Dive in! How to drink more water and love it.

I know every single one of you knows how important it is to drink water.  But if you're like me, you still get bored, bored, bored with it.  Here are some tips and tricks to make sure you're getting enough water and how to make it much more interesting to drink.

1.  Do you know how much water you should be drinking?  I've always heard eight servings of eight ounces each, but it is actually not quite that cookie-cutter for everyone.  Your weight, your activity level, the climate you live in, and other variables all effect your hydration.  As a rule of thumb, divide your weight by two, and that's how many ounces of water you should drink in a day.  So, if you weigh 150 lbs, you should aim for 75 ounces of water.  If you do a lot of physical activity, or it is a really hot day, increase that base number to stay at your healthiest.

2.  Buy a water bottle that has measuring lines AND holds at least half of your daily water goal.  That way you can monitor how much water you're getting throughout the day and only have to worry about refilling your bottle once.

3.  If your habits don't include water, but you want them to, sneak it in.  If you're a coffee drinker, drink a glass of water while your coffee brews.  If you normally order a soft drink when you go out to eat, order water.  It doesn't take long to get used to a new routine that includes lots of water.

4.  Last, but not least, make it taste good.  Do not, I repeat, do not, buy all the little packets of things you can toss in your water.  There are many healthier, natural versions of water flavorings that don't include ingredients you can't pronounce. Try some of these add-ins instead and check out the health benefits they add to your water!

• Lemon or Lime.  Citrus is probably the most well-known water flavoring.  It adds a light, refreshing flavor and also can assist in digestion, so it's a great option for drinking with a meal.
• Cucumber.  Ice water with a slice of cucumber tastes fantastic, and it also gives you a few of the plentiful vitamins and nutrients of the cucumber along with your water goal.  This is a particularly refreshing drink on a hot day.
• Ginger.  Placing a sliver of ginger in your water can give you more than just a great-tasting drink.  Ginger helps curb nausea and can also help fight off congestion.
• Apple.  Did you know that apple is an appetite suppressant?  It's a food that makes you feel full faster, so placing a slice of apple in your water can help you if you're dieting.
• Cinnamon.   Cinnamon can help maintain blood sugar levels, so this is a great option for people with diabetes or insulin resistance.  You don't need much, and be sure you're not using cinnamon sugar, because that will defeat the whole purpose.