We hear it all the time – “you need to drink more water”, “you’re so dehydrated”, even the questioning “how much water do you drink in a day”. But, what does that mean? And why is your hydration so important?

Your hydration, or your water intake, is important because water helps to keep everything moving in your body. Your lymphatic system, your blood, your digestive tract, your colon and even your skin all require proper hydration to work optimally. If you’re dehydrated these systems slow down causing you to become sluggish, to get sick more often and your energy to tank. Not to mention that those bags under your eyes become more pronounced and your skin gets dry and flaky.

That water, or lubrication, is also required to keep your joints happy and healthy, keep your brain functioning at it’s best, regulate your body temperature and to remove waste from your body through urination, bowel movements, and perspiration. Proper hydration is implicated in literally EVERY organ system your body has.

I hear you; you want to set your body up for success. I see you in my office, meet you at the coffee shop and run into you at mall. And you all want similar things. You want to live longer (but stay healthy and in your own home for as long as you can), you want to lose weight, you want your joints to stop hurting, you want to stop feeling so damn tired all the time, and you might even want your skin to stop looking so blotchy. And for every single one of those concerns, I start with hydration. In fact, these three tips are the top one’s I give my patients.

ONE:

Start your morning with TWO big glasses of water.

We’re most dehydrated when we get up in the morning. Why? Because we’ve slept anywhere from 5 to 10 hours without so much as a single ounce of water. So before your morning cup of java, drink up those two BIG glasses of water. Down the hatch if you will. This will ensure that you’re replenishing those important fluids before your coffee dehydrates you even more, and gets you off on a great footing for the rest of your day.

TWO:

Carry a water bottle with you everywhere.

The more you drink, the lighter it becomes. But it also keeps you hydrated while you’re on the go. We all live busy lives, and the easiest way to keep your hydration up is to simply bring your hydration with you! If you need the reminder to keep up the water intake, mark the time of day on your water bottle and make sure that you’re meeting your goals for the day!

THREE:

Set a Timer.

If you have a hard time remembering to drink water, set a timer on your phone. Create a few alarms set to go off throughout the day and when one goes off chug a big glass of water. I know this sounds a bit abrasive – but there’s no better way to build water into your routine that having your phone remind you to drink up!

Water is, in fact, the best thing you can put into your body – so hopefully these three tips help you to boost up your hydration! Let me know what other tips you have below.