5 Tips on Hitting Your H2O Goals Every Day
Tag: Blog • Restaurants & Dining
It’s no secret that it is extremely important to stay hydrated, especially this time of year. Even though I do love a tall glass of water, some days it’s difficult to get the appropriate amount of water I really need.
Here are a few pointers to help you tippin’ back that h20.
1. Know how much water you actually need.
The good ol’ rule of thumb “drink 8 glasses a day” isn’t necessarily true… there are so many factors that play a part in the equation of how much water we need to drink on the daily. Your age, weight, physical activity, and the temp outside (ahem, we need to be drinking more here in AZ!) all come into play here!
Check out this water intake calculator to get an idea of how much you should be aiming to drink every day.
Knowing how much water you actually need will give you a realistic goal to hit.
2. Get hydrated through your snacks!
They say 20% of your daily water intake should be from your food! Basically all raw fruits & veggies are great for taking the snacking route to hydration. They’re filled with water – but pack a ton of flavor and nutrients!
Watermelon – 92% water
Strawberries – 92% water
Cantaloupe – 91% water
Raspberries – 87% water
Pineapple – 87% water
Bananas – 74% water
One of my favorite non-vegetable hydrating snacks is chia pudding. Chia seeds soak up to 10 times their weight in liquid, and in this case they’re soaking up skim milk which is also super hydrating, so they’re literally little balls of straight hydration and goodness when they’re fully soaked.
Chia Pudding
4 tablespoons chia seeds
1 ½ cups skim milk
1 tablespoon maple syrup, agave, or honey (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla
Give it a stir, let it sit in the refrigerator for a few hours, and voila! You’ve got some chia pudding! Finish off the pudding by adding some shredded coconut shavings, raspberries and blueberries on top. Kids will LOVE this one!
3. Infuse your water.
We’re not just talking about lemon water here folks. You can infuse your water with pretty much any ingredient! This is an awesome way to keep water coming into your body AND please your taste buds at the same time. These are easy to make before bedtime for the following day – they hold refrigerated for up to two days.
Here are a couple of ideas, but really the options are endless.
Pineapple Mint infused H20
Combine 5 cups of cubed pineapple and 6 sprigs of mint (lightly crushed) with 2 quarts of water. Refrigerate for 2-4 hours. Stir and drain, discarding the solids.
Cucumber Watermelon infused H20
Cube 1 small, seedless watermelon and combine with 1 gallon of cold water. Let steep. Optional: save half of the watermelon to *gently* puree and add to your water.. YUM!
Looking for awesome fruit infused drink in Downtown Tempe? Paletas Betty has SUPER refreshing beverages called “Aqua Vitas” which are a combination of white tea and fresh fruit blends for hydration on the go.
4. Drink one glass right away in the AM, and one glass before you hit the hay at night.
This alone will add 24 ounces to your water intake for the day, just like that.
Keep a glass of water by your bed so you can start sipping right away when you wake up, and you’ll easily polish that off during your morning routine.
End your day by enjoying a glass at night too, even if you’re not thirsty! You’re about to spend the next 8 hours dreaming sweet dreams of kittens, exotic beaches, and winning the lottery without any water intake, so you need this last glass!
5. Keep tasty ice cubes stocked.
Prep some flavorful ice cubes! Easy, quick, and perfect for throwing into a glass of water or iced tea to keep things interesting. These are perfect to have on hand for when you're in a hurry, and they are really pretty - kids will love these!
Got some basil or mint that is about to go bad? Chop it up a bit and add it right into that ice cube tray!
You could do the same with fruit, but personally I like to just cut these in half and freeze them as-is, without adding water. Throwing a couple strawberries and a chunk of pineapple into your tumbler of water will have you sipping with ease.
Pssst… adding frozen fruit to a glass of wine is also very tasty. I LOVE dropping a couple pieces of frozen watermelon into a glass of red. It cools it down, adds a pleasant fruity taste similar to a sangria (but without all of the extra sugar) and by the time you get to the end of the glass, the watermelon has soaked up some of the wine and is now a booze-infused snack. It’s like finding a treat in a cracker jack box… but for adults.
What other tips do you have for staying hydrated? We’d love to hear them! Cheers!