If Your New Year's Resolution Is To Drink More Water, Read This

What better time is there to set out to drink more water than at the beginning of a new year, right? New starts can help us feel accomplished and like we have time to venture into new opportunities, hence why we write New Year's resolutions each year. The most common New Year's resolutions may surprise you, but there are a few people always make. People want to exercise more, eat healthier, and drink less alcohol, for example (via Forbes). Others want to be better with money, and some just want to drink more water.

One of the simplest ways to drink more water, per Self, is to add flavor to your water. Many don't drink enough water because they opt for flavorful, more "fun" drinks like juices or sodas, but these are also full of sugar. If you want to punch up your water, you can purchase bottles that have infuser tubes for flavoring agents or simply buy flavoring liquids or packets that you mix into water to grant them some flavor. This is also cheaper than bulk-buying pre-packaged flavored water drinks. SELF recommends making a pitcher of flavored water at a time because you're more likely to refill your glass and drink more if it's already flavored.

Still, there are many more ways to up your hydration levels in 2022.

Some New Year's resolutions, like learning a new language, are hard to approach, but drinking more water this year isn't something you should overthink. In fact, there are some simple ways to amp up your water consumption, including drinking a glass of water after each time you use the restroom (via Self). These measures hold you accountable while keeping your hydration up.

Moreover, Healthline recommends first understanding how much water your body actually needs because everyone is different. Your activity level, your climate, and more can affect these levels, so as long as you're drinking water when you're thirsty, you may be okay. Still, if you want to be more than just okay, there are some steps you can take, including establishing a daily goal and checking in on that goal throughout the day, replacing some of your daily drinks with water, consuming a cup of water before each meal, and even setting reminders on your phone. It can be easy to forget you're working on a goal like this, but reminders can really help you stay on track. Taking time to drink water before meals can also help you not eat too much as well as ensuring you're hydrated.

If you're someone who needs a product to help you keep your focus, have no fear. Food Network rounded up some of the best products for drinking more water, and they include gallon-sized reusable water bottles, Brita filter pitchers, and water bottles that connect to your phone to help you track your consumption.