How to make a habit of drinking more water

Prepared a translation for the second part of the article, a translation of the first part of which can be found here .



So, you are convinced that drinking water is good for your health, but want to know how to make a daily habit of drinking water.

Here are some tips to help me:

1. How much water?
That's a moot point. But it is known that the old recommendation about “eight 230 milliliter glasses a day” is incorrect for the following reasons: this amount determines the entire daily intake of water, including the one that we take with food and drinks; it ignores the weight of a person, which is an important factor in determining the quantity; does not take into account illness or exercise. In addition, it is not good to drink water only when you feel thirsty - by then you are already dehydrated. It is best to turn this into a routine: a glass after the morning rise, a glass during each meal, a glass between meals, and always before, during, and after sports. Try to avoid thirst at all.

2. Carry a bottle of water with you
Many people find it useful to carry a large plastic bottle of water filled with water during the day. I like to keep a glass of water on the table and drink from there all day. When it is empty, I fill it again and continue to drink.

3. Set up a reminder
Set a signal on your watch to the beginning of each hour, or a periodic reminder on your computer, so as not to forget to drink water.

4. Replace with water.
If you are used to soda or alcohol, replace them with a glass of water. Try drinking mineral water instead of alcohol in social communication.

5. Filter
Instead of spending a fortune on buying bottled water, invest in a filter for your home faucet. The taste will be the same, but at a much lower price.

6. Go in for sports.
This may make you want to drink more water. It is not necessary to drink sports drinks such as Gatorade during class if they do not take more than an hour. Just drink water. Before exercise, try to drink water for a couple of hours so that it passes through your body by that time, and, again, drink during and after exercise.

7. Take care of yourself.
Often, tracking your actions helps to create a new habit - it increases awareness and helps to achieve confidence that you are not out of the way. Make small notes (in a file cabinet or in a notebook), which may simply be in the form of a dot for each glass you drink.

PS Unfortunately, I could not publish in the "Popular Science" because of karmic restrictions.