How to drink more water (and be excited about it.)

The daily recommendations of water intake for women is 2.7 liters (91 oz), and for men it’s 3.7 liters (125 oz). 80% is supposed to come from beverages (water, tea, etc.) and 20% from foods with a high water content. Active individuals (which probably means YOU) need even more than this.

I am a serial water-hater. I hate drinking it unless I’m working out. I’m constantly trying to figure out how to make water suck less, and I’ve come up with a few good tips…

First, get an awesome travel cup. Bubba makes a 34oz one with a giant rubber straw. If you drink 3 throughout the day, you’re in good shape. Amazing. The sticker literally says “fun to use.” They ain’t lyin’.

Second, jazz up your water by infusing it with different natural sources of flavor:

Infused Water

I’ve been experimenting with this for a while, and truly you can infuse anything into your water. These are a few of my favorites. There are SO MANY recipes out there for infused waters, or “spa waters”, so if none of my favorites pique your interest, google it and find one you might like. I make all of mine in a glass picher that my mom got me from the Container Store for Christmas. I’m not sure how I lived without this thing. You can also use a Ball glass jar and make single servings. (glass is less germ-y and doesn’t hold onto the taste/smell of the water after it’s washed, but plastic will smell like it for a year after you wash it out.)

1. Pineapple Thyme. cut three thick slices of pineapple and about 6 sprigs of fresh thyme. Stick them in your glass picher  and then into the fridge for 24 hours. Strain it before you drink it (little pineapple and thyme particles aren’t really appealing.)

2. Cucumber Mint.  A natural diuretic! And such a clean taste. Fill your glass jug or Ball jar with water, then cut up a medium sized cuke and add a handful of fresh mint leaves. Feel free to leave out the mint if that’s not your style. Let it sit in the fridge for 3-12 hours before you drink it.

3. Strawberry. My absolute favorite. You can use fresh or frozen (just make sure there’s no added sugar.)

4. Lemon. Simple, easy, you know what to expect.

5. Lemongrass & Mint. Lemongrass has a catnip-like effect on me. It was everywhere in Thailand so it’s a bit nostalgic for me too. If you haven’t tried it, seriously, try it. It’s not like lemon. It’s like heaven. …..where was I? Oh! Cut up two4-ish inch pieces of lemongrass (in the produce aisle) and add a handful of torn mint leaves.

6. Strawberry Grapefruit. This was totally impulsive and turned out to be completely amazing. By the way, do you eat enough grapefruit? It’s a superfood!

As you can probably assume, there aren’t any rules for infused water. Stick stuff in it, let it sit, strain it if needed, and drink. Put anything you want in your water. Berries are good too. I drink this stuff all day long and it feels like I’m detoxing my body with the healthiest water I can possibly drink.

Try it, let me know how it goes!