Since being pregnant, I have realized how much I’ve let my attention to water intake slip. I remember in college, I did so well! I carried an insulated water cup with me everywhere, and with water fountains at every turn, I had no excuse NOT to drink my water. But for some reason as I have transitioned to working full time and juggling various activities and responsibilities, I’ve slacked off.
Every time I meet with one of my midwives throughout pregnancy, I’m reminded to stay on top of my water intake as this is very important for baby’s overall growth and wellbeing. As easy as it is to tell myself to drink more water, doing it is still a challenge.
I’ve had to get creative, and that’s why I’m writing about the three ways I have found to make myself drink more water every day!
Set Reminders
This has probably been the most effective part of my routine. I use the Reminders app on my phone to, well, remind myself to drink my water. For example, I’m aiming to drink about 80-90 oz. of water per day, so I broke that down throughout the day depending on the size of the cup/water bottles from which I’m drinking. At the moment, I’ve been drinking from an 18 oz. cup, so my reminders go off every 2 1/2 hours to remind me that I should have finished another cup full of water at that point.
Use Straws
I don’t know why, and I can’t explain it, but straws make all the difference. I know many of us are more likely to drink from a cup when there’s a straw in it, and there’s got to be some sort of scientific phenomenon to explain it, but if it works, let it happen!
I personally love these silicone straws from Wal-Mart, and they come in cute colors too. ;p
Get a Cute Cup
I know it sounds silly, but it truly makes a difference. Again, I can’t explain it, but if you’re at all like me, a cute cup will make you want to drink from it. My personal favorite at the moment is this Ello glass tumbler, and I absolutely love the sort of periwinkle color (that I no longer can find). One of the biggest reasons I love drinking from glass is that it in no way changes the flavor of my water like plastics can sometimes do.
Again, I can’t explain it, but just seeing how cute it is makes me want to pick it up and sip!
I hope that doing these things will help you stay on top of your water intake as well. 🙂
Until next time,
Annie Lark
ANNIE BOYD SOWELL 