Hydration After 50: Make Drinking Water Easier to Remember

 

If drinking more water feels like another chore, make it easier—not perfect.

We all know we're supposed to drink water. But knowing something is good for us and actually remembering to do it throughout a busy day are two completely different things.

You wake up, grab your coffee, start answering emails, head to work, run errands, take care of everybody else, and suddenly it's halfway through the afternoon.

Then you notice the water bottle you filled that morning is still sitting there practically untouched.

Girlfriend, I've been there.

And I've realized something: sometimes we don't need another wellness goal. We need to make the healthy choice easier to remember.

That's especially true when it comes to hydration.

Why Hydration Matters After 50

Water is essential for normal body functions. It helps regulate body temperature, supports digestion, carries nutrients throughout the body, and helps the body remove waste.

And as we get older, paying attention to hydration can become even more important because our sense of thirst may not always be the best reminder to drink.

But I don't want drinking water to become another thing on our long list of things we're supposedly doing "wrong."

Instead, let's make hydration part of routines we're already doing.

Stop Trying to Remember—Create Water Cues

One of the easiest ways to build a new habit is to connect it to something that's already part of your day.

Think about your normal routine.

• You wake up.
• You eat breakfast.
• You take medications or supplements.
• You have lunch.
• You take a walk.
• You sit down at your desk.
• You prepare dinner.
• You settle in for the evening.

Those everyday moments can become your hydration cues.

Instead of telling yourself, I need to drink more water today, try something more specific:

Wake up → Have a glass of water.

Eat lunch → Drink water with your meal.

Finish your walk → Reach for your water bottle.

Now you don't have to depend entirely on remembering. Your existing routine becomes the reminder.

Start With Three Water Moments

Here's what I don't want you to do.

Don't finish reading this article and create an elaborate hydration schedule that you're tired of following by Friday.

Choose three moments.

That's it.

For example:

Morning: Drink a glass of water after waking.

Afternoon: Drink water with lunch.

Evening: Have water with dinner.

Once those habits begin feeling natural, you can decide whether you want to add another.

We're building sustainable habits—not auditioning for the Wellness Olympics.

Keep Water Where You Can See It

Sometimes the easiest wellness strategy is also the most obvious:

Put the water in front of you.

If you're working at a desk, keep your bottle within reach.

If you're spending the afternoon around the house, bring your water into the room with you.

If you tend to forget your water when leaving home, put your bottle near your handbag, keys, or another item you know you won't leave without.

You can also fill your bottle before bed and have it ready for the next morning.

Out of sight can quickly become out of mind.

Make hydration visible.

Use a Cup or Bottle You Actually Like

This may sound like a small thing, but sometimes the little details help us stick with a habit.

Use the pretty glass.

Buy the tumbler you enjoy carrying.

Use the reusable bottle that fits comfortably in your handbag or car cup holder.

Add a straw if you find yourself drinking more that way.

Wellness doesn't have to look clinical.

We're grown women. If drinking from a beautiful glass makes an ordinary Tuesday morning feel a little more luxurious, I'm all for it.

Give Your Water a Little Personality

Plain water isn't everyone's favorite.

You can make it more appealing by adding ingredients such as:

• Fresh lemon or lime

• Cucumber slices

• Fresh mint

• Basil

• Berries

• Orange slices

Try different combinations until you find something you genuinely enjoy.

A cold glass of cucumber-and-mint water can feel completely different from forcing yourself to finish another bottle of plain water simply because somebody told you that you should.

Pair Water With Your Medications—When Appropriate

If you take daily medications or supplements that are supposed to be taken with water, that routine may also serve as a helpful hydration reminder.

However, always follow the directions for your specific medications and the recommendations you've received from your healthcare provider or pharmacist.

And this brings me to something particularly important.

Your Hydration Needs Are Personal

You've probably seen recommendations online telling everyone exactly how many ounces—or giant bottles—of water they should drink every day.

Our bodies and health circumstances aren't identical.

Some health conditions and medications can affect how much fluid is appropriate for an individual. If your physician or another healthcare professional has given you a specific fluid limit or hydration recommendation, that personalized guidance comes before general wellness advice.

More isn't automatically better.

The goal is appropriate hydration for you.

