
A few weeks ago, we wrote about the importance of hydration. We delved into why we're constantly told to drink more water, avoid dehydration & what our body uses water for. I shouldn't need to convince you any further to start your journey from raisin to radiant, find a link to that article at the bottom. As a coach, however, my real job is to help you with HOW to up your water intake. So, here's 5 of the simple methods my clients find most effective, even when water is the last thing you want to drink!
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Create Habits - As with most new things, especially in the world of personal wellbeing, building habits (by starting small & adding to your new ways in small increments) has been proven time & time again as the most consistently effective method of change. This is especially true when new habits are tied to existing habits to avoid any chance of, or simply forgetting. ‘Wake up water’ is a great example & a personal favourite of mine. It’s as simple as starting the day with a glass of water (beneficial before bed too). You don’t crack on with your day without your initial glass of water, tie it to another morning habit like teeth brushing or pre-shower to ensure you stick to it.
Water Bottle – Having water easily at your disposal is a great way to subconsciously increase your intake. You can even get bottles with time goals or quantity trackers on them to ensure your hitting your daily water. Take them around work, in the car or up to bed with you & reap the rewards of a boujee bottle. Although, if you don’t have one of our bottle stickers on it this method doesn’t work… ;)
Drink With Meals – This one is so simple but often neglected! Make part of your dining experience a nice glass of ice-cold water. This doesn’t mean ditch the Pinot or the ‘pie ‘n’ a pint’ down the local on a Friday. It just means include water in the picture. This could be alongside your favourite drink choice, interspersed with, sometimes instead of or sometimes elsewhere in the day because you simply didn’t want water with your wings. Either way I would simply encourage you to try all the above to find a way you enjoy.
Flavour It – Hey, look, I get it! Water can be boring. But you can easily change that with cordials, flavour tablets or even by mixing it into fresh fruit juice & protein shakes. My partner HATES plain water, but she takes high juice to work daily & regularly hits her goals.
Alternate Water Sources – This is a BIG point so listen up! Water doesn’t just come from water. By that I mean there is water in loads of foods & drinks, some are particularly good for hydration. This might be an iced tea, a glass of milk or any of the below foods, which are all great as an alternate source of hydration. Try having one thing off this list every day & see how you get on:
-Â Â Â Â Â Â Fruit (88-95% water): Melon, peach, orange, strawberry, grapefruit
-Â Â Â Â Â Â Yoghurt & dairy (80-91% water): Yoghurt, semi-skimmed/skimmed milk, cottage cheese
-Â Â Â Â Â Â Vegetables & salad (92-95% water): Lettuce, tomato, cucumber, courgette, celery, pepper, cauliflower, cabbage
-Â Â Â Â Â Â Soups & broths (92-95% water)
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You’re probably already ticking some of these boxes, if so, keep going! Hopefully you find some extra hacks to make this area of your health easy & beneficial.
If you want to take it a step further, reach out to chat through working with one of our coaches to achieve your goals. Find more articles below to broaden your fitness, nutrition & wellbeing knowledge!
Elliot Hutchinson // 08.09.2024
© 2024 The Coaching Collective
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