Staying hydrated is an important part of any balanced and healthy lifestyle. However, it’s a simple one that is often neglected. I am particularly bad at keeping track of how much I drank, and how much more I need to drink to fill my daily quota. It can also be confusing about what beverages count towards these goals, and why these goals need to be met in the first place. Hopefully, this article will aide you on your health and wellness journey, and help you achieve your hydration goals.

First, it’s a good idea to set your hydration goals. According to the Hormone Diet by Natasha Turner, “To calculate how much water you need, multiply your body weight in pounds by .55. Divide the result by 8 to determine the number of cups you need to drink each day” (Turner 379).  Sue Hitzmann, author of the MELT method is recommends you, “take your body weight in pounds and divide it in half to get the number of ounces you should drink” (Hitzmann 149).

Secondly, factor in beverages other than water. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommends roughly three liters of fluid for men, and 2.2 liters for women. Fluid being the key word. Coffee and tea can still count towards your goals. According to Web MD, the diuretic effect does not offset the hydration benefits. However, alcohol is very dehydrating and you should drink one glass of water for every glass of alcohol you consume. Fruit and vegetables also contain water, so include your smoothies and juices on this list of hydrating beverages. Soups and bone broth are also great sources of hydrating fluid and should be counted toward your daily total as well.

Lastly, here are some tips and tricks I’ve used in the past to meet my daily hydration goals. There is a free app called Water Your Body Lite, which helps you keep track of how much you’ve drank. JewelPie has a great DIY water bottle project that helps you keep track of how much water you should drink each hour. This is perfect if you want to drink consistently throughout the day. Or you could buy the Zing Anything Water Bottle which is BPA free, and has a filter on the bottom makes great flavored water at only $15. This is a great option for people who prefer sugar drinks over the taste of water. The Bobble Water Bottle is another great option that comes with it’s own water filter, so you can always have filtered water wherever you happen to refill your bottle.  Hope these awesome tools, will help you drink more water! Now go achieve your hydration goals.

Sources:

• Dehydration Myths: 7 Things You Should Know About Staying Hydrated
• Water: How much should you drink every day?
• What Counts as Water? Stay Hydrated and Healthy
• The Melt Method by Sue Hitzmann, MS, CST, NMT
• The Hormone Diet by Natasha Turner, ND