One Month of Proper Water Drinking – Day 11

This is part two of a series of posts. You should probably read part one to know what I’m talking about here: One Month of Proper Water Drinking – Day 1

Just over a week ago I started a self-imposed challenge of drinking the ‘proper’ amount of water each day. The goal is to see the effect of getting enough water every day, and to look at the challenges faced while trying to do so.

My personal goal was 3.5 Litres per day, which was calculated by 2/3 my body weight in ounces- explained here – which didn’t seem like much at the start, but after 11 days, I can tell you it is a hard mark to hit.

I originally thought that I was a good water drinker. I always had a bottle at my desk at work and drank at least a bottle (500ml) during the work day (as well as coffee normally). I would also try to start the day (many times unsuccessfully) with a glass of water, and another at the end of the day, and assumed I drank some during meals and whatnot.

Turns out, I was probably drinking an average of half of what I should have been. How can you drink that much water!

It has definitely been a struggle to get enough water during the day, without drinking too much per hour (only 600ml can be absorbed hourly!), and while trying not to need bathroom breaks during meetings, commuting, etc.

Apps

The real reason that I’m doing fairly well at hitting my goal is the water tracking apps. I’m using three Android apps that track your water intake, as well as push reminders to you throughout the day. You don’t need all three apps to help drink more water; I’m using three to test out which is best over the month. The hourly reminders that pop up, and buzz the phone, are pretty much essential to drinking enough water, since they hit me up when I’m at work, engulfed in website coding or marketing matters. Without the apps I probably would only be hitting 60-7-% of my goal.

Weekends

So far, weekends are my weak areas. This is probably a combination of altered, random schedules (different than my normal workday), and activities that make me miss my water drinking goal, such as going out with friends for drinks. I’ll have to solve this problem by really watching the amount of water that I drink in between activities, as well as bringing water bottles in the car.

Driving

Probably the most missed-opportunity for getting your daily amount of water is in the car, or while travelling. It took me a few days to finally get into the habit of bringing water with me in the car for the commute to and from work, as well as times when I’m going around doing chores. In my normal morning commute, which is only about 20 minutes, I probably drink 150-200lm of water now, instead of just losing that time in my hourly drinking schedule. Bringing a water bottle with you when you’re out, either commuting or doing chores or anything else, definitely helps keep you hydrated if the travel is a longer time span.

Results So Far

I’ve definitely noticed a change in energy levels. I’ve got more energy through the day, and don’t feel as wiped out after sports. I’m also waking up easier and faster (and forcing myself to wake up earlier to boot!), and I feel like I’m falling asleep faster as well.
Its been hard to judge some other results, mostly due to the climate right now in Canada (feels like -24 degrees Celsius right now!), which is keeping my skin and lips drier after being outside, but I’ll watch to see if, when the weather gets less dry, how I feel.

Overall, this is getting easier to do, and I’m thinking about the challenge less, and just getting into the habit of drinking this amount of water. I’m excited to see how the next few weeks go, to judge if it changes more, or stabilizes out, or whatever will happen!

Thanks for reading, and if you’re thinking of starting a 4 week water challenge, or are already in one, I’d love to hear from you in the comments below!