For me at least, the late 40s have brought with them a few ailments that are now starting to show up. I’m in physical therapy to fix my posture which unchecked causes lower back pain. I have odd swelling in one of my ankles. One thing my physician asked me during my annual checkup was “How much water do you drink”? My answer? Huh?

I drink water when I am thirsty!

Also, I drink about 2-3 cups of coffee a day.

For the past few weeks, I have decided to run an experiment - drink the amount of water I’m supposed to drink. How much is that? 75oz a day - or 2.2 Liters. Prior to this, I’d guess I drank 16oz of water a day, not including coffee.

To hold myself accountable I am using an app called Water Minder. I tap it on my Apple Watch to record a drink. This plus the Zero app for intermittent fasting are the two main apps I use on my Watch. (side note, I lost about 7 lbs (4% of my body weight in 3 months using Zero and fasting 16h every day, so I eat from 12pm - 8pm).

Then I discovered a neat stainless steel water bottle made by Hidratespark. You can find them at the Apple Store and Amazon or order direct. I purchased the 22oz bottle. The Hidratespark is a smart water bottle that has a built-in scale that measures your water intake and then records this on your iPhone. That information is then shared with Apple Health. Both Water Minder and the Hidratespark app, therefore, know about each other. It’s a great combination.

The bottle has a fun LED at the bottom that comes on to remind you if you are behind your goal and to congratulate you for drinking water.

I’m happy to report that for 3 weeks I have passed my goal of drinking water, and my ankle isn’t swollen any more.

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