The Water Wisdom: Your Winter Hydration Action Plan

Here's my practical advice for maintaining clean water hydration throughout winter:

Drink clean water consistently throughout the day. Don't wait until you're thirsty. In winter, your thirst signals decrease dramatically, so thirst isn't a reliable indicator. Set a water intake goal—half your body weight in ounces of water daily—and track your water drinking. You might even need to set an alarm. I remember on the breaks between school terms I was more likely to get dehydrated! Because we had such a set schedule for filling the water and peeing, drinking all through class and so when that schedule was missing, so was my regularity.

Filter your water for cleaner hydration. Your liver and kidneys are the primary organs filtering and detoxifying your entire body already. Give them clean water to work with, and they'll thank you by working even more effectively and efficiently. Poor water quality forces these organs to work overtime just to clean the water before they can help use it to clean your body.

Make your water interesting so you'll drink it. Add a pinch of salt to your water, add fresh herbs, add fruit slices, or enjoy it as herbal water tea. The water you'll actually enjoy drinking is better than perfect water you avoid.

Sip water slowly and intentionally. Gulping down huge bottles of water at once is far less effective than sipping water slowly throughout the day. When you sip water gradually, your body has time to actually absorb the water into your cells.

Drink most of your water away from meals. Try to consume your water intake between meals (or after eating) so you don't dilute your digestive enzymes with water. Your digestive system needs concentrated enzymes to break down food properly.