Did you know why Mark Zuckerberg drank a lot of water in his hearing a few years ago? It's because when we are in an intimidating situation, drinking water could help soothes our minds and make us feel more relaxed. But we don't need to be in an international hearing to be anxious, do we? Sometimes, simply by meeting many people in the office can create that anxiety, that we would go to the water cooler corner a lot and drink more water than usual. Or, we do it simply just to get a quick getaway from our exhausting office tasks.
But now, when we mostly work from home, that moments of anxiety are rarer to find, that we could forget that our body requires a lot of water consumption to work properly and optimally. We all know that our body needs at least 8-10 cups or 2 Litres of water per day to function properly - but still, most of us forget about it during the day. Not because we don’t want to, but simply because we don’t know how to create the habit. The tips below might help you to drink enough water every day, especially during this #WorkFromHome season where we could get too comfy and distracted to do it.
1. Befriend A Reusable 1 Litre Drinking Bottle
Bring the water-filled bottle wherever you go, and fill it up every time it gets empty. Why not a glass? Having a drinking bottle with precise measurements will help you measure how much you have drunk water in one day. Moreover, bottles are less likely to spill over (which can damage your devices, or simply wet your floor).
Tip: Put the bottle beside your bed every night. Whenever you feel thirsty in the middle of sleeping, you can drink it right away, and it is suggested to drink a bunch of water once you wake up in the morning to activate your body.
2. Use A Water Reminder Software/App
Use a water reminder app on your laptop or PC (preferably not on your phone!). Example: Water Reminder extension on Google Chrome. In this Google Chrome Extension, we could customize our preference of reminder frequency, reminder type (audio/visual/both), and sound type. But first, promise yourself to actually drink the water when the reminder pops out! 3. Eat More 'Soupy' Meals and Watery Fruits
It’s understandable that sometimes we can be tired of drinking water over and over again (but we still have to, though). To make the hydration method more varied, we could also consume water from foods that contain lots of water like soups. Eating (or drinking juice of) watery fruits like watermelons, grapes, kiwi, and oranges, could also work. 4. Avoid Dehydrating Drinks & Foods
Yes, you might have seen this viral video of Cristiano Ronaldo putting away bottles of Coke and endorsing water instead. Ronaldo sent a strong message to people of the world that we should avoid certain drinks and drink more water instead because not all drinks are helpful in hydrating your body and beneficial for your health. For example, coffee, tea alcohol, and soda drinks contain caffeine which has a dehydrating agent. Salty foods will also dehydrate your body, so if you decide to eat some salty snacks while working, make sure you drink more water than usual as well.