Water Through the Day
A glass of water when you wake up and with every meal. Staying hydrated without counting glasses.
For people who forget to drink during the day. Water is tied to waking up and three meals, with a short check in the afternoon, a few minutes a day in total.
A day in the program
Tasks, in order.
Times assume waking at 7:00 and going to sleep at 23:00. In the app, they shift to fit you.
Morning
- 7:00Drink a glass when you wake up300 ml · Water · Every day
When you get up, drink 250 to 300 ml of water from the glass waiting on your nightstand. Shift the time to match your alarm.
Caution. If your doctor has limited your fluids, for example because of your heart or kidneys, follow their advice, not this program.
The metabolism myth. Morning water is a good anchor, but not a metabolic miracle. The claimed 30% was not confirmed; a later study found only a small effect (Brown et al. 2006).
- 8:00Drink a glass with breakfast250 ml · Water · Every day
When you sit down to breakfast, pour a glass of water before your coffee. From the second week, keep a bottle on your desk during the day; the target for drinks is 1.5 to 2 liters, including tea and coffee.
Eight glasses. The eight-glasses rule is not supported by studies. Needs vary with your body, activity, weather and age (Valtin 2002, Yamada et al. 2022).
Midday
- 12:30Drink a glass with lunch250 ml · Water · Every day
When you order or serve yourself lunch, add a glass of water.
Coffee counts. Tea and coffee count toward your fluid intake too (NHS).
Afternoon
- 16:00Check the color of your urineWater · Every day
When you go to the bathroom in the afternoon, check the color of your urine. Pale yellow is fine; if it is darker, have an extra glass of water.
More is not better. Drinking well beyond your needs can be harmful; during long activity, drinking to thirst is recommended (Hew-Butler et al. 2015).
Evening
- 18:30Drink a glass with dinner250 ml · Water · Every day
When you set the table for dinner, put out a glass of water for yourself too.
How much in total. EFSA sets total water at 2.0 l a day for women and 2.5 l for men; about a fifth comes from food (EFSA 2010).
General suggestions for everyday wellbeing, not medical advice. Adjust the tasks to suit you. If you have a health condition, are pregnant or take medication regularly, talk to your doctor before making changes.
What our programs build onSources
What the program builds on.
The program is based on EFSA's reference water intake: 2.0 l for women and 2.5 l for men, including food.
The program counts tea and coffee too, because they count toward your fluid intake.
The program does not push you to drink beyond thirst, because drinking well beyond your needs can be harmful.
The program does not impose eight glasses, because that rule is not supported by studies.
Each glass is tied to a meal or to waking up, because a habit holds on to the same daily cue.
The morning glass is in the program as an anchor, not a metabolic trick, because the study found only a small effect.