When you’re working on your fitness goals, there are several things you will need to do to reach them, including:

1. Exercise regularly

2. Hit daily nutrition goals (about 100-150g protein per day within calorie goal.)

3. Get enough sleep (7+ hours a night)

4. Stay Hydrated

A lot of people say that they “can’t drink their water” or that they “don’t like water” altogether.

But the way we see it, getting your water in is a freebie when it comes to reaching your goals. ALL of the other items require planning and executing consistently through life’s variables. Drinking water can be done during almost any other activity.

In our experience, if you’re not willing to drink enough water to hydrate your body, you’re probably going to slack in other areas too. With this attitude, reaching your goals will be harder, take longer than it needs to, and will more than likely result in you quitting altogether before you achieve your goals.

Every function of your body is negatively impacted by dehydration, making proper hydration one of the most important variables you can focus on! This will ensure that your body is functioning optimally and will have you feeling your absolute best.

Not only can hitting your daily water intake give you a clearer mind, more energy, and better digestion, but it will also help to transport nutrients and oxygen to your cells, flush waste, protect muscles and tissue, and aid a healthy metabolism.

At Fitbliss, we recommend that every client aim to drink .75- 1oz of water for every pound they weigh daily. The minimum water intake we recommend is .5 oz for every pound you weigh. So for example, someone who weighs 150 pounds should get 75-150 oz of water per day.

While there is no denying that drinking enough water is one of the most beneficial things you can do for your body each day, it can feel like a chore if you’re not used to focusing on your hydration.

Here are our recommendations for meeting your daily water intake:

Start the day off with a glass of water.

If you’re sleeping 7-10 hours during the night, you’re going a LONG time without water. Rehydrating your body first thing in the morning can be a great way to start the day.

Carry around a large reusable bottle.

An easy way to ensure you get enough water daily can be to carry around a large bottle that can be refilled throughout the day. For example, if you need 100oz of water per day and have a 32 oz bottle, you know that you’ll just need a little over 3 bottles per day to meet your daily intake.

Track your water in MyFitnessPal.

MFP has a water tracker conveniently located at the bottom of the daily food diary. This can be an excellent way to monitor your intake when you first start tracking.

Plan out daily benchmarks.

Set up some smaller, more achievable goals to reach your intake. For example, you could tell yourself “I’m going to have 60 oz. by 4 pm” or “I’m going to drink 30 oz of water before taking my midmorning break” to help set yourself up for success.

Add some flavor.

Low calorie/no-calorie powders such as Crystal Light or True Lemon, and herbal teas can be helpful ways to hit your daily water goal while switching it up. Carbonated flavored waters such as La Croix or Dasani Sparkling are favorites of some. You can even try adding fresh fruit or lemons to water to add just a hint of something extra!

BCAA’s

In case you missed it, BCAA’s are pretty much a big fat waste of money (for everyone except vegans) BUTTT if you enjoy drinking them and you’re rich, it may just be worth it to pay $40 per container to flavor your water.

Use a straw.

We can’t explain the science, but drinking through a straw is just easier. If you don’t believe us, try it for yourself!

Just do it.

Most importantly, just do it. It’s not that hard and if you think it is, you may not be ready to take control of your health and fitness goals. We say, why not now?