I was going through my “sale” notification emails, and surprise! There was a free app to drink more water that normally would cost $1.99. You don’t have to tell me twice. I downloaded the app and immediately texted my mother-in-law, because she loves “free” and needs to drink her water.

I opened the app and found that I should be drinking about 80 ounces of water. What? Why? I immediately contacted my best friend, Google, for answers.

It turns out that ¾ of our bodies are water. Basically, we are made of water!

The Brain is comprised of approximately 80% water. It shouldn’t be a surprise then, that drinking water and brain function are linked. Just a 2% drop of body water will cause problems with focus, short-term memory, motor skills and brain fog. This mild dehydration can cause headaches, sleep issues, fatigue, irritability and even depression.

The Digestive System when hydrated, helps us, you know, “go”, by adding fluid to the colon and bulk to stools to flush waste material out of our intestines. Staying hydrated may be more important than eating fiber for staying regular.

Kidneys are over 80% water so hydration reduces the burden on them to flush waste products and bacteria through our urinary tract.

Seniors are more at risk of dehydration as the sensation of thirst decreases with age, and their kidneys have decreased ability to concentrate urine.

Drinking water leads to frequent urination, so the fear of not having facilities nearby may lead the elderly to avoid liquids. (I know I don’t drink water after 4:30 pm so I can make it home from work without stopping at a McDonalds to use their facilities). It’s logical, right? Wrong! Drinking plenty of water throughout the day can actually help stop leakage and improve bladder control.

Observing the color of urine is an easy way to assess whether you’re properly hydrated.

Your heart is composed of 73% water. Keeping hydrated helps the heart more easily pump blood (which is 90% water), through the blood vessels to the muscles. And, it helps the muscles work efficiently. Research shows that consuming “high-energy fluids” (like soda and juice) increases the risk of death from coronary heart disease.

It could help you lose weight because drinking water before meals has you eating less. Also, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it’s often mistaken for hunger. You may not be as hungry as you think.

With plenty of water in your body, the chance of developing Arthritis lessens because there is less friction in your joints.

Rock the smile! Drinking plenty of water reduces cavities and tooth decay. Water helps produce saliva, which keeps your mouth and teeth clean.

Drinking plenty of water also helps hydrate the skin, which in turn reduces the signs of aging. What’s better than being skinny and looking young?

So how was I going to get all that water in me when I drink coffee until cocktail hour? Well, I have a cup of coffee at home and one when I get to the office. From then on, I drink water (until cocktail hour). It can get pretty boring so here are some ideas to boost your intake:

Change up the way you drink water. Use a pretty glass instead of a bottle. Change the temperature to just cooler than room temperature to  drink it faster. Or, drink some of it HOT. Have a nice cup of decaf tea (caffeine robs you of water as it’s a diuretic).

Drink with a giant straw from McDonalds or a milk shake straw. This allows bigger gulps, so you drink more at a time. Plus it keeps the ice from attacking your face. Win. And. Win.

Straws can make your water drinking fun!

I just plain FORGET to drink water! To help you remember, add a drink to routines you’ve already established—after brushing your teeth or always with a meal out (added bonus: you’ll eat less and save some currency).

Let’s face it: most of us have our phones with us, so use them to your benefit. Set the timer or download a free app such as Waterlogged or Daily Water to help track, store, and analyze your water consumption.

I opt out of using the flavoring you see in stores and discovered infusing your water naturally with fruits, veggies and herbs is the way to go. Fill your pitcher to the top with ice and fruit, veggies and/or herbs. Cover with cold filtered water and let the water infuse at least 1 hour.

Find great combinations from the liquid hand soap aisle (Although I’d avoid white cotton, oatmeal and beach sand):

• Lemon Mint
• Mandarin Mango
• Lavender Chamomile
• Citrus–Lemons, limes and oranges (just make sure you don’t leave them in the water for over an hour because the rinds make the water bitter)
• Lime and basil
• Cucumber and Melon
• Blueberry
• Green Apple
• Pink grapefruit

Change up your cubes! Just texture changes the experience, so instead of cubes how about crushed ice? Or buy ice-cube trays in fun shapes. Dropping some berries or grapes into your ice cube trays before filling will add flavor along with the eye-candy.

Can you imagine how pretty those ice cubes shaped to get into water bottles would look with blueberries or lavender?

Get more motivation with this:

This post is directed towards the middle-aged and older. The younger generation seem to drink their water pretty regularly. Their water bottles stick to them like fat thighs.

For all of us who drink little or no water, let’s surprise our organs with a quenching glass of water!