One of my goals for 2013 was to drink more water. That sounds so simple and easy to do, yet it’s something I’ve never been able to manage. I can’t recall a time where I ever drank the recommended amount of water per day or even came close to it! I know you’re supposed to drink at least 8 cups a day, but on a good day I manage… oh, maybe 4. I’ve also gone days where I’ve just forgotten to drink water and don’t even realize it till I’m in bed for the night (don’t ask me how because I can’t really answer, it just kind of happens).
It’s not that I drink other things instead of water regularly, either. Tea is my drink of choice. I drink milk from time to time (soy or almond) but I usually only have some with cereal and rarely on its own. I don’t drink coffee and I rarely drink soda. I drink wine or cocktails on weekends, but even with all these other non-water related drinks I don’t even hit 8 cups of liquids a day.
(I was reflecting on this with G the other day and joked, “How is it that I’m basically like a camel? Am I going to start growing a hump?” I’d like to think I was particularly out of it that day, as why on earth I thought it was a good idea to suggest to my boyfriend WHO IS IN TAIWAN AND THEREFORE FAR AWAY FROM ME that I might start growing a camel hump is beyond me.)
I’m not an idiot and know that drinking water is great for you and I need to do it more often. So! In light of this, I have decided to create what I will term a “water drinking challenge” for myself. The challenge is to make sure I am never without water. I have a mug of water at my desk at work and drink out of my Google+ tumbler at home. If that mug is empty, I fill it up right away. If there’s always water in the mug, then I know I will drink more water than I usually do. I do actually like drinking water, so if I always have water near me then that naturally leads me to drink more of it. This is not hard at all to accomplish, so I’m hopeful that this will get me in the habit of upping my water intake!
I remember reading somewhere once that the eight glasses of water is simply indicative of the amount of liquid that should be entering your body to prevent dehydration. So it could take the form of glasses of water, cups of tea, juice, coffee…it could even be as simple as eating a slice of watermelon or other fruits as the liquid content of that would contribute to the “eight glasses of water”. So if you’re eating a lot of food that have high liquid content (e.g. fruits, celery, other veggies), you might not actually need the full eight glasses of water.
Having said that, I can’t remember where I read that fact, so it might have been on “Water Haters Anonymous dot com”, and should probably be taken with a grain of salt.
I’m the same as you though – I rarely drink water straight, but I figure I get enough liquid out of the eight cups of tea I have each day (seriously, one for every hour I’m at work) plus the (at least) three serves of fruit and not to mention the pretty consistent three serves of veggies every day. Having a primarily Asian diet also means that I get a lot of liquid through things like noodle soups.
I think I vaguely remember hearing that too at one point actually. If I did, it must have been in my Foods course when I was in high school in Australia, so perhaps we had the same original source
But even if the 8 glasses is a myth, I definitely don’t have enough sources of hydration in my diet. I drink tea at work too, but I tend to alternate between tea and water per cup. I also don’t eat enough fruits and veggies for that to offset my lack of water intake, but that is a topic for another entry *shuffles feet and looks down in shame* (I’m working on it, though!)
Amanda’s kind of right – I actually did a project on this last year, and, yes, the 8 cups thing is a myth. It’s more of a benchmark, but everyone’s body is different so 8 isn’t necessarily the ideal. And most people do take in water from fruits, broth, etc, so the general advice from doctors who have done research into this is just “drink regularly, especially when you feel thirsty”… nothing too groundbreaking or even helpful.
Oh, and from what I remember, most nutritionists agree that while water in particular is good for you, it’s more important just to stay hydrated – so even 8 cups of WATER isn’t really a thing.
HOWEVER. This post describes me so perfectly. I very rarely drink anything at all. I find it a chore, I guess. I do like milk a lot, but I like to go grocery shopping only once a month and you can’t just stock up on months’ worth of milk, so I don’t drink a lot of it. I do love tea, though. I have a bottle of water in the fridge that I fill up every day and I try to drink the whole bottle every day, but it doesn’t always happen. The last time I had A LOT of water was probably last weekend, because I’d had like 9 shots and I was trying to stave off a hangover. Anyway, I should take a leaf out of your book and at least ACTUALLY manage to drink that daily bottle, haha.
I don’t drink dairy so I’m not an expert on this, but I think organic dairy milk has a longer timeframe before it goes bad? I know that seems counter-intuitive I remember one of my friends commenting on that fact when we were going grocery shopping together. However, I’m not 100% sure. I drink soy or almond, and it seems like that stuff lasts forever before it goes bad. I bought a carton of almond milk on Saturday and the expiration date is sometime in April!
Oh girl, I am SO BAD about drinking water. It’s caused so many headaches and other problems for me. My boyfriend got one of those nice plastic cups with a straw (that they sell at coffee shops and target and everywhere nowadays) for Christmas and I’ve been using it every single day. I’ve been telling myself to drink at least 3 cups of it a day, 4 if I work out, and it actually has made me way better about it. For some reason, a cup with a lid and straw that’s right near me makes a huge difference.
I say this as I realize I’ve been sitting here for 15 minutes wanting to take a sip, but I’m leaned back on the couch and it’s 3 feet away on the coffee table and I haven’t mustered up the energy to sit up and grab it. So pathetic.
I really wish I liked milk! I do not like milk at all. I do like almond milk, sorta, and chocolate milk, sometimes, but I usually drink A TON of water and tea. I’m constantly rushing to a bathroom. I don’t think 8 cups is the magic number, though. Like Clem and Amanda said, I think the idea behind that is that hydration is good.
