This post was sponsored by Avitae Caffeinated Water as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.
The road to enjoying water has been a long one, my friends. I was never the type of person who said “Oh, water is fine”. I was always craving juice or Diet Coke. In fact, if you look back through old posts you will see my affinity for Diet Coke ran very, very deep. When I wasn’t drinking soda, I was pounding coffee. When I started to workout more and more, I knew that my body needed to better hydrated, but drinking water alone just sounded…well, awful. What is it about drinking water that just isn’t enjoyable? Am I alone here?! Over time, I have found ways to cut back on soda, juice and coffee (I know – I’m as shocked as you are) and incorporate more water into my day and actually enjoy it in the process. Do I still enjoy other beverages from time to time? Of course! Do I still drink coffee every morning? Yep! But I’m not drinking the amount I used to of any of the aforementioned beverages, which is a win in my book. If this sounds like something you struggle with, too, today’s post on how I taught myself to enjoy drinking water is for you.
How I Taught Myself To Enjoy Drinking Water
1. Swap every other drink for water. This was the first suggestion that I really put into practice into my day-to-day. If I wanted to have juice or a Diet Coke, I needed to follow it up with it for AT LEAST 8-10 ounces of water. This is something I still do no matter what (it’s especially good if you’re out and consuming alcohol), and it certainly helps make the “treat drinks” a little bit more special to be honest! If my last drink of the day happens to be a treat drink, I always keep my refillable water bottle on my nightstand, so that water is the last thing I consume each night. This has almost become a little bit of a personal competition with myself, if I’m being totally honest!
2. Drink water first thing in the morning. Coffee has always been my go-to from the hours of 5AM – 1PM (I know – you are probably shaking your head) I talked a little bit before about how I’m cutting down on coffee, and it’s working! That said, both my mom and mother-in-law have said for years that I should be starting the day with hot lemon water and I’ll be totally honest — I just could not get on board. When I discovered Avitae, I figured it might be a a good way to ease into this routine since it has natural caffeine in it. Made with purified water and natural caffeine derived from green coffee beans, Avitae has zero calories and zero sugars in its unflavored, flavored and “Sparking Avitae” options. My two favorite flavors are Raspberry Lime + Berry Kiwi. I’m a complete work in progress as far as drinking water first thing in the morning. Some mornings I hop out of bed and think “I’m going to go for it! TODAY IS THE DAY!” And other days I just want my comfort cup of coffee, but I have been stopping after 1, which is a huge step for me.
Just a little note about the caffeine – I was a little bit doubtful that the caffeine boost in these would be anything worth nothing. I WAS WRONG. I drank a bottle one afternoon when I felt myself hitting a slump in the work day around 2PM. I got all of my work done, whizzed around the house cleaning and then was up until about 2 in the morning wide awake. For a girl that normally goes to bed at 8:30PM without hesitation, that was a really, really long night. Since, I make a conscious effort to only consume it before noon. So use this as motivation or a warning – your choice 😉 To try it for yourself, find where Avitae is sold near you: https://goavitae.com/find-now/ and get your first bottle FREE with this in-store coupon (expires 10/31/18). Buy Avitae online and get 30% off your purchase when you use code 30AVITAE2018 at checkout (expires 9/15/18). Shop here.
3. Try sparkling or flavored waters. We all have those moments when we’re just like – I want a drink that has a little bit of “something something” extra. And if you’re not nodding you’re head, I want to meet you in person. I get this feeling no less than 2 times per day. When this happens, I know that I need to spice up my standard water with flavor or go for something sparkling with bubbles. One of the reasons I love Diet Coke is for the carbonation, so carbonated water is a great alternative for me. If you’re someone who wants flavor in their drinks, flavored water has come a long, long way, I promise. It doesn’t taste fake or leave a weird aftertaste (a top-level concern of mine).
If you are a water lover, what are your tips for drinking more? If you’re still learning to love drinking water, did you find these tips helpful?