Make Hydration Part of Your Lifestyle

As women over 50, I think one of the best things we can do for ourselves is stop approaching wellness as a temporary project.

We're creating lifestyles.

And lifestyles are built from ordinary things we can repeat.

A glass of water in the morning.

A bottle sitting beside us while we're working.

Water after our afternoon walk.

A pretty glass filled with cucumber and lemon beside dinner.

None of these things feels dramatic.

That's exactly the point.

Healthy living doesn't always require a dramatic transformation. Sometimes it's simply making the better choice easier to repeat.

Your Wellness Wednesday Challenge

Here's your challenge for this week:

Choose three daily moments that will become your water reminders.

Write them down:

1. __________________ → Water

2. __________________ → Water

3. __________________ → Water

Maybe it's waking up, lunch, and your afternoon walk.

Maybe it's breakfast, medication time, and dinner.

Choose moments that already happen consistently in your life.

Then put your favorite bottle or glass somewhere you'll see it.

That's your starting point.

No guilt.

No complicated rules.

No perfection.

Just one small wellness habit made a little easier.

Girlfriend, Let's Talk

Now I want to hear from you.

What helps you drink water consistently?

Do you have a favorite tumbler? Do you add lemon, cucumber, mint, or fruit? Do you set reminders on your phone? Or does simply keeping your water where you can see it make the biggest difference?

Share your favorite hydration trick in the comments.

Because one of the things I love about this community is that we're not just figuring out how to live well after 50 individually—we're helping each other do it.

Remember: make wellness easier, not perfect.

Here's to living well, feeling good, and creating a vibrant life after 50—one small habit at a time.

Taylor Made Guide Lifestyle

Wellness Isn’t Just About Losing Weight

 

What Does Being Well After 50 Actually Look Like?

Girlfriend, can we talk about wellness for a minute?

Somewhere along the way, wellness became almost synonymous with weight loss.

• Eat this to lose weight.
• Walk this many steps to lose weight.
• Try this workout to burn fat.
• Give up this food to shrink your waist.
• Do this challenge to drop 10 pounds.

And while maintaining a healthy weight can certainly be part of taking care of ourselves, wellness is so much bigger than the number on the scale.

Especially after 50.

At this stage of life, I’m much more interested in asking:

• How do I feel?
• How am I living?
• Do I have energy?
• Am I taking care of myself?
• Am I enjoying my life?
• Am I protecting my peace?

Am I creating a life that supports the woman I am becoming?

Because being smaller and being well are not necessarily the same thing.

And maybe it’s time we stopped treating them like they are.

Wellness After 50 Deserves a Bigger Definition

For years, many of us have been taught to evaluate our bodies by what they look like instead of appreciating everything they do for us.

By the time we reach our 50s and beyond, our bodies have carried us through decades of life.

• Careers.
• Motherhood for some of us.
• Relationships.
• Heartbreak.
• Stress.
• Menopause.
• Illness.
• Healing.
• Loss.
• Celebrations.
• Reinvention.

And a whole lot of living.

So maybe our wellness journey shouldn't begin with, “How much weight do I need to lose?”

Maybe it begins with:

“What does my body need from me now?”

That one question changes the conversation.

1. Wellness Is Having Energy for Your Life

I don't want to spend this chapter of my life constantly exhausted.

I want enough energy to work, travel, meet my girlfriends for lunch, walk through a museum, enjoy a Saturday afternoon, try something new, and still have something left for myself at the end of the day.

That means wellness isn't only about calories.

It's also about sleep, hydration, nutrition, movement, stress, and giving our bodies time to recover.

Instead of only asking, “Did I lose weight this week?”

Try asking:

“Do I feel stronger and more energized than I did before?”

That's progress, too.

2. Wellness Is Moving Because You Want to Keep Moving

Movement after 50 doesn't have to be punishment for something we ate.

Read that again.

You don't have to earn dinner by exercising.

Movement can simply be one of the ways we care for ourselves.

• Walk.
• Stretch.
• Dance around your house.
• Try yoga.
• Practice Tai Chi.
• Strength train.
• Get on the treadmill.
• Take the stairs when it feels good.
• Put on your favorite playlist and move around the living room.

The goal isn't to punish your body into becoming smaller.

The goal is to help your body remain strong, mobile, and capable so you can continue participating in your own life.

