Drinking more water is something I TOTALLY struggle with. I mean, there’s water in coffee, right? But coffee aside, which I drink in the bucket full, slurping down enough H20 regularly is always a challenge.

This week I’ve been reminding myself why drinking water is so important and trying to think of fun and easy ways to increase my sips…

Why is water so important for our health?

I know we were all taught this years ago at school, but it’s so easy to forget: the majority of our body is actually water. In fact, 60% of our body is water. Water is present in all of our organs too, such as our brain and heart that are made up of 73% water and our skin at 64% water.

There may be days when you feel really sluggish, your skin is bad and you just don’t have that sparkle about you… Did you ever think that it could be a lack of water that is making you feel that way?

Here are three reasons why drinking water is good for you:

1. You will feel less tired

As a mum there are many days when I’m running on not enough sleep, so anything I can do to give me more energy I’m all ears.

Dehydration can set in before we actually feel thirsty and so we often don’t realise how dry we’re getting until it’s really obvious. One of the first sides of thirst is tiredness. I guess that makes sense if you think about how much of our body is made up of water, so if we don’t have enough it will feel like we’re running on sludge.

2. You will eat less

When we are thirsty our body gives us a signal that our brain may confuse with the feelings of hunger. Instead of reaching for the nearest biscuit - I mean healthy snack - that comes to hand, try drinking a glass of water instead. Upping your water intake helps to take the edge off your hunger and if you aren’t actually hungry, you’ll be able to say no to the chocolate biccies!

Bingo!

3. Your whole body will thank you

Water is so good for us and its positive effects are how it makes us look at feel. Drinking enough water will flush out toxins from your body and also help keep your skin plump and clear. Water helps our digestive system to work properly, which is obviously crucial to avoid feeling bloated and - ahem - backed up. I also didn’t realise that lots of water is beneficial for your joints and your brain too, so there are many win-wins to staying hydrated!

Fun and easy ways to drink more water during the day

1. Jazz up your water

I know, I know… water can be a bit… well, boring. But we can easily snazz up our water with a few simple tweaks, so play around and find out what works for you to encourage you to drink more.

Some ideas could be:

• Treat yourself to a gorgeous glass for your desk that makes you want to drink from it
• Likewise - get a beautiful bottle for those on the go days
• Add ice cubes and a fabulous straw (a reusable one)
• Filter your tap water if you don’t like the taste of it
• Add fresh or frozen fruit to your drink, such as lemon, strawberries, raspberries, cucumber. Pinterest is a gold mine of ideas for creating your very own infused water
• If flat water is too dull, try carbonated water instead for that bit of fizz.

2. Drink following an action

If you take a slug of water each time you do something, then you’ll quickly add up the sips throughout your day.

For example:

• Drink a glass of water every time your phone rings
• Drink a glass of water each time you go to the toilet
• Drink a glass of water before you leave the house / go to work out / pick the kids up
• Drink a glass of water in a commercial break when you’re watching TV.

3. Turn it into a game

Sometimes we just need that extra nudge to do things we don’t want to do. Turn drinking water into a game and suddenly you’ve got more motivation to succeed - especially if you compete against others!

You’ll notice that my food planners and notepads have a H20 count. I found this really useful to keep me motivated as I can see my progress. You can use this to play your own drinking challenge - such as challenging your bestie to see who can reach 2 litres of water first by the end of the day.

You’ll see the H2O counter in:

• The 12 week planners and infills (click here to take a look)
• The 6 month planner (click here to take a look)
• The 1 year planner (click here to take a look).

My favourite water bottle

A cute water bottle is one of my favourite ways to encourage more drinking. I'm a sucker for stationery and items that brighten up my desk or home. 

I'm a big fan of HydrateM8 water bottles. I've got two kinds and I have the insulated one that can keep your drink hot or cold all day. It feels really well made and not 'tinny' when you hold it. The finish is smooth to the touch and I like the delicate pastel colour.

The second style I like is the tracker bottle, which has motivational words on the side and it's broken down into times during the day when you should remember to take a sip. A visual reminder is such a good way to keep me on track - and who doesn't love a motivational quote or two!?

I personally use HydrateM8 so I'm sharing my faves with you. I wouldn't recommend something that I don't love and I don't earn any kick backs, so you can be sure that they are fab.

HydrateM8 are kindly offering all Fox & Moon customers 10% off everything from their online store (excluding sales items) until the end of September 2018. Just use the code: foxandmoon10 at the checkout to grab yourself a bargain! Head to: www.hydratem8.co.uk 

What are the fun and easy ways you keep yourself on track to drink lots of water? Do you have any tips you can share with me? I'd love to know what you think!