One of my goals for the month of October was to drink 96 oz (12 cups) of water every single day. On average, I drink around 64 oz of water a day (I fill my 32oz Nalgene water bottle up twice), but my trainer challenged me to drink 32 more oz of water every day for 31 days to see how it would affect my body.
At first I thought that this challenge was going to be a no brainer. How hard could it be to up my water intake by another 32 oz? Well, after the first day of drinking 96 oz, I came to the conclusion that drinking 32 oz more water every day was A LOT harder to do than it sounds (Duh, Kels… it’s a challenge for a reason.)!
Although I was constantly running back and forth from my desk to the washroom, drinking more water helped me realize that during a meal I typically reached for soda or juice instead of water (which cost me extra money and upped my sugar intake), a lot of the times when I thought I was hungry, I was actually just thirsty, and I did a terrible job of replenishing my body with water after a workout.
So what were the benefits of upping my water consumption? Did I see any improvements? YES, drinking more water DEFINITELY improved my body and mind in the following ways:
1. I felt more awake and focused throughout the day.
I used to drink 8 cups of water and 4 cups of coffee per day, which made me feel drained and sluggish instead of wide-awake and wired. When I replaced those 4 cups of coffee with water, I was more focused on my tasks at work and I didn’t feel like I needed a nap when 3pm rolled around. I guess you could also say that water also helped me kick my caffeine addiction to the curb!
2. My acne disappeared.
When I drank more water, a lot of my acne disappeared and my complexion cleared up, which truly shocked me. The solution to get rid of my acne was SO simple, yet I seriously overlooked it. Goodbye harsh acne face washes and scrubs!
3. My headaches stopped.
I used to get headaches ALL THE TIME and instead of drinking more water, I would pop an Advil. When I upped my water intake, my headaches disappeared, which made me realize that I was poisoning my liver for no good reason.
4. It kept me regular.
Water helps with digestion and it prevents constipation. It helps move waste and toxins out of the body, so it’s a natural detox. Instead of turning to detox teas or supplements, grab some water instead!
5. I stopped snacking late at night.
Water fills the body up, raises the metabolism, and is a natural hunger suppressant. I used to snack a lot late at night (we’re talking 3am, here) because I was desperate for something salty or sweet, but once I started drinking more water, the cravings went away and I cut my late night snacking out all together.
6. My mood improved.
I was happier because I was more awake, I could focus easily on my tasks (YASSS to productivity!), my skin cleared up, and I didn’t get headaches anymore. Like I mentioned above, the solution to a lot of my problems was WATER, which is crazy to think about because it’s such a simple fix.
If you’re not drinking at least 8 cups of water per day, I HIGHLY recommend that you do so. I know that drinking water isn’t the easiest thing to do, so here are some tips and tricks that I learnt over the past 31 days:
1. Use a water bottle or water jug that has the measurements marked on the side.
The marked measurements will help you keep track of how much water you’ve consumed and how much you have left. I’m a visual person, so this tip helped me quite a bit. I suggest getting a Nalgene water bottle or Blender Bottle!
2. Make hourly water goals.
My trainer told me to break my water goal down and drink 19.2oz every 3 hours. I consumed 19.2oz by 9am, 38.4oz by 12pm, 57.6oz by 3pm, 76.8oz by 6pm, and 96oz by 9pm. This made my goal less intimidating and by the 15th day of the challenge, I even found myself drinking around 100oz per day.
3. Flavor your water with vegetables and fruit.
I’m not going to lie, I got bored of the taste of water really quickly. To remedy this, I avoided artificial water enhancers and added cucumber slices, lemon slices, orange slices, and frozen fruit to my water bottle to give the water some flavor. Drink your water out of a straw if your water bottle doesn’t have an infuser!
4. Stop drinking water 1 hour before you go to bed.
The worst feeling is when you’re finally comfortable in bed after a long day of running around and all of a sudden you have to get up and go to the washroom. I stopped drinking water an hour before I planned to go to bed to avoid multiple trips to the bathroom!
5. Give yourself Drink Water NOW reminders.
If you don’t want to make hourly water goals like I did, download a water app, set reminders on your phone, or write in your planner. When you’re busy and on the go, drinking water is sometimes the last thing that you’re thinking about.
I hope you all enjoyed reading about how consuming more water improved my daily life and I challenge you to consume 8-12 cups of water every day and see how it can change YOUR life! Feel free to share your experience in the comment section down below, on Twitter @pandamoniumpink, or on Instagram @pandamoniumpinkfit.
Keep smiling,
Kels
*Picture Credit:
1. I took this picture in August 2015 of my Nalgene water bottle with my iPhone 5s while hiking in Manning Park.
2. http://goo.gl/olQzpB
3. http://goo.gl/FOQrf2
4. http://goo.gl/DUh72b