3. Wellness Is Knowing Your Numbers

Here's something we don't talk about nearly enough.

You can look fabulous and still need to pay attention to what's happening inside your body.

Wellness after 50 includes staying connected to your healthcare.

That means knowing the health numbers and screenings that are appropriate for you, keeping your appointments, asking questions, and having conversations with your healthcare professionals about your individual risks and needs.

Don't let looking good become a substitute for knowing how you're doing.

We can wear the lipstick and schedule the appointment.

Both matter.

4. Wellness Is Protecting Your Peace

Sometimes the healthiest thing you can do has absolutely nothing to do with food.

Sometimes wellness looks like saying:

No.

• No, I can't do that.
• No, I'm not available.
• No, I'm not explaining myself again.
• No, I'm not participating in that drama.
• No, I'm not sacrificing myself to make everyone else comfortable.

There comes a point when we have to recognize that constantly being stressed, overextended and emotionally drained isn't something to brag about.

• Rest isn't laziness.
• Boundaries aren't selfish.
• Peace isn't something you have to earn.
• Protecting your emotional well-being is part of wellness, too.

5. Wellness Is Eating to Nourish Yourself

Instead of constantly thinking about everything we need to remove from our diets, what if we also asked:

“What does my body need more of?”

• Maybe it's more vegetables.
• More fiber.
• More protein.
• More water.
• More whole foods.
• More colorful produce.
• More meals prepared at home.

Food can be about nourishment rather than punishment.

And healthy eating doesn't have to mean eating bland food you don't enjoy for the rest of your life.

• We're grown, women.
• We want our food seasoned.
• We want it beautiful.
• And yes, we want it to taste good.

The goal is to create eating habits that support your health while still allowing you to enjoy your life.

6. Wellness Is Getting Enough Rest

Girlfriend, being exhausted all the time is not a personality trait.

Many of us spent decades pushing through.

• We worked tired.
• Parented tired.
• Cooked tired.
• Cleaned tired.
• Helped everybody else tired.
• And sometimes even vacationed tired.

But this chapter can be different.

A slower morning can be wellness.

• Going to bed earlier can be wellness.
• Taking a Sunday afternoon nap can be wellness.
• Turning off your phone can be wellness.
• Having an evening when absolutely nothing is scheduled can be wellness.

Rest belongs in your wellness routine just as much as movement does.

7. Wellness Is Paying Attention to Your Mental and Emotional Health

How are you really doing?

Not the automatic “I'm fine.”

How are you?

• Are you constantly anxious?
• Are you lonely?
• Are you overwhelmed?
• Have you stopped doing things you once enjoyed?
• Are you carrying something you haven't talked about?
• Are you always taking care of everyone else but rarely checking in with yourself?

Emotional wellness deserves our attention.

• Sometimes checking in with yourself means journaling.
• Sometimes it's prayer.
• Sometimes it's talking to a trusted friend.
• Sometimes it's getting professional support.
• And sometimes it's simply admitting:

“I need something to change.”

That realization can be the beginning of a healthier chapter.

8. Wellness Is Joy

I think joy deserves a permanent place in our wellness plans.

• Not someday joy.
• Not “when I lose the weight” joy.
• Not “when everything settles down” joy.

Joy now.

• Buy yourself the flowers.
• Wear the outfit.
• Use the perfume.
• Take yourself to lunch.
• Plan the trip.
• Play your music.
• Learn something new.
• Go to the museum.
• Call your girlfriend.
• Sit outside with your coffee.
• Laugh until your stomach hurts.

Your life shouldn't become one long self-improvement project.

You are allowed to enjoy yourself while you're becoming healthier.

9. Wellness Is Creating a Life You Don't Constantly Need to Escape From

This may be one of the biggest wellness lessons of all.

Sometimes we're so focused on creating the perfect morning routine, workout routine or meal plan that we forget to look at the bigger picture.

Do I actually like the life I'm living?

Are there things that need to change?

• Maybe it's your schedule.
• Your relationships.
• Your home.
• Your finances.
• Your workload.
• Your boundaries.
• Your habits.

Or maybe you've simply become disconnected from yourself.

Wellness isn't only about adding healthy habits.

Sometimes it's about removing the things that are constantly draining us.

