One man who has recently embarked on a challenge to meet and double his daily water intake from the recommended two litres a day, has some tips to make sure you’re getting enough fluids.
As a qualified water sommelier and founder of the Crag Spring Water brand, Doran Binder is a supremely hydrated human who now drinks four litres of water a day as standard, a change that he has now made permanent thanks to the ‘life-changing’ benefits he has discovered. So how does he do it?
Get ahead at the start of the day
Keep a large glass of water next to your bed every night. Again, this is about changing habits through making hydration easier and more accessible, but there’s another psychological element of feeling like you’re ahead of the game, to this one.
Doran keeps a large glass of water next to his bed each night, then as soon as he wakes up, he drinks the entire glass. If it’s a pint glass that’s half a litre done before you’ve even got out of bed – a quarter of your goal for the day!
Don’t go anywhere without your bottle of water
It’s common sense really, but if you want to up your water intake then you need to have your bottle on you at all times. If your water is next to you, you may find yourself swigging from the bottle without even thinking about it. It becomes a habit.
Whereas, if you have to go to the tap, or the fridge, or the shop, then that’s more of an effort. To make something a habit you need to remove as many barriers as possible, the easier it is the more likely you are to stick to it.
Be effervescent
There is absolutely nothing wrong with drinking just tap water, but it can get a bit ‘samey’. Doran likes to alternate between still and sparkling and natural water just to give a bit of variation. It’s surprising how much of a difference this small change can make in upping your water intake.
Try something new
There are so many different types of really good-quality spring and mineral waters available from all over the world. Contrary to popular belief they don’t all taste the same.
With natural, mineral or spring water, the taste and how it feels in the mouth is governed by the level of total dissolved solids (minerals) it contains – the TDS level. TDS includes carbonates, bicarbonates, chlorides, sulphates, phosphates, nitrates, calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, iron, manganese, and many other minerals. These minerals are absorbed by the water as it filters through the geology in its journey to the source.
Mix up temperatures
Sometimes it can be a struggle to drink really cold water, especially when it’s a hot day, as the temperature difference to your body will be even more extreme. Not to mention those who have sensitive teeth.
Whether it’s ice cold, warm, cool, room temperature – water will hydrate your body the same no matter what temperature it is. Doran prefers to drink water at room temperature as that’s how he can really appreciate the flavours at their best.
Get a subscription
One thing about drinking more bottled water is the impact that it can have on the environment. All those plastic bottles often end up in landfill or worse, in waterways.
Crag Spring Water is operated on a subscription basis so that customers are never without their high-quality spring water. Crates of still and sparkling spring water are delivered direct to doorsteps via their delivery partner, the Modern Milkman and they reuse all of their glass bottles so it’s a much more sustainable model.
Add natural flavours
Until drinking more water becomes a habit, some people might need to mix up the flavours. There are many natural ways to flavour water whilst still avoiding sugars and additives that will cancel out all your good work.
Herbal teas are one idea – switch out your morning coffee with a fruit infusion and you’ll be drinking approximately 240ml to 350 ml of water (the volume of a standard mug). That’s around an eighth of your daily goal done before breakfast. Make a big jug and chill it in the fridge during the hot weather and have it as iced tea.
If getting rid of your morning coffee is a step too far, then form another habit of drinking a glass of water while you wait for the kettle to boil. Citrus fruits, cucumber, mint, berries and watermelon are all great ways to flavour your water in a natural and healthy way.
Track it with an app
For the higher tech among us, there are freely available apps that will not only track your water intake but will remind you throughout the day that it may be time to have a drink. Most will allow you to customise it with your height, weight and water goal.
Try a marked water bottle
Some people find that a water bottle with a visual aid of the levels of water consumed throughout the day can help them to feel that they are keeping on track with their goal. There are lots of different types of bottles readily available, some of which also have prompts of times that you should have drunk a certain amount of water by.
The benefits are that this can encourage a little and often approach to staying hydrated, which is better for the body. It’s not for everyone though, you should ditch this idea if it’s making you constantly feel like you’re failing. The last thing you need is to be giving yourself a hard time for not keeping up.
Keep a note of the benefits
Doran claims that if there is one thing that has really helped him in his journey from two litres to four litres of water every day, it has been documenting the benefits. He has shared many videos over on his Tik Tok channel, but he also likes to note down when he notices something new and read back over this to remind himself why he’s decided to commit to four litres a day.
Whether it’s having more energy, more focus, minimal hay fever, the list of benefits to staying hydrated really is endless. Once you start to feel the positive changes that drinking more water can have on every area of your life and really hone in on being grateful for them, drinking more water becomes effortless.
To see your company in any upcoming features we are arranging please email editorial@hurstmediacompany.co.uk
