How to Drink More Water: 9 Tips to Build Hydration Habits

Fun fact: Humans are made of 60 percent water. With that stat in mind, it’s no surprise that we need to drink a lot of water to keep our bodies running smoothly. The health benefits of drinking water are pretty much endless.

And yet, staying hydrated can be hard. But we're here to help with easy-to-adopt ways to drink more water and build better hydration habits.

Learn why hydration is essential to healthy living, how to know if you’re not getting enough water, and how to improve your H2O consumption habits.

So, what does water do for the body? Many bodily functions are ruled by how hydrated or dehydrated you are. This is especially obvious during exercise. If you exercise when you haven’t had enough water, you might feel extra tired, hotter than usual, and have lower endurance. 

Here are just a few other things water does for our bodies: 

• Keeps joints lubricated 

• Creates saliva 

• Serves as a building block for cells

• Rinses waste, mostly through urine 

• Helps transport oxygen 

• Takes part in regulating body temperature  

The most common recommendation is to drink eight glasses of water per day. But, it turns out there’s really not any scientific data to back up that recommendation. Fluid needs vary and can be influenced by tons of factors, including age, body weight, climate, level of physical activity, and overall health status. 

Research shows men should get about 125 ounces of water daily, while women should get about 90 ounces of water a day. 

Generally, you should drink water when you’re thirsty and until you feel comfortable again.

When you work out, you lose more fluids through sweat. So you should drink more than usual.

Here are a few tips to help you boost your hydration levels.  

1. Set Goals 

According to one 2019 article, goal setting helps people identify specific behaviors that they want to change and gives them a framework to enact that change. In fact, for some, simply setting the goal is enough to result in the desired change! 

There are two main types of goals: incorporating a new behavior and eliminating an old one. It can be helpful to figure out which kind of goal you’re setting. Cutting out high-calorie drinks and drinking more water may require different tactics. 

Once you know what kind of goal you want to set, hone in on ways to make it more appropriate and feasible. 

 2. Set Timers 

Setting specific, measurable goals can lead to better hydration habits. 

The acronym “SMART” presents great criteria for setting good goals. It stands for goals that are: 

• Specific

• Measurable

• Achievable

• Realistic

• Timed

Since goals are easiest to keep when time-related, it’s a good call to set timers on your watch or phone. Setting incremental timers can help you remember to drink more, especially on busy days.

3. Invest in a Good Reusable Water Bottle 

Once you’ve set your goals, you’ll want to find ways to make meeting them easier. For example, if you want to drink more water during the day but are not great at keeping track, a good water bottle might help you. Plus, it’ll probably lead to less plastic and paper waste. 

The best bottles will be built to make chugging (or sipping if you’re dainty!) easy, and some even come with measurements, cutting out the guesswork, and little annotations to encourage you to keep drinking.

Other things to look out for are insulated options that keep your water cool and ones with handles so you don’t have to cradle it like a baby when on the move.

4. Get a Water Filter 

If your city isn’t known for having great tap water or you simply don’t like the taste of yours, the change could be as simple as getting a filter. Whether you opt for something you can fill up and then store in the fridge or you’d prefer to install one directly on the faucet, there are lots of options out there. 

Though it adds an extra step in the hydration process, it could definitely pay off if it makes hydrating a little tastier, and thus more motivating. 

5. Opt for Flavored Water 

Speaking of living a tastier life…Some people find water boring. That’s sometimes why they choose the less healthy drink when given the option. But with tons of flavored water brands on the market, water doesn’t have to be boring.

You could also get fancy and make your own spa water, infusing it with ingredients like mint, basil, lemon, cucumber, and more. Herbal teas are great, too! 

And though not quite as healthy as flavored water, you could also incorporate sports drinks with more electrolytes in them, especially after a workout. 

Either way, flavored waters can be great ways to curb cravings for more sugary carbonated beverages, like soda. And on that note!

 6. Swap it With Other Drinks 

If you get a craving for a sugary drink, challenge yourself to have some water instead. Not only will this help increase your water intake, but it will help you cut back on high-calorie beverages. It’s challenging at first, but once you make it a habit, the cravings will start to dissipate. 

For example, one 2022 review looked at the role of sugar-sweetened beverages in the global obesity epidemic, and it found a strong causal connection between sugary drinks and weight gain. 

As one medical review points out, drinking water instead of other beverages or in greater volume than other beverages, helps with weight management. Research shows that even if the only change you make to your diet is cutting out sugary drinks, you might still see a positive impact on weight loss.

7. Eat Foods With High Water Content 

Watermelon, strawberries, lettuce, cabbage, celery, and spinach are all great water-rich foods. Don’t foresee yourself snacking on these fruits and veggies? You can put them in smoothies, too (using frozen ingredients will suffice and help cut costs). 

 8. Plan Ahead

If you’re on the move, make it easier to stay hydrated by packing a water bottle. The same is true if you know you’ll drink more water if you have good flavor options on deck. Incorporate bubbly water into your grocery shopping routine so that it’s easier to sip on all the water you want (not just need) throughout the day.

 9. Add It to Your Morning Routine

If you have a hard time sipping throughout the day, try having a full glass (heavy pours, welcome) during transition moments, whether it’s right when you wake up or right after you go to the bathroom.

The brain sends signals to the body to let you know whether you need to drink water. Here are some ways to know whether you’re not getting enough water: 

• Thirst 

• Dark yellow, smelly urine 

• Less frequent urination

• Dizziness or increased body temperature

• Fatigue 

• Dry mouth, lips and tongue 

• Sunken eyes

The causes of dehydration can vary, but they include: 

• Medication side effects

• Diarrhea

• Heatstroke

• Excessive alcohol intake

• Excessive sweat post-exercise

• Fever

• Diabetes

Clearly, hydration benefits are pretty endless. And healthy habits start with little changes (one sip at a time), like drinking more water every day. We hope these strategies make your water intake goals a little more approachable!