5 Creative Hacks To Drink More Water Every Day
Some of us would never want to admit it, but sometimes we don't drink enough water because it lacks flavor! As immature as that sounds, I'll be the first to admit that this is one reason I don't drink enough myself! In order for the body to function properly, all our cells and organs need water. It is essential for the health of our kidneys, and the hydration, elasticity, and healthy appearance of our skin. Our bodies use water in all of its cells, organs, and tissues to help regulate its temperature and maintain other bodily functions that are crucial to human life.
Water boosts our energy, and overall immune system, enhances our complexions, flushes out toxins, and helps maintain proper flora levels throughout our bodies. Still, some of us opt out of drinking water in exchange of sugary, or carbonated drinks.
Experts say that we should drink at least eight 8-ounce glasses a day, which equals about 2 liters, or half a gallon. A half a gallon of agua seems like a tall order of flavorless-ness, but I'm convinced that drinking more water is all a matter of tricking your mind! Here are some of my favorite tips and tricks for drinking more water when I have a sugar fix.
Charge Your Water With Crystals
Like water, crystals are a part of earth's magical elements. Its healing effects and properties can be used in an abundance of ways. By dropping a clear crystal quartz in your water and drinking it everyday, you will feel a difference in your mood, energy, and focus throughout the day. If you get in the habit of drinking water with crystals, you might be more inclined to drink more water after you feel the effects the crystals will have on your everyday life.
Infuse Your Water With Nutrient- & Vitamin-Rich Fruits Or Herbs
For some of us, the fact that water has no flavor completely deters us from drinking eight glasses of it on a daily basis. By infusing your water with healthy fruits and herbs, you not only add a bit of taste to your water, but you also double up on any vitamins that they may contain.
For instance, adding cucumber to your water can help clear up acne, as well as give you a healthy boost of vitamin B5. Adding lemon and lime to your water is a great way to help you to lose weight, as well as aid in cleansing your liver. You can also use stuff like oranges, lemongrass, pears, mint, and berries to bump up the flavor and nutrients.
Try Making Agua Frescas
If adding cucumber, mint, lime, or lemon doesn't give you enough punch, why not make your own agua fresca juices? You can make this by blending fresh fruits with water and a bit of sweetener. You don't want to defeat the purpose of trying to drink more water without processed sugars, so try a drizzle of agave or honey instead of white sugar to enhance sweetness. This concoction is basically a watered-down juice. Replace at least three cups of water with agua frescas, so you don't feel like you are missing out completely on your 8 cups a day.
Buy More Distilled Water & Less Sugary Drinks
I might sound like Captain Obvious, but have you ever been in your home with nothing to drink, and because you were too lazy to go out and buy something else, you just drank the water? I think it would be appropriate for me to place the 🙋🏾♀️ emoji ️here. I find myself doing this often when I don't have juice or soda in the house. By getting in the habit of buying more water, instead of sugar-filled drinks, you train yourself to drink more water by default.
Put Your Water In Empty Wine Bottles
This is probably my favorite and most shameless Drink-More-Water mind trick. If you're like me, you love your wine! The way I break it down is that if you can drink a whole bottle of wine, you can drink a whole wine bottle filled with water. I have tried this myself, and I can absolutely say that I have completed more water-filled wine bottles than I ever do any 2-liter bottle of Poland Spring...and I am not ashamed.
Featured image by Emmanuel Ben-Paul on Unsplash
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Fontaine Felisha Foxworth is a writer and creative entrepreneur from Brooklyn New York. She is currently on the West Coast working on creating a TV Pilot called "Finding Fontaine", that details the nomadic journey of her life so far. Keep up with her shenanigans @famoustaine on IG.
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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How A Stay At Switzerland's Luxurious 7132 Hotel Reminded Me To Live The Life I Deserve
Sometimes, as women—especially as single Black women—we simply need to be reminded that we are deserving of living a life we dream of. Even if that means creating it for ourselves. I recently set out on a weeklong trip to Switzerland, a trip I’ve been wanting to take for years, and near the end of my visit, I had an epiphany.
“DeAnna, this is the life you deserve,” I thought to myself as I took in the gorgeous bathroom in my suite at the famous 7132 Hotel and Thermal Spa. It was one of the most luxurious hotels (and bathrooms) I had ever stayed in—and that’s saying a lot for someone who often travels for work.
To help you better understand why this was such a mental awakening for me, I first need to give a bit of my backstory. I’m in my late thirties. I’m an attorneyand a journalist. I own a home and have traveled the world extensively. Essentially, I’ve done everything in life I set out to do. However, when it comes to dating, I struggle. Not because there is anything wrong with me per se, but because my career and “lifestyle” often create problems in my romantic relationships.
View from my hotel room
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I’ve been told everything from, ‘I can’t continue to date you because you seem to choose your career over wanting to settle down and have kids’ by a man after only the second date to ‘Maybe if you just sat down somewhere for a while, I’d actually wife you’ by someone who has honestly never proven themselves to be the settle down type. And these are only a handful of the things I’ve been told over the years.
It’s been frustrating, to say the least, and there have even been seasons where I purposely dimmed my light in hopes that my career wouldn’t push away potential suitors. I know what you’re thinking, “Girl, why would you even consider that? If they’re for you, it won’t matter what you do.” Hey, don’t judge me, but also, I one hundred percent agree.
My hotel bathroom
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That’s why this recent moment in Switzerland was right on time. When I first walked into the hotel to check in, I was blown away by the surrounding beauty. It was a five-star property with one of the world’s most famous thermal bathhouses. Yet, it was something about seeing that 90% of the hotel’s guests were couples, that forced me to sit back for a bit of introspection—while soaking in the thermal spa, of course.
As I went through the mental conversation, there was a battle of sorts. On one hand, I knew that being able to partake in experiences like the one I was having at that moment was important to me. I knew that, at times I actually love being able to dabble in the finer things—after all, I’ve worked hard to be able to afford them. On the other hand, and sadly, I knew that sometimes being a single Black woman that publicly showcases her “luxurious” habits can intimidate men and even scare them off from pursuing you under the guise of them feeling like they “can’t do anything for you, because you have everything.”
My hotel room
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So, what is a girl to do?
Do I minimize/hide the life and experiences that I have? Do I play down the hard work I’ve put in to get where I am professionally? Or, do I risk being single in exchange for being able to have said life, without backlash?
Luckily, the joy that I felt while being at this property won. There was something about taking a full day to simply pamper myself at the bathhouse and in my in-room steam shower and soaker tub, indulging in cuisine from a 2-star Michelin restaurant and doing all of this while surrounded by an amazing group of Black women that reminded me—this is certainly the life I was meant to live and that I deserve. Even if it means that right now, I’ll just have to provide it for myself until the right partner comes along. And honestly, I’m okay with that.
Restaurant at 7132 hotel
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