Drinking water is the most simple healthy habit.  It requires no time, simply fill a glass or bottle full of water, and drink 8 each day.  No sweat, no tears, no deprivation, simple right?

For most people, although they know the countless benefits of water, they simply cannot fit the needed amount into their day.  The major challenge with water, is that it is a habit that you are doing for you, and when the day gets busy, the first thing people do is neglect themselves.  If you are not getting water into your day because you simply forget or are too busy, you need to develop a water drinking schedule until the habit is formed.  Two most effective schedules are either drink a glass before and after every meal, or have times in the day where a specific amount of water must be consumed, for example 3 glasses by 12pm, 3 glasses by 3 pm and 3 glasses by 10pm.

Another common reason that water is not consumed is because people like the taste of other beverages better.  Other beverages can be PART of your water consumption, however the beverage choice should not consist of calories or ingredients that can impact your health.  For instance a glass of juice does contain water, but also contains 30 grams of sugar.  Certain beverages like caffeine drinks and/or alcohol will actually deplete your water stores, and thus you will need to consume more than the average 8 glasses.

The key to improving your water consumption might be easy to do in little steps, see how much water you are currently consuming and make an effort to increase it by a glass a day, in a week or two you will be at your required amount.

Another way to improve water consumption, is understanding it’s positive impact on weight loss.  Drinking water is the most important catalyst for weight loss.  Water improves your metabolic rate, reduce fat deposit and is the best treatment for water retention.

With the warm summer around the corner, water is more important than ever, use the next few weeks to improve your water consumption!