10. Wellness Is Checking Back Into Your Own Life

One of the most important things we can do after 50 is refuse to become spectators in our own lives.

• We are still here.
• Still growing.
• Still learning.
• Still dreaming.
• Still becoming.

There is more life available to us.

So check in with yourself regularly.

Ask:

• What do I need physically?
• What do I need emotionally?
• What do I need spiritually?
• What needs my attention?
• What am I tolerating that I need to change?
• What would make my life feel a little better right now?

You don't have to overhaul your entire life this week.

Sometimes wellness begins with one small decision.

• Drink the water.
• Take the walk.
• Make the appointment.
• Cook the meal.
• Go to bed.
• Call the friend.
• Set the boundary.
• Book the trip.
• Wear the dress.
• Turn off the phone.
• Sit quietly.
• Start again.

Your Wellness Journey Doesn't Have to Look Like Anyone Else's

This is one of the freedoms that comes with getting older: we can stop chasing somebody else's definition of wellness.

Your healthy life doesn't have to look like mine.

And mine doesn't have to look like yours.

We have different bodies, health histories, responsibilities, finances, families and lifestyles.

What matters is creating habits that help you feel supported in the life you're living.

Maybe the scale changes along the way.

Maybe it doesn't.

But imagine gaining something even bigger:

• More strength.
• More energy.
• Better boundaries.
• More confidence.
• More peace.
• More mobility.
• More laughter.
• More connection.
• More joy.
• More life.

That's wellness, too.

Your Wellness Wednesday Check-In

This week, instead of asking yourself, “How much weight do I need to lose?” ask:

“What do I need to feel well?”

Then choose one thing you can do this week to support that answer.

Because, girlfriend, we're not spending this chapter of our lives simply trying to take up less space.

We're learning how to take better care of ourselves while fully showing up for the life we still have to live.

Let's Talk

What does being well after 50 mean to you now?

Is it strength? Peace? Energy? Better sleep? Joy? Mobility? Healthy boundaries?

Share your answer in the comments. Your definition of wellness might be exactly what another woman needs to hear today.

Taylor Made Guide Lifestyle
Helping women over 50 live vibrant, healthy, stylish, and fully checked-in lives.

The September Wellness Reset: 7 Gentle Ways to Feel Better This Fall

 

September has always felt a little like a second January to me.

Summer is winding down. The year is moving faster than we expected. The holidays aren't far away, and suddenly we're looking at the goals we made months ago and wondering, Where did the time go?

But here's what I don't want us to do.

I don't want September to become another month when we decide we need to completely overhaul our lives.

No extreme diets.

No punishing workouts.

No 5 a.m. routines simply because somebody on social media told us that's what successful women do.

Instead, what if September became our month to gently come back to ourselves?

For women over 50, wellness doesn't have to mean doing more. Sometimes it means becoming more intentional about what helps us feel strong, rested, nourished, peaceful, and connected to our lives.

Here are seven ways I'm approaching my September wellness reset.

1. Start With Your Morning, Not Your Entire Life

You don't need a three-hour morning routine.

Start with 10 or 15 intentional minutes.

Before immediately checking email or scrolling social media, give yourself a little space to wake up.

Open the blinds.

Drink some water.

Stretch.

Pray or meditate.

Write down something you're grateful for.

Enjoy your coffee without multitasking.

A peaceful morning won't guarantee a peaceful day, but it can change how you enter it.

Taylor-Made Tip: Choose three things you can realistically do most mornings. That's your routine.

2. Walk More—Without Making It Complicated

Walking may be one of the simplest ways to add more movement to our days.

And it counts.

A 10-minute walk counts.

Walking through the mall counts.

Taking the long way through the grocery store counts.

Walking while you're talking to a girlfriend on the phone counts.

You don't have to turn every walk into a workout.

Try adding small pockets of movement throughout your day and gradually build from there.

If you're starting a new exercise routine or managing a health condition, talk with your healthcare professional about what type and amount of activity are appropriate for you.

3. Add Strength to Your Week

As we get older, maintaining our strength becomes increasingly important.

That doesn't mean you have to become a bodybuilder.

Strength work can include resistance bands, light weights, machines at the gym, Pilates, body-weight exercises, or other forms of resistance training that are appropriate for your ability.

Start where you are.

