Water Challenge

This month I decided to challenge myself and drink the recommended amount of water every day for at least a week to see if I can reap the benefits of being well-hydrated.

How much water should you drink:

Sources varied but the University of Missouri gave this calculation which I ended up following:

Your Weight * 0.5 = oz. of water per day

For me that's 65 ounces a day.

Implementation:

To do this properly, I grabbed one water bottle that was 22 oz and made that my metric for tracking my water intake.  Everyday, I had to finish this water bottle 3 times to make it to 66oz in a day, just a little over what I need.

I didn't count any water I consumed through other liquids like juices or coffee and I also didn't include any water I happened to drink from a glass during a meal.

Doing it this way would not only guarantee that I'm drinking the 66oz but also allow me to drink slightly more than that.

Log:

Sunday:

Met Goal.

Ended up eating a salty snack to help me make the goal. Feeling pretty normal, no noticeable differences.

 

Monday:

Met Goal.

I worked out so I was able to finish a bottle quickly. Kind of bloated but could just be what I ate. Not noticing anything in particular yet.

 

Tuesday:

Met goal.

I had three big gulps left that I took the following morning.

Took my water bottle with me when hanging out with a friend.

 

Wednesday:

Met goal.

Had to chug 1 whole bottle before going to sleep. Getting a bit easier to drink more water

 

Thursday:

Met goal.

 

Friday:

Did not meet goal.

Had 1 water bottle worth left and ended up leaving my water bottle at a different place but it was also a rough day so I won't fault myself.

 

Saturday:

Did not meet goal.

Switched to a 17 oz water bottle and was only able to get through 1 and a half

Also kind of a rough day so I'm trying to be kind to myself.

 

Sunday:

Met goal.

Chugged water before bed but back on track mostly

 

Results:

I think my biggest problem with staying hydrated is I don't often want to drink water. Unless I'm working out or it's hot I often forget to drink it, nor do I really want to.

I think doing this challenge helped me get better about actually drinking and realizing for myself that I am capable of doing this. Knowing that I'm capable makes all the difference in continuing to maintain it in the future.

A week is too short of a time to really see results but I think overall I had a little bit more energy and definitely felt healthier.

Though I fell short a few days, I tried not to beat myself up about it since that wouldn't really lead to anything productive, so I just focused on doing better the next day.

I will be continuing this moving forward, trying to meet the goal of at least 2 water bottles a day.

Thanks for reading! I'd love to hear your thoughts!