Hydration Station

Try asking the internet how much water you need to drink each day and these are your options:

Eight 8 ounce glasses.

Use the replacement approach.

2.2 liters for women and 3 liters for men. (seriously?)

Half your body weight in ounces of water.

Losses minus 20% to account for water from food. (20% of what?!)

We each need a slightly different amount of water each day depending on our weight, activity level and stage of life. The verdict is still out on exactly how much water that is, but we do know one thing: all living things need water to survive!

So why has it always been so very difficult for me to drink enough water, even when I’m really trying to concentrate on upping my intake? I blame my water bottles.

At my old job, I would buy an Aquafina every few days and then continue to fill it up over and over again. This got me pretty close to my daily recommendation but then BPA (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bisphenol_A) ruined that idea. (Pre -filled water bottles are not meant to be refilled because they break down faster than reusable water bottles.) So, I bought a couple metal water bottles. I probably increased my water intake by about 16 ounces (or 2 cups) a day and found out that: a) Drinking from metal is weird; b) Having to unscrew the top each time I wanted a swig of water drastically reduced the number of times I was willing to do so and; c) Apparently I’ve never drank out of a bottle before because I always end up spilling water ALL over my face and down the front of me.

Fast forward to my time spent working in a gym last year. It was perfect (or so I thought) because they had special logo water bottles made out of BPA free plastic. I thought for sure this was the answer I was looking for. I don’t know if taking the BPA out makes plastic less bendable, but with this plastic, you could not squeeze or suck any water from the bottle, you had to hold it upside down and hope that gravity would work its magic. This was the worst water bottle (by far) of all of the contenders.

Last Christmas, I finally thought that Santa had left the water bottle of my dreams in my stocking. It was pink, BPA free, freezer safe, dishwasher safe and could be folded or rolled to fit anywhere! (http://vapur.us/) My water intake increased by about 4 ounces a day (only ½ cup!), which was the amount of water left in this foldable wonder when I tried to stand it up straight and it folded over and emptied half of its contents onto itself and the surrounding area.

A few weeks ago, just when I had almost given up hope – I found it! I used a 15% off coupon for the UNC Student Stores from an old course pack to buy myself a UNC Camelbak bottle. It’s kind of like a huge adult sippy cup—and let me tell you—the built in straw makes this bottle amazing.

So, if you are struggling to get your water intake everyday like I have been for the past 5 years, I strongly suggest searching out a bottle with a straw, but perhaps more importantly, finding a water bottle that works for you. (PS. If you still have a course pack, it’s a great way to use that 15% off coupon from the red pages in the back!)