Adequate hydration is vital for health and fat loss. People often struggle with getting in enough water throughout the day, so here are a few simple tips on ways you can increase your hydration levels, even if you struggle drinking water.

1. Reduce your caffeine intake. Caffeine is a dehydrator. So, you may think you are getting in liquid but in actual fact it is causing you to urinate out the fluid you consume with these beverages. This includes coffee, teas that contain black tea, energy drinks, and cola drinks.
2. Add berries or citrus fruit into your water to infuse the flavor and make it more palatable.
3. Eat more vegetables. Vegetables contain lots of water. So eating them in their freshest form is an excellent way to increase hydration. The less you cook them, the more water you will get from them.
4. Soups, stews and casseroles are an excellent way to increase water intake.
5. Drink non caffeinated, unsweetened, herbal teas.
6. Avoid over salty foods, especially processed foods that contain hidden salt. Excess salt is removed by the kidneys into your urine. Salt holds onto water. So the more salt you consume, the more water your excrete.
7. Enjoy fresh fruit rather than processed sweet treats. Fruit, like vegetables, contain plenty of water than can help hydration. So if you are craving a sweet treat, opt for a piece of fruit instead.
8. Ensure your magnesium levels are sufficient and supplement if not. Magnesium is one of our vital electrolytes and deficiency often leads to inadequate hydration. The others are potassium and sodium, both of which most people have adequate levels. Magnesium is found in our soils and passed up into plants through their roots. So you should be getting plenty through your fruit and vegetables. However the nutrient deficiency in our soils today as a result of current farming practices, leads to insufficient magnesium in soil and therefore in our fruit and vegetables.
9. Drink plenty of water throughout the day. Aim for at least a litre by midday. A great way to ensure you are drinking enough, is to track it on a water intake app on your smart phone.
10. If you are feeling peckish, or hungry, drink a glass of water. If after 10-15 minutes you are still hungry then eat. Often people mistaken thirst for hunger.