We all know that we’re supposed to drink eight, 8 oz. glasses of water each day, but there’s a difference between knowing what you’re supposed to do and actually doing it. Forcing this amount of water down your gullet each day is inconvenient, to say the least, not to mention side-effects like running to the bathroom three times an hour and feeling like a walking water balloon! And even if you’re able to drink this much water each day with ease, how do you keep track of how many ounces you’ve drunk each day? Use the following tips to make drinking your 64 daily ounces a whole lot easier!

Start Off Slow

If you drink considerably less than 64 ounces of water a day, it would be a good idea to slowly increase your water intake, rather than push yourself to get the full 64 ounces right off the bat. Every two or three days, increase your water intake by eight ounces, and you’ll be at 64 before you know it!

Measure Your Glasses:

You might be drinking 64 ounces a day already and not even know it! Or, you might think you’re getting enough water when you really aren’t. Measure your glasses at home to discover just how many ounces you’re getting when you drink. Many coffee mugs are only six ounces, and some of the drinking glasses in my house are 12 ounces!

Adjustment Period

Yes, when you first start drinking the amount of water that you should be drinking, you’ll be uncomfortable. You might feel waterlogged, bloated, and irritable. You will definitely have to pee just as often as any pregnant woman would. But after a week or two, your body will slowly adjust to getting the proper amount of water. You’ll still pee fairly often, but you won’t feel bloated any more. In fact, your body will know when you don’t get enough water, and it will send you signals, like dry-feeling mouth and skin, and a killer thirst. It’s pretty amazing!

Make it More Palatable:

If you get bored with plain old water, try adding a slice of lemon or orange to your water. For real variety, add Crystal Light On the Go Drink Mix to your water.

Adjust the Temperature:

If you have a hard time stomaching all the water you’re supposed to drink each day, try drinking water at a different temperature. Most people find that they can drink larger quantities of water if it’s very cold. If that’s not for you, try your water lukewarm or piping hot.

Get Your Glow On

There’s a fantastic product out now that’s made just for moms. It’s called Glow Mama, and it’s a drink that’s free of artificial sweeteners, flavors, colors, alcohol, and caffeine. Instead, it’s packed with the essential vitamins, minerals, and fiber that we moms need to keep us going. With it’s great kiwi taste, Glow Mama will help keep you hydrated, healthy, and happy!

Keeping Track

Now that you know all the tricks to help you get 64 daily ounces under your belt, you might need a way to keep track of all the water you’ll be drinking. My favorite way is really simple. Buy an eight ounce glass or, if you’re on the go a lot, sports bottle with a lid. Next, buy at least eight rubber bands that will fit snugly around the bottom of your glass. Start each day with eight rubber bands around your glass. Each time you drink the contents of the glass, fill it up and remove one rubber band. When all the rubber bands are gone, you’ll know that you’ve finished your allotted 64 ounces. This also works with other size glasses. For example, if you have a sports bottle that holds 20 ounces, just use three rubber bands. After the rubber bands are gone, make sure you remember to drink at least 1/5 a bottle of water, and you’re good to go! If you use a lot of different glasses throughout the day, the same system can work in a different way: place the bands on your wrist, and remove one band each time you drink a glass. Or, place pennies in one pants pocket. Each time you drink a glass, move one penny to another pocket. When all pennies are in the other pocket, you’ll know you’ve drunk enough water.

I hope these suggestions help you to attain your daily water intake goals. Happy drinking!

Andrea McMann tries valiantly, and sometimes fails miserably, to keep herself and her family active and healthy, despite her insanely busy schedule as a wife, mother of two, freelance writer, and blogger. In addition to writing for Peekaboo Picks, Andrea writes for Inhabitots, and blogs at Chocolate Fingerprints.