7 Sneaky Ways to Trick Yourself Into Drinking More Water

Woman smiling while drinking her water

We all know that drinking enough water every day is essential to good health, but that doesn’t mean that chugging plain water is easy. While a crisp glass of water is delicious here and there, we’re not always in the mood for it. That makes it extremely difficult to drink 2.7 liters a day if you’re a woman or 3.7 liters if you’re a man. That said, neglecting your water intake shouldn’t be an option. Instead, why not get creative with your water and make it exciting for yourself? Here are 7 sneaky ways to trick yourself into drinking more water:


Jazz up your water

sliced lemon in clear glass jarPhoto by Randy Fath on Unsplash

If plain water bores you, get creative with it! Add slices of lemon, lime, cucumber, or even strawberries to give your water a little bit of flavor without adding anything processed. Fresh herbs like mint or basil can also add a refreshing twist to your water. These things also make your water look fancy, which is a good added bonus. It’s the little things in life, you know?

Get a smart water bottle or use an app

smart water bottle

AI-generated image

Yes, smart water bottles are a thing and they make it easier for you to track your water intake. They also remind you to drink water throughout the day, which is particularly useful if you have a hard time keeping water top of mind. If getting a smart water bottle is a little too much for you, you can just download an app! There are plenty of them and they will send you reminders throughout the day. You just have to make a habit of reaching for your water bottle every time you get that notification.

Set easy goals for yourself

Woman dancing while drinking her water

Photo by Ron Lach on Pexels

One common mistake with hydration goals is that people sometimes want to get it out of the way as soon as possible. However, chugging more than one glass of water at a time is unrealistic. That’s why breaking your goal into several smaller goals is a great way to trick yourself into drinking all the water you need. For example, one glass of water every hour is perfectly doable. By the end of the day, those small sips will add up without you even noticing. You have to follow through, though. Otherwise, you won’t create the habit. At first, you’ll need to set an alarm for every hour, but if you stay consistent, it will eventually become second nature.

Eat your water

woman wearing maroon shirt holding sliced watermelonPhoto by Hana Lopez on Unsplash

If you struggle with drinking water consistently and you struggle with reaching your goals, consider eating your water instead. Water-rich foods are a great way to keep yourself hydrated without feeling like a slave to your water bottle. You should still drink a glass of water here and there, but if you munch on cucumbers, oranges, watermelon, and strawberries, you will need fewer water glasses. Soups, broths, fresh juice, and smoothies are another way to hydrate through food and it’s a lot more tasty.

Keep your water accessible

glass of water on desk while a woman works on her laptop

Photo by Karolina Kaboompics on Pexels

When you have to get up to get a glass of water, you’re immediately discouraged from it. Especially if you’re focused on work or other things. To avoid that, keep a water bottle handy. You should 100% invest in an insulated water bottle that will keep your water cool and crisp. Plus, it will help you be more sustainable. Fill it up every morning and keep it on your desk or near your person throughout the day. If you keep it in sight, you will reach for it more often for sips and it will be easy to follow through with your water app reminders.

Incorporate water into your daily routine

reminder drink water

Photo by Leeloo The First on Pexels

Drinking water is such a common thing, you may be saying to yourself, “Water is already incorporated into my daily routine.” But is it? Do you really incorporate water into your daily routine in a conscious way? If you don’t, starting will help you meet your hydration goals. For example, start your morning with a big glass of water before you have your morning coffee. Drink a glass of water before every snack and with every meal. Also, drink a glass of water before bedtime. These are all hydration rituals that can become a seamless part of your day and help you keep your water intake healthy.

Track your progress and celebrate it

Progress water intake sheet

Listen, drinking enough every day is a win. Especially when it’s a struggle for you. Like any other habit, it’s important to track your progress with it and celebrate it. For example, set weekly goals and reward yourself when you hit them. Treat yourself to whatever makes you happy, whether that’s a cookie, a new book, etc. Positive reinforcement works and it’s a good way to keep yourself motivated. Eventually, staying hydrated will be second nature to you and you will have won the war!

This Viral Video Game Is Changing the Face of Voter Outreach

In 2024, voting campaigns have evolved greatly, to say the least. Creativity is now the name of the game and tongue-in-cheek humor is expertly leveraged to drive action. One example of that is Bop the Bigot, a revival of a viral game created in 2016 by Bazta Arpaio, an Arizona activist group, as part of a campaign to unseat Maricopa County’s Sheriff Joe Arpaio. Arpaio lost his re-election to Paul Penzone that year.

The game has now been updated for the current election cycle and relaunched by On Point Studios, with new features added to enable players to find out what’s on their ballot, confirm voter status, and register to vote.

Much like its former 2016 version, the game allows users to take out their political frustrations by virtually “bopping” GOP candidates in the head. It’s very similar to whack-a-mole, except the mole is replaced by former President Donald Trump, Ohio’s Senator J. D. Vance, and Kevin Roberts, President of the Heritage Foundation, which is spearheading Project 2025.

cartoon renditions of Donald Trump and J.D. Vance around a Bop the Bigot logoPromotional image provided by On Point Studios.

B. Loewe, Director of On Point Studios, came up with the concept for this game when working as the Communications Director at Bazta Arpaio in 2016, and is the executive producer of this revamped version. In the first version of the game, Bop the Bigot players used a chancla (flip flop) to “bop” the characters, tapping into Latino culture by leaning on the childhood experience of being set right by a flying chancla from a fed-up mother or grandmother.

This year, the chancla is replaced by a more current element, a green coconut, referencing Kamala Harris’ coconut tree meme. There are also side characters like “the couch,” cat ladies, and more coconuts. All references to jokes about Vice-Presidential candidate Vance, or insults Vance has made about women on the campaign trail.

