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The Mistake: It's often mid-afternoon by the time you realize you haven't had much water.

Why That's a Problem: Your metabolism is the sum of all the processes in your body that use energy—digestion, muscle contraction, elimination of bodily waste, etc. Guess what? Hydration plays a big role in most, if not all, of them, says Moore. If you're dehydrated, those systems can slow down or start working at less than optimal levels, which could in turn slow down your metabolism.

The Fix: Urine should stay a light yellow color, and whatever trick gets you to drink more H2O is the one you should use. Two simple but effective ones: set periodic alarms on your phone to get up and head to the faucet or keep a reusable bottle on your desk as a visual reminder to keep drinking.