Everyone knows that drinking enough water is important. But what are the benefits, and how can you motivate yourself to stay hydrated throughout the day?

Your body is composed of about 60 percent water, so making sure you are properly hydrated is critical to living a healthy life. Losing even just 1 to 2 percent of your body’s water content can weaken your cognitive capabilities. The amount of water you should be drinking per day depends on factors like your age, your sex, how much you exercise, and even what type of environment you live in. In general, though, men should strive to drink about three liters of water per day, while women should aim to drink around two liters a day—that equates to about thirteen cups for men and nine cups for women. Most Americans only drink about four cups a day, which puts into perspective just how dehydrated we are. If it sounds daunting to up your water intake, there are ways to make staying hydrated not only easy to remember but also fun.

Water You Up To?

For many people, a typical day may look something like this: waking up early, commuting, working an eight- to nine-hour day (where a lot of sitting takes place), heading home, and winding down. Drinking water, especially when you’re not engaging in strenuous activity, isn’t always at the forefront of your mind. While you may not feel dehydrated, chances are you might be—even mildly so. If you feel thirsty or tired or crave sugar, it may be high time to hit the watercooler.

Set a daily hydration reminder on your phone, and also write down how much water you’re drinking as you go. Recording your activity can help form a habit. You can also increase your hydration by choosing foods that have a higher water percentage, such as cucumbers, grapes, carrots, pineapples, and apples. While not equal to drinking water itself, eating these foods can still help promote a healthier diet and is better than going for a salty, processed snack (which could make you feel even more dehydrated).

It’s even more important to stay hydrated when exercising—not just during the workout, but before and after as well. This will help keep your muscles active and help you maintain high energy levels throughout the workout. Before you engage in activity, aim to drink sixteen ounces of water, and during your workout, try to drink sixteen to eighteen ounces of water for every hour you’re active. Drink plenty of water after your workout, too.

So whether you’re working at a desk or working out, drinking enough water is crucial to improving your well-being. However, it’s easier said than done. Luckily, there are dozens of innovative water bottles aiming to make hydration easy and cool—with one bottle company setting the bar just a little bit higher.

Where Engineering and Health Meet

Technology has greatly improved how we’re drinking water. Now there are bottles that are specifically engineered with sensors and apps that literally tell you when to drink more water and how much water you’ve already consumed, with encouraging reminders throughout the day. The company HidrateSpark produces a bottle specifically designed to help people live more hydrated lives.

Coleman Iverson, CEO of this innovative company, gives his take on how the bottles are helping you to drink more water. “The bottle glows to remind you to drink water. It has three fun glow options to choose from and even does a celebration glow once you’ve met your goal for the day. The bottle tracks how much you drink with a sensor and syncs via Bluetooth to our hydration equation to recommend how much you should be drinking, based on your activity and physiology.” The equation is grounded in science, and it determines the recommendation using your profile, which asks things like where you live, your age, and your body metrics.

Investing in a higher-quality water bottle isn’t just good for your health; it’s good for the planet’s health. Instead of using a single-use plastic water bottle, you’re drinking out of a bottle that can be used for years. HidrateSpark alone has helped replace thirty-six million plastic bottles. And it isn’t the only company making hydration a more sustainable (and trendy) practice. Water bottle brands such as bkr (known for its sleek glass makeup), LARQ (a self-cleaning bottle), Ulla (a hydration-reminder attachment suitable for any bottle), and S’well (another fashionable, eco-friendly option) are all doing their part to make the world a more hydrated place as well.

Drink Up!

If you want to improve your health, ample water intake is a fundamental element. Match that with a nutritious diet and exercise, and you’ll be well on your way to living your healthiest life.

BENEFITS OF DRINKING WATER:

  • Helps protect the spinal cord
  • Boosts energy levels
  • Improves mood and brain cognition
  • Aids in weight loss efforts
  • Combats headaches, including migraines
  • Increases performance when exercising
  • Helps with digestion
  • Maintains blood pressure
  • Helps keep skin looking healthy

For more info, visit cdc.gov/healthywater