Infused water: Tips for drinking more water

How much water do you drink daily? Would you like to drink more? My goal with this competition prep is to drink my gallon a day or more. Let’s be clear, it is a lot of water.

But I know water is where I fall short. I get to about 100 ounces a day on prep and then my brain says no more. My eyes seem to begin rolling around in my head like they are drowning in the water that has gone into my body.

I use to carry the gallon around with me but it only reminded me of how much I hadn’t drank, so I then opted for a shaker bottle that I need to refill 5-6 times a day.

Plain water is OK sometimes, but sometimes I want a little more pizzazz. So, if you hate water because it’s boring, this is for you.

Infused water

You can infuse water with any number of herbs, spices, fruit and even vegetables. Making your own infused water is practically calorie free and gives you a refreshing way to stay hydrated. You can be super creative and enjoy the endless possibilities of combinations.

Here are some ideas:

Herbs: rosemary, mint, basil, thyme
Spices: cinnamon sticks, fresh ginger, cloves
Fruit: berries, citrus fruit
Vegetables; cucumber, celery

Here are 3 of my favorite:

• Cucumber Lime
• Cucumber Mint
• Lemon

These are simple but tasty. I like strawberries and blueberries, but not sure about them infusing my water. I like the full flavor of them and sometimes in the water, they are diluted.

It’s been only a week that I have been infusing water but it is going well. I take two bottles with me to work during the week. I have a 64-ounce bottle and a 32-ounce bottle. I usually try to make them two different flavors so that I am not drinking the same thing all day long.

Do you know how much water you are drinking? Keep track with a log. You can track it in MyFitnessPal along with your food.

In the bottle

One of the easiest ways to drink more water is to purchase a fruit infused water bottle. These fruit infusers are easy to take with you anywhere you go.

But if you don’t have one, you can use regular water bottles or mason jars. I am carrying these two water bottles with me every day. I am making my infused water before I go to bed so that I can grab them out of the fridge on the way to work each morning.

The goal is to drink 1.5 gallons a day. By taking these two bottles I am halfway there. There still leaves room for the other half of my water for the day but it at least gives me a base and more than halfway through my gallon, which is at least required.

I haven’t gotten too creative yet because I would hate to make something and then not like the flavor. We’ll see what I come up with this week.

Do you make infused water? What are your favorite combinations?