20 Ways to drink more water for better health

20 Ways to drink more water for better health (Thinkstock photos/Getty Images)
According to the Mayo Clinic, doctors recommend drinking eight to nine glasses of water a day.

Water makes up about 2/3 of our body weight and we need to consume it every day for our bodies to function properly, according to the British Food Standards Agency.

Every fitness expert, doctor or trainer, mentions 'drinking lots of water' everyday as a fitness mantra. Now, one may feel it is a little impossible to do so with our grueling schedules where we hardly have time to breath. If you don't drink enough water, it can affect your body temperature, energy, brain function, digestion, mood, performance, and joint health. So we help you with 20 ways to drink more water, so that you are never dehydrated.

Drink a tall glass of water the first thing in the morning. As soon as you get up drink water; this will replace fluids lost during the night and jumpstart your hydration for the day. You can also add a few drops of honey and lime juice to it.

Drink one or two glasses of water before each meal. It will curb appetite and will keep a tab on weight gain.

You can enhance the taste of water by adding saunf or jeera while boiling it. Along with the medicinal befits the water leaves a lingering sweet freshness in your mouth all day.

You can add natural flavoring such as cucumber, lime peel, thyme, mint sliced ginger roots, honey. It works best for your skin.

Cucumber water made with mint and lime is refreshing and calorie-free. Chop small chunks of cucumber and mint and place inside a bottle, refrigerate it and carry it to work every day.

You can add fruits to your daily diet if you think drinking a lot of water will make you run to the John's every minute. According to the Mayo Clinic, foods can account for 20 percent of your total daily water intake

Always carry a water bottle. Even if you are carrying a tote or a huge bag, a water bottle is a must. Carry it wherever you go. Suppose you weigh 54 kgs, then you require refills of 2-3 bottles (1 ltr) everyday.

Substitue aerated drinks, coffee, tea to water. Replacing water to a half liter of soda will save you about 240 calories. Again it helps you with weight gain.

Remind yourself. We generally tend to drink only when we are very thirsty, which seldom happens if you are attached to your PC the whole day. In that case keep a reminder or place the bottle right in front of you so you drink it after regular intervals.

When you have juice (apple, grape, or orange) fill half the glass with water.

Everytime you have a craving to eat junk or anything unhealthy gulp down water, you will feel full quickly and this will make the craving fade away.

Hydrate when you exercise. Just 2 percent dehydration can lead to a 20 percent decrease in performance. In the two hours before you exercise, drink half a liter of water. Follow that with 4-6 gulps of water every 15 minutes during your workout. After you exercise, drink half a liter of water for every kilo of weight you lost during training.

While at work, get a half a liter bottle of ice and keep filling it up from the office water cooler. The key is drinking with a straw - you take bigger gulps and drink much more.

After each trip to the loo, guzzle a glass of water to replenish your system.

Opt for funky or colorful water bottles, they can be a inspiration to drink more. We always need colours and brightness around us to keep us motivated to do things.

Always keep a bottle of water handy while watching TV, doing laundry, making dinner. Trust us it is very handy and, unknowingly, you tend to drink more water.

Add a drop or two of 100% pure essential oil to your glass. Essential oils are a great calorie-free and sugar-free flavor option.

Punctuate each work segment of your day with gulping down a glass of water. As you complete each chore, or round of meetings, powerpoints, etc, you will begin to associate each concluded task with a round of water. This is a positive habit and will help you drink your daily quota of water without much struggle.

End your day with water. Before you go to bed, drink a glass of water to stay hydrated overnight. If you tend to feel like urinating easily after drinking water, then drink this glass of water an hour before going to bed. Opting for an early last meal of the day will help make this possible.