Drinking enough water is a challenge for most people. Most of us rely strictly on thirst as a reminder to drink, and a mild thirst is an easy sensation to ignore. Relying on thirst alone is usually not enough to make a sufficient difference in how much water you are consuming. Some additional measure is usually required in order to establish this new habit. Here are some ideas to help you remember:

• Carrying a water bottle with you.
• Drinking at set times of the day.
• Drinking at random times of the day. For example, every time the phone rings think "When was my last drink of water?"
• If you are working in front of a computer screen all day, you can set alarms every couple of hours to remind you to take a drink.
• If you have regular breaks at work, develop a habit of starting each break with a drink.
• Every time you think of drinking a soda, drink water instead.

There is no clear evidence that drinking water during meals hinders digestion. Drinking liquids with meals is usually a matter of preference. However, if your digestion is weak, it is probably best to drink an hour or two after a meal.

Do not forget to increase salt consumption along with the extra water. When drinking lots of water throughout the day, salts (especially sodium) are washed through the kidneys and voided. Increasing salt in the diet helps prevent any imbalance that could result from significant water consumption and low salt intake. For every two quarts of water consumed per day consider an additional 1/2 teaspoon of salt added either to the water or food.