I guess I’m lucky in this regard. We never drank soda in my house, so I really just grew up drinking sparkling water and regular water and orange juice. I am truly addicted to orange juice. And I carry my camelback (waterbottle, not hump) with me at all times.
The bad thing about drinking lots of water is that you are CONSTANTLY going to the restroom (speaking from personal experience, yo).
Heh, I think that’s part of the reason as to why I am so terrible with drinking enough water when traveling, particularly in Asia. It’s never a comfortable experience when you can’t find a bathroom when you need it!
Now I’m curious to just how much water I AM drinking a day! Don’t forget though — tea IS mostly water.
…I drink a lot of tea, too.
I don’t drink sodas so I’m guessing my water intake is pretty good lately — but I doubt it’s the recommended daily amount though. Now I wanna keep track of it and see just how much I drink!
Good luck to you! That’s such a good goal to have, you know.
Camelback water bottles totally changed my life. The have the straw and the little chewy rubber mouthpiece thing, so it’s actually kind of fun to drink from them? If you just start carrying it with you and chewing on it anytime you’re bored you actually end up drinking a lot of water by accident.
As always, you’re writing is awesome.
That’s what I’m terrible at – carrying around a water bottle when I’m out and about. Not that I’m on the go as much as I was when I was in school and juggling 16 different things, but I still need a water bottle when I’m out running errands and the like! I’ll have to dig out one of my Nalgene-esque bottles to pop into my purse for when I’m on the go.
I’m pretty good with drinking water, most of the time! I hate feeling thirsty, so I always have a cup of water by my side. It’s definitely a lot harder when I’m outside though, since I really dislike using public bathrooms. But it’s a good thing that you’ll go to the bathroom often – toxins are getting flushed out when you do!
Thank you for reminding me about drinking water. I have had only one half cup of it all day and I actually worked out! I can’t say I had any fruit or food that had significant water content, so I’m probably on the brink of dehydration. I have been trying to increase my water intake, but I noticed I gravitate more towards drinking bubble tea. (I know, I know… It’s not a good alternative.)
Ohhh man, this is so me! I’m terrible at drinking water and I’m a regular gym rat and yoga practitioner! I SHOULD be drinking well over the recommended amount, but I rarely do. My BFF got me a CamelBak Eddy water bottle where you bite and suck the water out. It’s kind of cool and it’s gotten me up to two bottles a day which is more than I usually drink! Keep it up! =]
I used to not be so great, but now what I do is I keep a Camelbak at work to fill up when I arrive, and a Camelbak at my desk at home so I can have it while I’m reading or dicking around on my home computer, and I get close to finishing off both each day. That way it’s always near me, AND I don’t have to keep track of some stupid bottle while I’m out. I hate to carry them unless I absolutely must, for a hike or bike ride or something.
I drink a lot, though – besides those, I usually have a glass or two of orange juice at breakfast, a cup of tea at the beginning of work, a glass or two of milk at dinner and occasionally a cup of tea before bed. Explains why I pee an awful lot and I guess it explains why I don’t eat particularly much, either, haha.
I don’t drink enough liquids period, which is a problem. I figure if I’m going to increase my intake of a liquid in particular, it may as well be water! The only other things I drink regularly besides water are tea, milk and wine. I agree with you on water being a pain to carry around, too. It weighs down my purse! But that is better than the alternative of having to pay an absolute rip-off price for bottled water :/
I’ve honestly never drank the recommended servings of water. But with that being said, I ONLY drink water (or tea). I don’t drink juice or soda because I hate the taste. I drink milk occasionally, but it’s mostly water or tea for me.
I should probably be drinking more water. I only drink about the same amount as you do daily. :s
I used to be HORRIBLE about drinking water but ever since I started losing weight I really took up consuming water to help me feel full between meals. I also noticed the more water I drank the more weight I lost. Now I pretty much only drink water, almond milk, or wine.
I think is a great idea to start drinking more water, as we all know its good for us.
You’re not the only one who doesn’t drink enough water though. I do it too! I take a few drinks of water when i’m thirsty but nothing like a whole bottle. When I eat, I usually get orange juice or a soda which is really unhealthy. You are inspiring me, might try doing the same this year.
Hey Manda, just came across your blog today
I’m the WORST when it comes to drinking water. I’ll have to admit that I’m a Mountain Dew fanatic, but I also drink teas and juices, and occasionally a glass of milk here and there. The only time I really drink water is if its the only thing there is to drink, and it has to be bottled. I can’t drink it straight from the faucet because the water in my city tastes so disgusting I’d rather dehydrate myself.
I can’t drink tap water either, at least not in DC. I did when I lived in Chicago as Chicago has great tap water, but DC? Ugh, no. I generally either boil or filter my water before drinking it because DC’s tap water just won’t cut it.
I gave myself the water challenge at the beginning of last summer and vowed to only drink water, tea and milk. (I throw in coffee every once in a while.) I cut soda entirely out of my diet and it has done wonders for me. Not only do I feel great every day but I look great too. My skin has cleared up quite a bit since then and I have had no desire to drink soda anymore. My next food related challenge is to eat healthier-meaning no fast foods and/or fried foods.
Good luck on this water challenge.
This is a GREAT resolution! I hardly ever drink enough water either. I sometimes go an entire day without drinking more than a cup of water – how awful is that? And the funny thing is, I started carrying a water bottle around with me years ago when I was a summer camp counselor, but it hasn’t really increased the amount of water I drink…it’s just become a habit to have a water bottle with me and then never use it. Like I’ll get to the end of the day and it’s still completely full.
I’ve started drinking tons of water/tea at the beginning of the day to make up for my lack of hydration later on…but I’m not really sure that’s how it works, like…biologically, haha. But I sure do have to pee a lot all morning!