All of us need to drink a lot of water every day.  The human body works best when it gets at least 1 ounce of water for every two pounds of body weight.  That’s a lot of water, and most people I know don’t drink nearly that amount.

If you have trouble drinking that much plain water, you might try flavored water.  Adding a little something to your water can give a plain glass of water a bit more zip and make it feel more special.  It can also help you to drink more fluids without adding additional sugars or unneeded chemicals to your diet, which you would get with almost any pre-prepared beverage (such as pre-made iced teas, sodas, store-bought flavored waters, and so on).

Some of my favorite things to add to water, especially as the weather warms, are a couple of slices of cucumber, a sprig of mint or rosemary, a squeeze of fresh lemon, or a drop of essential oil.  Homemade sun tea is another easy and healthy way to increase your water consumption (recipe HERE).

By far the easiest of these is to add a drop of essential oil to your water.  It doesn’t require keeping fresh ingredients on hand, and it’s easy to change the flavor with each glass.  You can even carry your essential oil bottle with you in your bag, for easy flavored water on the go.  If you’re going to do this, though, please make sure the oils you’re using are food grade.  Most essential oils are fragrance grade, NOT food grade, and you don’t want to drink those!  (I get my essential oils HERE; you can read more about why I choose these oils and how I use them HERE.)

Right now, as part of my recovery from my head injury earlier this year (see HERE), I’m trying to make sure I drink 100-ounces of fluid each day.  The extra liquids will help to naturally increase my naturally low blood pressure as well as to reduce inflammation as I continue to recover from my concussion (you can read about other things I’ve done to help with my recovery HERE).  Adding a bit of flavor to my water helps me to reach, or at least get close to, my goal each day.

I hope these simple tips help you to drink more water too.

What things help you to drink more water throughout the day?