If you're new to strength training, consider getting guidance on proper form rather than trying to follow an advanced workout you found online.

We're not competing with anybody.

We're building bodies that support the lives we want to live.

4. Make Sleep Part of Your Wellness Routine

We talk about workouts, supplements, skincare, smoothies, and meal plans.

But sometimes the most luxurious wellness practice is simply going to bed.

Create a little evening ritual.

Dim the lights.

Put the phone away earlier.

Take a warm shower.

Do your nighttime skincare.

Stretch.

Read.

Journal.

Turn your bedroom into a place that tells your body, We're done for today.

You don't have to earn rest.

Rest is part of taking care of yourself.

5. Eat to Nourish Yourself, Not Punish Yourself

September can bring that familiar pressure to “get back on track.”

But I want to challenge the idea that we're either on or off track.

One meal doesn't determine our health.

Neither does one weekend, one vacation, or one dessert.

Instead, think about what you can add.

Can you add another vegetable today?

More water?

A satisfying source of protein?

Some fruit?

A nourishing breakfast?

A home-cooked meal?

Healthy living becomes much more sustainable when we're thinking about nourishment instead of punishment.

6. Protect Your Peace

Wellness isn't only about what we're eating or how many steps we've taken.

Our emotional well-being matters too.

And sometimes protecting our peace means recognizing what is constantly draining it.

Maybe it's saying no without writing a three-paragraph explanation.

Maybe it's limiting how much news or social media you consume.

Maybe it's creating boundaries around your time.

Maybe it's spending less time around people who leave you emotionally exhausted.

And sometimes it's simply giving yourself permission to have a quiet Saturday with absolutely nothing impressive to report.

Every available space on your calendar doesn't have to be filled.

7. Put Some Joy Back on the Calendar

This one might be the most important.

When did wellness become another job?

We're so focused on drinking the water, getting the steps, eating the vegetables, taking the vitamins, making the appointments and checking the boxes that sometimes we forget:

We're supposed to be enjoying our lives too.

So put something on your September calendar simply because it sounds fun.

Meet your girlfriends for brunch.

Visit a museum.

Take yourself to coffee.

Go somewhere you've never been.

Buy yourself flowers.

Turn on your favorite music and dance around the house.

Wear the outfit you've been saving.

Take a day trip.

Try a new class.

Joy belongs in our wellness plan too.

Your Wellness Doesn't Have to Look Like Anyone Else's

This season of life has taught me that wellness is personal.

What works for one woman may not work for another.

Our bodies are different.

Our schedules are different.

Our health needs are different.

Our energy levels are different.

And that's okay.

The goal isn't to create the “perfect” wellness routine.

The goal is to create a life that supports you.

The September Wellness Check-In

Before September gets away from you, ask yourself:

How am I feeling physically?

How am I sleeping?

Am I moving my body regularly?

What has been draining my energy lately?

What has been bringing me joy?

Is there an appointment I've been putting off?

What does my body need more of right now?

What do I need less of?

You don't have to solve everything today.

Just pay attention to the answers.

Sometimes our bodies and our lives have been telling us what they need—we've simply been too busy to listen.

Let's Make September About Coming Back to Ourselves

We still have several months left in this year.

That's plenty of time to make changes.

Plenty of time to begin again.

Plenty of time to take better care of ourselves.

And plenty of time to enjoy the life we're creating.

So this September, I'm not asking you to reinvent your entire life.

Choose one thing.

Take the walk.

Schedule the appointment.

Drink the water.

Go to bed earlier.

Set the boundary.

Call your girlfriend.

Book the class.

Rest.

Begin there.

Because wellness after 50 isn't about becoming a completely different woman.

It's about taking good care of the woman you've worked so hard to become.

The Taylor Made September Wellness Checklist

☐ Create a simple morning ritual
☐ Take a 10–20 minute walk
☐ Add strength or resistance movement to your week
☐ Create a calming bedtime routine
☐ Add something nourishing to your meals
☐ Schedule an overdue health or wellness appointment
☐ Protect one hour of your time this week
☐ Do something purely for joy
☐ Check in with yourself before saying yes
☐ Give yourself permission to rest

Your September reminder: You don't have to do everything. Just do the next loving thing for yourself.

What is one thing you're doing for your wellness this September?