Let me be real with you for a second — staying hydrated is genuinely hard. Like, actually hard. We all know we’re supposed to drink more water. Doctors say it, fitness influencers say it, your mom probably says it too. But knowing you should do something and actually doing it are two very different things.
Here’s what’s wild: your brain is made up of roughly 73% water, and your muscles are about 79% water. So when you’re not properly hydrated, every single system in your body starts to suffer. You feel foggy, you get headaches, your workouts feel harder than they should, and you might even think you’re hungry when you’re actually just thirsty. Sound familiar?
The general recommendation for how much water to drink per day is about half your body weight in ounces. So if you weigh 200 pounds, that’s 100 ounces of water a day — which sounds like a lot because it is a lot. And if you’re working out on top of that, your body needs even more because every time you sweat, you’re not just losing water — you’re losing electrolytes and sodium too. Those need to be replenished or your performance tanks and your recovery suffers.
So yeah, staying hydrated takes real, intentional effort. Here are the 5 things that have actually helped me increase my daily water intake — no matter how busy life gets.
1. Start Every Morning With a Glass of Water
Think about it — when you wake up in the morning, you’ve gone 7 to 8 hours without a single drop of water. Your body has been quietly dehydrating overnight while you slept. Before you reach for your phone, before you start the coffee maker, drink a full glass of water first.
Mayo Clinic recommends at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day. This one move knocks out the first one before your day even starts. But beyond just checking a box, drinking a cold glass of water in the morning actually hits differently. I get a literal chill down my spine every time I do it — it wakes my body up in a way that’s hard to describe. Your brain fires up, your body gets a signal to get moving, and you’re already one step ahead on hydration before anything else has happened.
Make this a non-negotiable. Before coffee. Before your phone. Just a glass of water. It’s one of the easiest habits to build and one of the most effective ways to stay hydrated throughout the day.
2. Carry a Water Bottle Everywhere You Go
This one sounds almost too simple, but I’m telling you — it made the single biggest difference in my water intake. I used to go entire mornings without touching water because it just wasn’t in front of me. Out of sight, out of mind. Sound familiar?
My girlfriend has always been the type of person who takes her water bottle everywhere, and I’d constantly find myself drinking half of hers because I didn’t have my own. That was the wake-up call. I grabbed a BlenderBottle and started taking it literally everywhere — car rides, errands, the gym, around the house. My daily water intake went up almost immediately.
When water is right there next to you, you drink it. You don’t have to think about it, you don’t have to get up and walk to the kitchen — it’s just there. You sip throughout the day without even trying. If you’re serious about learning how to drink more water every day, this is your number one move.
3. Infuse Your Water With Fruit
If plain water is boring to you — and I get it, it can be — this is your fix. Adding fruit to your water gives it a natural, refreshing flavor without any added sugar, artificial sweeteners, or calories. And on top of tasting better, you’re getting some of the vitamins from the fruit as the water soaks them in. Double win.
Here are some of my favorite combinations:
- Lemon — Brightens the flavor and supports digestion. Lemon water first thing in the morning is a classic for a reason.
- Cucumber — Super refreshing with a natural cooling effect. Great for post-workout hydration.
- Mint — Adds a fresh, clean taste and makes your water feel like something fancy.
- Strawberry + Basil — Sounds bougie, tastes amazing. The antioxidants from the strawberries don’t hurt either.
Grab a pitcher with a built-in infuser, toss some fruit in, and keep it in your fridge. You’ll find yourself reaching for it way more often. If plain water is the reason you’re not staying hydrated, fruit-infused water is a total game changer.
4. Switch to a Bottle With a Straw
This sounds too simple to actually make a difference. I didn’t believe it either — until I watched my girlfriend put away water all day long with her Contigo bottle and its built-in straw while I was still struggling to get through my first glass.
Here’s why it works: it’s all about reducing friction. When all you have to do is lean over and sip, you sip constantly without even thinking about it. No lid to twist, no tipping the bottle back, no effort at all. It becomes a completely passive habit throughout your day — and passive habits are the easiest ones to actually stick to.
You can go with a dedicated straw bottle like a Contigo or Stanley, or just drop a reusable metal straw into whatever bottle you already own. The goal is to remove every possible bit of friction between you and your water. The easier drinking is, the more you’ll drink. This is one of the most underrated tips for increasing your daily water intake without even trying.
5. Add Electrolytes to Your Water
Here’s something most people don’t realize, and honestly it completely changed the way I think about hydration: drinking water alone isn’t always enough to actually keep you hydrated. That sounds wild, but hear me out.
When you sweat — whether you’re at the gym, going for a run, or just moving through a hot day — you’re losing sodium, potassium, and magnesium right along with the water. These are your electrolytes, and your body needs them to absorb and actually use the water you’re putting in. Without them, a lot of that water just passes right through you. You can be drinking plenty and still feel tired, foggy, and under-recovered. That’s not just a hydration problem — that’s an electrolyte problem.
That’s where LMNT comes in. LMNT is an electrolyte drink mix with zero sugar, zero artificial ingredients, and the right ratio of sodium, potassium, and magnesium your body actually needs to stay properly hydrated. I add a packet to my water after workouts and the difference is real — less fatigue, better recovery, and that afternoon brain fog I used to think was normal? Pretty much gone.
You can mix it into plain water, sparkling water, or even toss a packet into your morning glass. It comes in a solid lineup of flavors — citrus salt is my personal go-to. If you work out regularly, deal with afternoon energy crashes, or just feel like your hydration is never quite where it should be no matter how much you drink, adding electrolytes is the missing piece most people completely overlook when trying to stay hydrated.
Staying hydrated is one of those things that sounds simple on paper but requires real, intentional effort in practice. Even picking just one or two of these to start with will make a noticeable difference in how you feel — more energy, better workouts, clearer thinking. What do you do to make sure you’re hitting your daily water intake? Drop it in the comments below, I’d love to know!