I am not sure if anyone has tried this, but a friend of mine told me to use a straw when drinking my water. I have no idea why, but you end up drinking a ton more water each day - at least I do along with other friends I know! I can drink double the amount if I am using a straw.
Anyway, just thought I'd share. For awhile there I would forget to drink enough water which is really bad if you are exercising often, but I have to say this little trick really did work for me.
I drink out of a water bottle that I keep with me everywhere I go and keep filling up. I also have goals to finish at different times durring the day. I end up drinking 5-6 liters a day but I pee all the time!!
Another way to drink more water is to add some unsweetened cranberry juice (not cocktail) to your water, half a cup per quart. It is very refreshing, good for you, low in calories, more interesting than water alone...
I've been adding a squeeze of lemon or lime.. helps make it more drinkable.. I'll have to try the straw..
I saw some thing about some spa giving their guests hot water to drink saying it is better than cold.. anyone know anything about that? Is it an old wives tale?
Thanks for the tip. This week the thing that has propelled me to drink more water is eating a cookie, or 2, or 3....I drink a liter of water in no time flat. Amazing what a cookie can do....but I guess they are also what got me to this point in the first place.
I've noticed that I drink more water when I drink out of "Smart Water" Water bottles. "Smart Water" is a brand and it has a scale on the side... I have 3 1.5 liter bottles and I can usually get down 1 or 2 a day. I just keep filling them at the tap. The scale helps...I'm not sure why... maybe I'm a bit crazy
I don't think I could handle hot water instead of cold. I don't see how it would be any better for you, either. After all, water is water, so I don't understand how heating it up would change anything. After all, a cooked vegetable isn't better for you than a raw one
I had a friend once who used to drink her water with a couple of slices of lemon. I started doing that also, I liked the taste. I think it was the only time I ever drank so much water. Actually one of my weird cravings when I was pregnant was water.
I also heard somewhere that adding a slice of cucumber will also give it a fresh taste.
I use sport bottles. They're just easy for me to transport and drink while driving a stick shift. No fiddling with the cap, etc. And I can keep them in the fridge so I have a cold bottle of water on hand. If it's not cold, I won't drink it. Buying the sport bottles helped me to get my water intake up.
As for straws...
Don't know if they make you drink more water, but I always heard drinking beer with one gave you a buzz faster. LOL
I've never heard that about hot water... I think its made up lol
I have heard quite a few times, that you burn a few more calories by drinking cold water... because your body has to spend energy to heat the water up. Here's a pretty good explanation of it. http://science.howstuffworks.com/question447.htm
I will have to try the straw thing, I do tend to drink more if I use a straw
I was at a hotsprings spa once and we were given the hot water to "heal on the inside"--just something to keep you in the spa frame of mind, i guess. But I have also heard that if you are really exerting yourself and run a chance of dehydration, drinking room temp water is best because it will hydrate you faster since your body doesn't have to heat it up before it gets to use it. I however, certainly do not want to rush to a bottle of warm water after exercising! (shudder!)
A tip to help you drink more water.....
and it has a scale on the side... I have 3 1.5 liter bottles and I can usually get down 1 or 2 a day. I just keep filling them at the tap. The scale helps...I'm not sure why... maybe I'm a bit crazy 
