Drinking water is an integral part of keeping our minds and bodies fit and healthy. There are many benefits that go hand-in-hand with drinking water regularly throughout the day. Drinking more water as part of your diet maintains vital body functions (including the important transportation of waste products through the kidneys), controls calories, energises muscles, keeps your skin looking great and ensures superior gut health.

NHS Choices recommends drinking six to eight glasses of water per day – that’s 1.2 litres. You may need to drink more water during a heatwave. If you’re not used to drinking this much water or, like most people, your busy lifestyle distracts you from hitting this daily target, achieving the coveted eight glasses per day won’t be easy.

Technology can be a great help, and many people rely on apps to monitor various areas of their lives – including their water intake. Using an app tracker ensures you can hit those targets and reap the rewards of staying hydrated. Read on, to discover the best apps for tracking water intake.

Plant Nanny

Nothing gets a person’s competitive spirit going like a good game. Adding an element of gamification to water intake tracking, Plant Nanny is a water reminder with a difference. Your water intake is used to keep a plant alive, an action that can take much of the tedium out of tracking. It’s also completely family friendly so can be used by the whole family. Plant Nanny is free to download and available via Google Play and iTunes.

Aloe Bud

Looking for app that gives you complete control over your daily self-care? Then Aloe Bud is the perfect app for you. This wellness app isn’t just super cute, it offers a customisable approach to managing absolutely everything, including what you drink and eat, and when you go to bed, brush your teeth, and exercise. In terms of water intake, Aloe Bud’s simple one-tap sign-in makes it easy for you to record in real time. You can also go into as much detail as you want recording what you drank, how much and any other information that you feel is relevant.

The problem with Aloe Bud is that it’s currently only available for iOS – you can download it via iTunes here. Android users shouldn’t despair however; plans are underway to roll out the app on Android in 2019.

My Water Balance

Get back to basics with this easy-to-use water intake tracking app. Using My Water Balance, your intake is displayed as a simple percentage of your daily target. My Water Balance gives you the means to gauge how much water you should drink every day, with the amount of water required calculated using details that are personal to you.

Adding a drink and recording intake couldn’t be easier. This app also takes into account the type of drink you consume, recording your remaining intake percentage accordingly. Beware though, some drinks are more hydrating than others. Drinking alcohol for instance will have a negative impact on your intake percentage. The British Nutrition Foundation (@BNFEvents) offers more details on why some drinks are more hydrating and healthier than others:

“All non-alcoholic drinks can contribute to hydration and some also contain essential vitamins and minerals. However, many drinks, such as soft drinks and fruit juices are high in sugars and so contain energy (calories). These calories contribute to your daily intake in the same way as those from the foods you eat and higher consumption of sugary drinks has been associated with risk of type 2 diabetes and with weight gain in children.”

Drinking water is the best choice for complete hydration. Whilst tea, coffee, and unhealthy drinks count towards your intake in some respects, the caffeine within can have a dehydrating effect. Download My Water Balance for Android or iOS to get started.