How to Drink Water When You Hate Water
When I tell people I hate water, it doesn’t go over well. They ask how I can hate it since it has no flavor. My answer: it does have a flavor and that flavor is disgusting. They ask if I feel dehydrated all the time. And no I don’t, because there’s plenty of other places to get water other than drinking it straight up. But one of my goals in life is to be wonderful and one of the things wonderful people do is drink copious amounts of water. It’s great for your overall health and gives your skin a radiant glow. So I’ve been trying to train myself to drink the dastardly beverage. Here are some tips and tricks for my fellow water-haters:
1) Get an awesome bottle
One of the ways I tried to hate water a little bit less was by buying a fancy bottle and carrying it everywhere. I wanted one that had a built-in purifier so I could just fill it up and drink it on the go. These days, they also make bottles with built-in infusers so you can make an iced tea or fruity beverage at the drop of a hat. This didn’t work out for me in the long run, since I prefer my water icy to room temperature, but it did encourage me to sip something healthy when I was thirsty rather than buying a Diet Coke.
2) Try an app
Everything is more fun when you track it. There are several apps that you can use to track how much you’re guzzling throughout the day. Some even include friendly little reminders. Check out Waterlogged or Fig to start. Although once the novelty of the app wears off, you might find yourself falling off the water wagon. Hopefully by then water drinking will be a habit, not something you’re doing to please your app.
3) Take up a sport
When I was forced to take up running earlier this year, I found out that when you’re really physically exhausted, water actually tastes refreshing. If you hate running, try out a local team sport like dodgeball, soccer, basketball, or any old thing. You’ll find yourself sucking down water while playing, not to mention that you start to see yourself as this weird healthy person who should want healthy things like water. Hence, you start to phase out other sugary beverages.
4) Use rewards and punishments
If you find yourself really having to choke down your water, give yourself an incentive. Say for every two or three glasses you drink, you’ll allow yourself a soda or juice. Or if that’s not enough, reward yourself with a trip to the movies or that book you’ve been wanting. And if rewards don’t work, use punishments. For example, every time you choose another drink over water you have to put money in a jar. At the end of the week you must turn your jar of money over to your best friend, who happens to love water.
5) Add flavoring
There are plenty of flavor packets available these days to make water less nasty. Just make sure it’s not all sugar. I like to add those Emergen-C packets, which are full of vitamins and other supposedly healthy stuff. But if you find those too artificial, you can always squeeze some of your favorite fruits into your drink, or even make some spa-worthy cucumber water. You’ll feel hydrated and luxurious.
6) Drink sparkling water
Despite hating water, I strangely love its classier more glamorous cousin, sparkling water. I can seriously drink this all day. Maybe because it’s just like soda. The only trouble with sparkling water is the price tag. At the end of the day it’s still water, so you can’t help but feel dumb for spending money on it just because it’s fizzy. But if that’s what it takes, that’s what it takes. You can always invest in a SodaStream.
7) Drink tea
This falls under the category of adding flavor, but it deserves its own section since you can drink this hot or cold. I love tea so this tip is basically a gold mine. Just make sure your tea is of the decaffeinated herbal variety. Drink your way to happiness!
