Hey Loves!!
If you’ve been watching my Instagram Stories as of late then you probably know about my recent challenge to drink 128 Ounces or 1 Gallon of water every single day. It’s been about a month into my personal challenge with myself and I’m here to tell you I am STILL going strong!
Now, I am generally pretty healthy and on a normal basis I drink a fair amount of water. I’ll admit I probably don’t typically drink a gallon of water a day but I do make a conscious effort to make sure to stay hydrated and I keep to choosing water (still or sparking) over sugary sodas or juices.
I’m always looking for opportunities to better my health routine and as we’ve all been sitting in quarantine have been using this time as a chance to rebalance my health and nutrition. I’m not sure how I decided to challenge myself to drinking a gallon of water a day but the benefits of what happens for those that up their water game aren’t exactly a secret!
That said, I made the decision to commit myself to become the Queen of Hydration to see if all those benefits I always hear about such as clearer skin and more energy where really legit. So I began my quest for better hydration, and to be honest I’ve learned a lot so far. Here’s the most important takeaways I've noticed so far:
THE POTTY DANCE
As I’m sure you can all guess out there…you gotta go!! A LOT!! I of course expected this going in, but do warn those looking to take their own water challenge to prepare to be doing the potty dance about every 20-30 minutes. While that might sound annoying it’s actually a great thing as it means your body is flushing out the water it doesn't actually need. Another great upside is that needing to go forces you to get up and move a little, added bonus!!
LESS RANDOM SNACKING
When you’re drinking almost a gallon of water a day you snack less!! This is because water takes up space in your stomach and helps in making you feel more full and less hungry. No more ravenous munching on everything in sight between breakfast and lunch or lunch and dinner.
For me personally overall, drinking more water has helped me become more in tune with how my body works and has helped me to really listen to what it is telling me. I have become aware of the times of day where I feel more hungry and have been able to figure out why that might be. When I feel as though I need a snack or a little something extra after a meal to get me through the day, I allow myself to have it.
INCREASED ENERGY LEVELS
Now, this has been a perk I wasn’t really expecting but I love it!! While I’ve read that upping your water intake can translate into noticeable energy boosts, I wasn’t sure if it was true. However, let me tell you for the first time in a long time I don’t find myself crashing around 2:00 PM ready for a nap. Water plays a huge role in how our bodies function and the health of our metabolism. That 2:00 PM nap for me was signal of early stage dehydration which can trigger fatigue, increased body temperature, increased respiration rate, increased pulse and increased perception of effort.
IT GOT SUPER EASY
I have to tell you on day one of my water challenge, I honestly thought ugh..1 gallon of water? That seems excessive, there’s no way I can get that in every single day. However, it really only took me less than a week for me to get used to this new normal. I'm actually writing this while on my 3rd glass of 25 ounces for the day. I definitely feel like I’ve created a good habit by just being more conscious about staying hydrated.
SHOULD YOU TRY THIS, TOO?
Personally, I would say yes. While drinking an entire gallon each day may feel a little overkill, the truth is most of us are probably dehydrated without even knowing. If you don’t want to drink a gallon each day at the very least, challenge yourself to drink a few extra glasses a day. Your body will thank you.
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