I mentioned staying hydrated in last month’s blog, but it’s so important to our overall health that I wanted to dedicate an entire post to it. If you’re wondering why it’s so important, take a look at the handy infographic below. (Your brain needs water to create hormones and neurotransmitters?! Makes me want to grab an extra glass right now.) Read on to learn a few easy tips to drink more water and several fun recipes to help you eat more water, too!

Do you drink enough water?

Or maybe the better question is: Do you know how much water your body needs each day? There’s no one right answer for everyone, but we can use guidelines as point of reference. The general rule of thumb is to drink half your body weight in ounces of water every day. So if you weigh 160lbs, you should be drinking 80oz each day (that’s 10 cups). Now, that may be too much for you. Or, if you’re very active, it may actually not be enough. It all depends on your body, your activity level, medical conditions, medications, diet, and the climate where you live.

How do you know you’re getting enough water? It may sound odd at first, but check your urine. It’s a great indicator of how well hydrated you are. If you’re getting enough water, your pee should be pale yellow. Anything darker means your body needs more water. Click here for a handy chart. (An important note: if your pee is clear, hold off chugging another glass of H2O. It’s possible to drink too much water and doing so flushes important electrolytes from your system.)

Now that you have a better sense of how much water to drink—or at least an acknowledgement that you might need to add an extra glass or two—how do you do it?

Simple tips to help you add more hydration into your day:

• Make it easy. Keep a favorite cup or water bottle handy. Make sure your water bottle, pitcher or dispenser are easy to access and ready to use. 

• Limit sugary drinks. This isn’t just a recommendation for kids! Swap iced tea, soda, juice etc. for a glass of water. Better yet, make buying sweet drinks a treat so that they aren’t even in the house.

• Pop some bubbly (water)! Carbonated water is still hydrating, but make sure the brand you buy doesn’t have added sugar or artificial sweeteners. 

• Add some flavor. “Fancy water,” as my kids call it, isn’t just for spas and wellness centers. Grab a pitcher and toss in some citrus, berries or cucumbers and you’ll have delicious water that not only hydrates but also provides some nutrition from the food as well.

• Eat more fruits and veggies. If you’ve been around my blog for a while or know me at all, you know I say this All. The. Time. As you’ll see below, you can hydrate by adding more fruits and veggies into your diet.

Top Hydrating Fruits 

• Watermelon - 92% water

  • Make this easy, delicious salad

  • Try this “pizza” for a healthy dessert

• Strawberries - 91% water

  • Add them to zucchini muffins—a two for one!

  • Note: if you can, buy organic

• Cantaloupe - 90% water

  • Try it as a salsa

  • Make a refreshing summer salad

Top Hydrating Veggies:

• Lettuce - 96% water

  • Salads of course, but have you grilled it?

• Zucchini - 94% water

  • Use as noodles (even without a spiralizer )

  • Try it raw in this salad

• Bell peppers - 92% water

  • Make this quick and easy salad

  • Note: if you can, buy organic

Want more hydrating fruits and veggies? Read here.

Hopefully I’ve given you some good ideas or incentives to try to get more water into your body each and every day. I’d love to hear what you try or a trick you have that works well for you!