Less time spent sweating it out at the beach under the sun and more time freezing our way through the polar temperatures we've been shivering through this winter means that we often forget to stay hydrated. Sayonara H20, hello hot chocolates and heaters (not to mention winter’s BFF, red wine).

While you might feel fine drinking less water in the cooler climates, your body definitely disagrees. Headaches? Fatigue? Dry skin? These are all signs that more water needs to pass between your (probably) chapped lips.

Follow these simple tips though, and you'll be hydrated and ready to fight the blizzards ('scuse the hyperbole).

1. Throw back a glass of water before each meal. 

If you make this a habit, it will put less pressure on you to drink water throughout the day. Bonus: it will probably help you to decrease your food portions too. Win, win!

2. Splash some cash on a nice water bottle. 

There's no better way to kick start your new friendship with H20 than by purchasing a fancy new water canteen. Besides, drinking from a dirty old plastic bottle does not a pleasant taste make, and ain't nobody got time to constantly be filling up.

3. Get creative with your fluids. 

Up your water intake by way of upping your herbal tea intake, which should be easy to do when there are so many delicious flavours on the market: peppermint, ginger, chamomile, lemon balm, and rosehip to name a few. Not about the tea life? Add a fruity flavor to your chilled or sparkling water, like berries or citrus, and voila—you've turned your boring bev into a fun drank.

4. Make H20 habitual. 

Incorporate a glass of water into parts of the day where you already have a routine. Add a glass of water into the mix when you get your morning coffee, brush your teeth, or while preparing your dinner at night. This will make you more likely to remember it, and actually commit.

5. Invest in some hydration hardware, like the Zip HydroTap.

You will literally have chilled, sparkling, AND boiling water on tap at all times. De-licious. The Zip HydroTap is energy efficient and environmentally responsible, while adding some swagger to your bench top. It eliminates the taste and odor of chlorine (gross), and makes staying on top of your hydration so much easier, and so much more palatable.

Bottoms up!

Article written by Sophia McMeekin for The Urban List.

http://www.theurbanlist.com/brisbane/a-list/5-steps-to-staying-hydrated-in-winter