Another new addition is that Harris’ laugh is immortalized as the game-over sound effect, an unexpected detail that adds even more humor and levity to the game.

cartoon renditions of Donald Trump, Kevin Roberts, and J.D. Vance around a Bop the Bigot logoPromotional image provided by On Point Studios.

Bop the Bigot, which is playable on desktop and mobile, is intended not just as a way to vent political frustrations, but also as a tool for activism and securing voter engagement.

For example, the game supports the work of Mexican Neidi Dominguez Zamorano, Founding Executive Director of the non-profit organization Organized Power in Numbers by using the “game over” screen to prompt players to donate to it and support their efforts.

Organized Power in Numbers is focused on empowering workers in the South and Southwest of the U.S. through collective action and comprehensive campaigns. Their mission is to create a large-scale movement that challenges the status quo and advocates for workers' rights, and racial and economic justice.

Currently, Dominguez Zamorano is leading worker outreach to 2 million working-class voters in the South and Southwest through doorknocking, texting, and calls with the help of local groups in North Carolina, Arizona, New Mexico, and more.

“We have been blown away by the enthusiastic reception for the video game. We knew we wanted to be part of its creative approach because our movement needs more fun and laughter. We need more ways to connect with nuestra gente so we can feel joy among all the absurdity we witness every day,” Dominguez Zamorano shared with Luz Media via email.

“Our people are gente trabajadora and we deserve to feel uplifted even in our toughest moments. We are deeply involved in the South and Southwest so we know what’s at stake in this election and we’re happy this can be a resource to mobilize, raise spirits, and get out the vote," she concluded.

Dominguez Zamorano is a committed activist for immigrants and workers' rights, known for her strategist skills and expertise. She played a key role in the campaign to win DACA and has also held roles in major campaigns, including as Deputy National States Director for Bernie Sanders' 2020 presidential campaign. In addition to her work with Organized Power in Numbers, Dominguez Zamorano is serving as a Senior Advisor to Mijente’s Fuera Trump Initiative.

Grassroots efforts like these have taken on new life in 2024, with Bop the Bigot adding to the larger, ongoing fight against political apathy and disinformation. Just as it did during the 2016 race, the video game uses humor to soften the serious task at hand—getting people to the polls.

"We want the game to be a fun and comical outlet for anyone who’s been insulted, frustrated, or harmed by Trump in the past and everyone who is ready to move forward as a country after election day," explained Loewe in a press release. "The proposals in Project 2025 and the beliefs of Trump and Vance aren’t just weird, they’re truly harmful. We wanted to give people a humorous and peaceful way to smack down their racism and sexism. We hope it makes people laugh and also feel empowered and motivated to get to the polls on or before election day."

With a mix of satire, sharp political critique, and nostalgia, the game is a call to action. The upcoming election, which is getting closer by the minute, has sparked fierce activism and creative yet grounded initiatives like these aim to ensure voters are engaged, especially young Latinos and disenfranchised groups.

hands holding up yellow protest signs that say Hands Off Our Bodies
Photo Credit: Gayatri Malhotra via Unsplash

Originally published in Common Dreams. Reprinted with permission.

The Latino electorate will prove decisive in securing reproductive freedom and abortion access through ballot measures around the country, particularly in states where Latinos are a significant portion of the electorate.

In November, abortion rights measures will appear on ballots across ten states, including Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Nevada, and New York, where Latinos make up a significant portion of the electorate. For decades, pundits and politicians have recycled long-held misconceptions about Latino voters and abortion access, citing our conservative and religious beliefs.

Anti-abortion extremists have long fueled these misconceptions through misinformation and disinformation campaigns targeting Latino communities with egregious lies and inflammatory rhetoric about abortion. Yet, polling, focus groups, and direct interactions with Latino communities have debunked these outdated tropes.

The Latino electorate will prove decisive in securing reproductive freedom and abortion access through ballot measures around the country, particularly in states where Latinos are a significant portion of the electorate.

For Latinos, the freedom to decide, a pillar of our American democracy, is critical. Meanwhile, Latinos are being hit directly with anti-abortion efforts that take away that freedom such as the six-week abortion ban put into effect by the Florida Supreme Court and the 1864 abortion ban upheld by the Arizona Supreme Court. In the wake of the Dobbs decision, people of color and Latinas have felt the impact of a lack of abortion access, an element of basic healthcare.

A 2023 report by the National Partnership for Women and Families estimated that nearly 6.5 million Latinas, or 42% of all Latinas of reproductive age in the country, live in a state that either had or was likely to ban abortion. Ironically, it will be abortion access and anti-choice efforts to restrict freedom of choice that will mobilize Latino voters this election.

In a poll conducted by three national reproductive justice organizations, 87% of Latinas named abortion and women’s rights as one of their top priorities as they head to the polls. Another battleground poll conducted by Somos PAC and BSP Research found that 61% of Latino registered voters expressed a more positive/favorable view of Kamala Harris after hearing that she will protect abortion rights, versus only 19% of Latinos who said they had a more negative view of Harris after hearing that.

In key states to secure the White House and both chambers, Latinos make up large chunks of the electorate: Arizona (25%), Colorado (15%), Florida (20%), Nevada (20%), and New York (12%). In the face of unprecedented attacks on basic healthcare access and targeted attempts by extremists to mislead and divide our community on this issue, this November Latinos will be key deciders on abortion access across the country.

Mari Urbina, Managing Director of Indivisible, Battleground Arizona Lead and former Harry Reid advisor.

Héctor Sánchez Barba is president and CEO of Mi Familia Vota (MFV).