a slice of orange, grapefruit or frozen raspberries or strawberries
• cucumber - a few thin slices will make the taste of the water expressive
• ginger - ginger root, cut into thin pieces, will spice up the water
• honey - for gourmands who are not afraid of a few extra calories

Create your own recipe, thanks to which you will drink the "water 2.0" prepared according to it with pleasure, and it will make it easier for you to develop this habit.

Graduation of difficulties, emergency version, making it easier

If you're just starting to work on drinking water regularly, it's a good idea to start by drinking water as soon as you wake up. You exhale a lot of water during the night, and in the morning, it will definitely be helpful to replenish these deficiencies. This could be your minimum plan:

AFTER I wake up in the morning, I will IMMEDIATELY pour myself a glass of water.

Drinking many smaller sips of water is preferable to drinking one large one.

However, if you do not have the time, the opportunity, or the desire to take a break from work now and then to reach for the glass, you can drink half the glass immediately after the trigger appears. It is not a perfect solution, but done is better than perfect.

As I mentioned before - you can make this habit easier and more convenient by getting enough supplies of water for the day. It is often better to rely on your own laziness than on willpower and the assumption that you will want to go for refills.

Final words

Everyone knows that you should drink water regularly during the day. Perhaps it is because of this obviousness that it is often disregarded and not performed. This is one of the most straightforward tips about taking care of your own health.

To experience the real, scientifically-proven benefits of drinking enough water, you need to not only know about them but also pour this clear liquid into yourself. Now you know how to do it regularly (as a habit) and with good taste. So let's do this! : - )