You’ve probably been told a hundred times that you need to be drinking more water. You know you need to be doing it, but very few of us are aware as to why we need to be drinking more water. The following will explore some of the many reasons you might want to keep water close to you as a part of ensuring you include water as part of your everyday habits.
Before we dive in, it’s important to note that all water bottles are not created equal. If you’re looking for a vessel to hold water and keep it near you throughout the day, you need to pay attention to what the bottle is made of. Avoid plastic water bottles at all costs. Yes, even bottles labeled BPA-free. BPA is only one of the multitude of terrible chemicals and toxins inside the plastic. BPA-free doesn’t mean it’s safe or good for you; it only means there’s no BPA in the plastic. Plastic containers slowly leech into the water, and then you drink the water and have plastic in your body. Remember that plastic is made from oil, and if that doesn’t convince you, be aware that the average American ingests a credit card worth of plastic per week. Yes, the situation is that bad.
Seek out glass or stainless steel water bottles, especially if you’re going to be drinking out of them regularly throughout the day. If you want to keep your water cold (or hot if you’re thinking of having some tea), you might want to seek out something insulated, you can find it at https://www.ironflask.com available for purchase. This is especially important if you’re someone who doesn’t enjoy drinking lukewarm water and won’t drink it if it isn’t cold.
Keeping Water Nearby Means Drinking More Water
If water is sitting next to you as you work or watch television, or enjoy your backyard, you’ll end up drinking more without putting in any additional effort. It turns out your body knows that it needs water, and you’ll reach for it if it’s right next to you. When you feel thirsty, you won’t have to think about it; you won’t have to mentally put together why you’re not feeling 100%; you can just reach for a sip. You might not even notice that you’re doing this, sort of like when you’re walking around at a party, and suddenly your cup is empty because you’ve been sipping it for something to do.
A Nearby Water Bottle Serves As A Reminder
Keeping a source of water near your person at all times will also serve to provide a visual reminder that you want to be drinking more water throughout the day. Similar to tracking your habits in a journal or on a calendar so you always have a visual reminder of the changes you’re hoping to make, keeping a bottle nearby can help remind you that you want to drink more water. This is a great trick for those of us who tend to get hyper-focused on the tasks at hand, sometimes forgetting what else is going on.
As well, you can visually see the water going down in the bottle (or feel how much lighter it has become as you carry it around), which can help keep your motivation to stay hydrated and thriving. Feeling like you’ve made progress is a big part of staying passionate about making a change in your life.
It Makes Drinking Water Easier
Keeping a water bottle nearby also reduces any work needed to get yourself a drink when you’re thirsty. Whenever beginning to cultivate a new habit, it’s a great idea to make things as easy for you to complete the habit as possible. If you don’t have to do anything but the actual habit, you’re more likely to follow through with it.
Improved Focus And Concentration
One of the major differences you’ll notice right away is an increase in your ability to concentrate and focus on the tasks at your hands. Even being mildly dehydrated can wreak havoc on your ability to focus. Brain fog can easily be misinterpreted as fatigue when it’s actually a lack of adequate fluids. Sometimes an improvement of your work performance and ability to maintain concentration is as simple as taking another sip of water.
Weight Loss And Healthy Weight Management
Having water nearby and, therefore, drinking more water and staying hydrated can also help you maintain a healthy weight. As it turns out, many of our food cravings and desires to eat are actually our body’s way of telling us that we need more water. Many of us have been chronically dehydrated for so long that our bodies have learned to give us food cravings when we actually need water. Lots of foods, particularly fruits and vegetables, contain water, and for those of us who don’t put in the effort to drink our water, it can be our main source of hydration.
This means that if you’re drinking water, in many cases, you’re craving fewer foods. This, in turn, can mean that you eat less. Eating less can result in fewer calories ingested (particularly calories ingested when you’re not actually hungry or in need of food) can mean it’s easier to maintain a healthy weight.
Your Body Temperature Is Regulated
Having enough water in your system is also a major component of keeping your body temperature level and balanced. If there’s not enough water in your skin, you begin to hold heat differently and so struggle to bear warmer temperatures that never used to bother you.
The above information should help you understand why keeping water close to you and drinking it throughout the day is so important. Keeping water near helps you take in more water and keep you motivated to continue sipping throughout the day, even if your work and life obligations are demanding your full attention. Having water near yourself also removes nearly all the barriers to entry, meaning it’s far easier to take a drink when you get thirsty. Staying hydrated has many health and wellness benefits, including improved concentration, well-managed weight, and a comfortable body temperature. Of course, these are just a handful of the incredible benefits that water can offer.