If you want to be skinnier, drink more water.

If you want to be healthier, drink more water.

And if you want to be more beautiful, drink more water.

Do I need to say it one more time? DRINK MORE WATER.

This might sound a little extreme, I know water doesn't cure all illnesses... Or does it? Drinking enough water certainly has its lot of health and beauty-related benefits:

  • Keeps the skin youthful looking and helps fight acne and other imperfetions

  • Helps with weight control and unnecessary weight gain

  • Reduces bloating and other digestive issues

  • Helps maintain a healthy gut flora (read all about gut health here)

  • Helps minimizing the symptoms of allergies inflamations

I could keep going for a day, because truth is, our bodies just need water to function like the well-oiled machines that they are. And that’s all great, but the question a majority of people ask themselves is how the fuck do I drink so much water?

And listen, I used to ask myself the same thing. I was in school, working 2 jobs, so I didn’t exactly have time to sit around, sipping on a tall glass of water with lemon and mint. I’d have a glass of water in the morning (nothing better to cure a mild hangover), but that was about it. During the day, at school, I’d drink coffee after coffee, usually between 4 and 10 a day. And then at night, I’d have a few drinks at the bar I worked at. Needless to say, I was most likely permanently dehydrated... On top of leading a lifestyle that wasn't exactly healthy.

At the time, I didn’t see any problems with my habits, but looking back, I realize how much better I could have felt back then, if only I drank more water.

Still in a way, I’m kind of lucky. I never liked juice and soft drinks, so I would either drink water, coffee or alcohol. And I’m still that way now. To me, the best way to ruin a perfect day is having a glass of OJ with breakfast. Which brings me to my first point:


Stop Drinking Juices & Sugar-Filled Soft Drinks

While not drinking sweet juices and Coke all day doesn’t necessarily make one drink more water, at least it helps not gulping down insane amounts of sugar and calories. Just as a point of reference, in one glass of the most basic orange-mango juice (with no sugar added), there's about 120 calories and 28grams of carbs. That's insane! You know how many calories and carbs are in water? A big old 0. 

And I understand that some healthy juices are full of vitamins and all, but it's absolutely not necessary to drink half a carton of juice a day. That's overkill. Same goes for all soft drinks like Coke, Pepsi, Mountain Dew and all. Yes, there are diet versions with no sugar, but there's still nothing good for you in there. So by cutting these out as much as possible and drinking water instead, it's really hitting 2 birds with one stone.

If you really love sweet drinks, and find plain water gross and unattractive, there are plenty of other solutions to help you drink water in a healthy way:

Spice Up Your Plain Water

I happen to just love drinking plain water, and I truly feel like it's the only thing that really quenches thirst. That being said, I understand how it can get boring real quick, because I live with someone who hates drinking water.

The good news is, there are plenty of ways to drink more water that don't involve a trip to boring-land. The only soft drink that I welcome in my fridge is LaCroix water. I converted Sasha to it, and he hasn't looked back since! Basically, LaCroix water is just water, with fizz and natural flavours. No sugars, no calories, no disgusting BS additives. And they have a TON of flavours, so it's real easy to switch things up, too. Peach-pear, grapefruit and passionfruit are some of my favourite flavours.

Another way I like to drink water is by drinking tea. As long as you don't add sugar to it, tea is really healthy and actually has great benefits to it, depending on which kind of tea you drink. It's also great when it's cold and you want to warm up a little, like me 95% of the time. It's also great if you're trying to cut back on coffee a little. This one is on top of my all-time favourite list and it's the one I'm drinking at the moment, but I also enjoy pretty much any variation of Moroccan mint tea.

The last thing I sometimes do is simply add fresh or frozen fruit to my water. I like grapefruit, lemon, and frozen raspberries with a touch of mint. It's like a homemade fruit-flavoured juice, with a tiny fraction of the calories and carbs you'd have in a glass of juice.


Get Yourself A Great Bottle

...Of water, I mean. If you're like me when I was in college or worked in the corporate world, you most likely don't drink enough water because it's not easily accessible. And let's face it, if you have a busy, tiring day and you end up at Starbucks, are you really gonna pay 4$ for a bottle of water, or get yourself a latte? Same.

The one way I found to drink more water was to always carry it with me... In a bottle stylish enough that I actually wanted to bring it with me, instead of forgetting it at home on purpose. This one is my favourite one ever, because first, it looks cool AF and I LOVE crystals, but it's also clear, which means you always know exactly how much water you drank/have left. If you're looking for a cheaper, but stylish version, this one is great too, and 10% of the profits are used to fun clean water projects.

That's it guys, it's pretty simple in the end, isn't it? With these 3 tips, I'm sure I'm always hydrated, and drinking 2L of water a day has simply become second nature to me. Now that I do, I feel much less focused and energetic, surprisingly more so than when I drank humongous amounts of caffeine. My skin has also improved drastically and I sleep better at night.

It sounds simple, but it really makes a huge difference. For anyone who does drink a lot of water, have you noticed a significant difference? Is anyone motivated to start hydrating up? Hit me up in the comment section below or on Instagram, and give me all YOUR tips for making sure you drink enough water!

Have a great week guys!

Love, Jenny xx

*All photos in this post taken by the amazing Marie-Louise Collins. Find her work here.