Alright, so I wanted to talk about this whole “aqua tracking” thing I’ve been trying. It’s not like I woke up one day and decided to become a hydration guru or anything. It was more like a slow, annoying realization that I probably wasn’t drinking enough water. You know how it is, you hear it all the time: “Drink more water! It’s good for you!” Yeah, yeah, I know.
For ages, I just figured I was fine. I’d drink when I was thirsty. Seemed logical, right? But then I started noticing I was getting these dull headaches more often, and my energy would just tank by mid-afternoon. I’d be sitting at my desk feeling like a slug. Not fun. I tried more coffee, which, spoiler alert, probably didn’t help the hydration situation.
My first brilliant idea was, of course, to just remember to drink more.
That was a total flop. My brain is like a sieve when it comes to stuff like that. I’d have the best intentions in the morning, and by 10 AM, I’d be elbow-deep in some task and water would be the last thing on my mind. So, “just remembering” went out the window pretty fast.
Then I thought, “Okay, I need a system!” I saw those massive water bottles, the ones with the time markers printed on them: “9 AM – You got this!”, “11 AM – Keep chugging!”. Seemed like a good idea. So I bought one. It was this bright pink thing, couldn’t miss it. For the first few days, it was kind of novel. I’d look at it and think, “Oh yeah, water.” But honestly, lugging that thing around was a pain. And if I forgot it at home, then the whole day was a write-off, water-wise.
Next up, I decided to get techy with it. I mean, there’s an app for everything, right? So I searched for “water tracker” apps. Man, there are a million of them. I downloaded a few.
- The first one was super aggressive with notifications. “DRINK WATER NOW!” it would practically scream at me every hour. Too much pressure. Deleted.
- Another one wanted me to log every single sip, and then categorize it. Was it plain water? Sparkling? Infused? Too complicated. I just wanted to drink more, not write a dissertation on my fluid intake.
- One had a cute little virtual plant that would wilt if I didn’t log water. That just made me feel guilty, which wasn’t really the motivation I was going for.
I was getting pretty fed up. It felt like this simple thing – drinking water – was turning into another chore. I was almost ready to just go back to my old ways of accidental dehydration.
But then, I kind of stumbled into what I’m doing now. It’s not revolutionary, and it’s definitely not perfect. I realized I was overthinking it with all the apps and special bottles. What I do now is super basic. I got a regular-sized water bottle, one that I actually like the look and feel of – nothing fancy. The main thing is I fill it up as soon as I get to my desk in the morning. It just sits there, in my eye-line. My only “rule” is to try and finish it by lunch. Then I refill it and try to finish that second one by the time I leave work.
I also started tying it to other habits. Like, if I get up to use the restroom, I take a few gulps when I sit back down. Or if I’m waiting for the kettle to boil for my (still essential) coffee, I’ll drink a small glass of water then. It’s these little cues that seem to work better for me than any app.
So, has it changed my life? Am I a new person?
Nah, not really. But I will say, those afternoon headaches are mostly gone. And I do feel a bit less like a zombie by 3 PM. It’s not a magic fix. Some days I still forget, or I just don’t hit my “goal.” But it’s way better than before. It’s funny how sometimes the simplest approach is the one that actually sticks. For me, this “aqua tracking” journey ended up being less about tracking and more about just making water a bit more present in my day, without all the fuss. It’s still a work in progress, but hey, what isn’t?
