10 Simple Hacks to Help You Drink More Water

Water is required by each cell of your body in order to function normally and help you become the “healthiest you.” While your body will also obtain water from other fluids you drink, water is far-and-away the best choice.

Water has so many benefits from increasing energy and relieving fatigue to boosting your immune system and of course, also promoting weight loss. One way that water helps with your weight loss journey is by fueling your workouts. If you’re dehydrated, your workouts will not be as effective. But water also helps you feel full and potentially eat less. Sometimes a glass of water is enough to curb what you thought was hunger!

On Nutrisystem, you should aim to drink at least 64 oz. (8 cups) of water or other calorie-free drinks each day to maintain optimal hydration levels. If you use the Nutrisystem app, you will be provided a personalized daily water goal that is based on your body weight. If needed, it’s OK to start with 64 oz. and gradually increase your intake over time to hit your personalized water goal. Zero-calorie beverages (such as black coffee, tea or seltzer) can also contribute to your daily fluid intake.

While you probably already knew the importance of water, you still might struggle with fitting in all that extra hydration. Sometimes it’s even just a matter of getting so busy that you forget to keep up with drinking. We know you’ve heard a lot of tips before, but we did some research and have come up with 10 more water-drinking-hacks that you can add to your arsenal. Try these easy ways to drink more water:

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1. Set an Alarm

If you’re like most people, you probably always have your phone on you. Well now you can use that alarm for more than your early morning wake-up call.

Remember, you have all day to drink this water, so there’s no need for a chugging contest. Set an alarm to go off every hour to remind you to drink up. It’s so easy to get caught up with what you’re doing and fail to drink as much as you should but this will help provide an easy reminder.

The Nutrisystem app has a reminder feature that you can use to help you keep up with your water intake! These customizable notifications allow you to create personalized reminders that tell you when to get up, drink up or eat up. Whether you need help drinking all of your water or remembering to eat your afternoon snack, there’s a reminder for you!

Setting up a reminder is super easy and you can pick and choose the categories you need help with. This smart feature will remind you only if you haven’t logged the category you specify.

2. Band It

If you’re more of a visual person, this hack is for you. Start your day with at least eight rubber bands around your wrist. Each time you drink about a cup of water, remove one rubber band. Make sure you’ve removed them all by the end of the day and you’ll know you fit in your eight (or more) cups that day.

3. Hashmark your Bottle

Another visual reminder, by using a permanent marker to add hashmarks to your water bottle, you can know exactly where you stand with water consumption for the day. Next to each hashmark write a time which corresponds with the time you plan to drink up. When the clock strikes that time, drink until you’ve hit the next hashmark.

4. Buy a Water Bottle You Love

It sounds silly but investing in a bottle that you really love just may help you drink more. There are a lot of bottles on the market. In fact, if you’re not much of a DIY type of person, they even sell water bottles that are already hash marked (per the suggestion above). There are water bottles that allow you to easily infuse fruit and others that advertise keeping your drink cold all day long. Or you could even just buy a cup with a straw that has a favorite saying or character on it. Something as simple as a cup you love just may be the motivation you need.

5. Set a Rule

Another way to remind yourself is to set a rule based around a regular occurrence. For instance, you could decide that every time you go to the bathroom you have to drink one more cup of water. If you have another ongoing occurrence throughout the day, you can set your cup drinking to that. It just serves as an easy reminder to tie it to something you’re already regularly doing.

6. Eat Your Water

There’s no rule that says you must drink all your water. If you really struggle with water consumption try adding more water-packed foods to your day such as watermelon, cantaloupe or cucumber. This will help boost your intake even if you’re struggling with drinking it all down.

7. Switch your Brand

You’ve probably already heard the tip about adding flavor to your water to make it tastier but maybe just switching your brand could make a difference. Or maybe you prefer mineral water. If you’re currently drinking unfiltered water, invest in a filter and see if that makes it more appealing. If you make your water more enjoyable, you’ll likely drink more of it.

8. Add a Straw

Some people find that drinking from a straw is easier. It’s a simple switch but might be worth trying if it will help you drink more water. Whether you drink from a straw or not, sipping water—as opposed to gulping it down—is always much more pleasant so focus on taking it slow and you just may find you can fit more in.

9. Start Early

If you’re like a lot of people you might kick off your morning with a glass of juice or a cup of coffee. Why not try drinking a glass of water before anything else? One of the biggest issues with fitting in eight cups a day is that most people don’t start their water consumption until late morning as they’re typically drinking something else first. But if you make water your first drink of the day you’re setting yourself up for success. In fact, you might even find you don’t need that glass of juice now that you’re fully hydrated on healthy H20.

Another idea: At the start of each day, fill a half-gallon pitcher, or two one-quart pitchers or bottles, with fresh, cold water and leave them where you can see them—your desk or kitchen counter. That’s your goal for the day.

10. Add Ice

Again, simple but effective. Adding ice may make your water more appealing—particularly on a hot day or after a work-out. You can even take it a step further and use ice as the way to add flavor to your drink. Freeze ice cube trays full of fruits or herbs and plunk them in your drink for both a boost of flavor and a temperature cool down.