How to Drink More Water

By now you’ve probably heard how important water is for your health as well as your weight loss success. Staying well-hydrated will help you feel full, aid digestion and circulation and help your body eliminate waste and toxins. The generally recommended amount, 64 ounces, may seem like a lot, especially if you consider it in its entirety. Exactly how are you supposed to drink that much water every day? It’s not that hard if you break it down. Here are four ways to ensure you’re getting enough water:

Fill It Up
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.

Set a Timer
Remember, you have all day to drink this water, so there’s no need for a chugging contest. Set the timer on your phone or watch to beep every hour on the hour. When it goes off, drink a glass of water. There: you’re good for the next hour.

Hash Marks
Use a grease pencil or erasable magic marker to make a hash mark on the bottles every time you drink a glass of water. When you hit eight, you’ve reached your minimum goal for the day. But you don’t need to stop there, especially if you feel good.

Let It Pee
Yes, we know. When you drink this much water every day, you’ll feel the need to urinate frequently. That’s a good thing. The color of your urine is a great indicator of the state of your hydration. If your urine is colorless or slightly yellow, you’re drinking enough. If it’s medium to dark yellow, you need to drink more.