Drink when you’re first thirsty
Drink what you want
Drink how you want
Keep your drink near
Get alarmed about it
Prompt yourself
Fluids are the second most important need a human has to stay alive, after breathing.
It’s important. Life sustaining. It’s common knowledge dehydration can kill. It’s important. Common knowledge has dictated that humans should drink the number of your weight divided by two in fluid ounces. That seems like a lot to imbibe. I have plenty of days where I don’t make my supposed “quota.”
I hate that there is an emphasis on numbers and “must do.” The research on ideal intake is mixed. Not drinking enough might lead to thinking you aren’t enough. There’s some articles that unpack why you may or may not need to drink as much as the common knowledge dictates.
Glass half full (hah! see what I did there?) – I have plenty of days where I get in enough. Here are some things that help me do it:
First: (and foremost!) pay attention to your bodily sensations and care for yourself appropriately.
This might feel like a big fucking duh! There are some symptoms of dehydration and you might not know. Figuring out your body’s early signals can help you get that fluid in. Trust that you know you are thirsty. Feeling is believing. Drink whenever you are thirsty or feel any other indication of dehydration. Here’s a nice description from the Mayo Clinic. Sure, by the time you feel urgent thirst you’re already dehydrated, so they say. This is a safety and wellbeing issue. Dehydration can kill you. That’s why it’s important to always follow your body’s cues.
Drink what you want**
You don’t need to stick to water to keep dehydration at bay. Beverages are fluids.** Yes, even alcohol and caffeinated drinks. Just be aware that they’re less hydrating. There’s no bad drink, there are just better times for drinking some of them. Have at that flavored seltzer or juice or… ?
Drink how you want
It may be easier to sip all day vs pound down a bunch at once. Which works for you? Would a pretty bottle help? Maybe you prefer ice in it and could use an insulated vessel to keep everything chill. I like plain hot water and I sip on it all morning with my favorite huge-o coffee mug.
Keep it near dear
If it’s ain’t nearby it ain’t going to fly. Always have your water bottle on hand and it’s more likely you’ll assuage that dry mouth the instant you’re aware of it.
Remember when
Set an alarm. Seriously. It might be irritating as fuck. Or, it might remind you to take a drink at a decent interval from the last time you took a drink.
Prompt yourself
Set yourself up with some prompts that influence your second nature. Drink when you’re prompted. Some suggestions to get you started: upon waking, upon peeing (hey, it’s in and out, might as well keep putting more in…), whenever you get up from your desk.. etc. etc. etc. you get the idea. I switch from coffee to hot water in my mug as soon as I get caffeinated.
Search all the #tips from Smart On… at https://smarton.health/tag/tips/
Want more support and info to help yourself stick to loving self-care anywhere? You can book my services and grab some freebie tools at laurajsmart.health