In December 2014 I started tracking my water intake as part of the 30 day water challenge that I took part in. This was the best thing that I ever did for myself. I used the HydroCoach app that I first heard about on Uzoma’s blog. It is the best water tracking app in my opinion, I loooove stats, figures and data in my normal life, so this app was right up my alley. By December 2015, I was drinking nearly 18L more water a month than in January 2015 – I was clearly still playing in January, but we all have to start somewhere.
Looking back, my results are quite outstanding – even if I say so myself. I have improved from a daily average of 1.3 L a day to over 2 L a day. Water has become my life. When I started out, I had a problem over weekends, because I didn’t and still don’t have a set routine to my weekends. I have gotten better at it though, but there are still some weekends if I’m out of town that I just fail completely. At the beginning of the month, I share my water intake results from the previous month on my Instagram, so follow me to see how I progress as the year goes by.
As we all know, there are a lot of advantages to drinking water;for myself, one of the benefits I have reaped is that I drink less (actually close to none) fizzy drinks or juices. This goes a long way to lowering my daily sugar intake – have you guys seen the amount of sugar in a can of any cooldrink or fruit juice for that matter? – this in turn prevents my waistline from expanding
So now I am up to drinking 2.5 L of water a day from the 1st of January, this is the highest daily target I have had and it has been going pretty well. It does seem like a whole lot of water to get in, but I have some tips to help you get all that water in you.[su_list icon=”icon: glass” icon_color=”#f2004c”]
- Drink water first thing in the morning and last thing at night. I drink 800 ml of water first thing in the morning and another 500ml before I go to sleep. That leaves me with 1.2L to drink through the day
- Keep a water bottle with you wherever you are: at home, at work, in your handbag etc
- Drink water of water before and after meals
- Buy bigger volume water bottles. I have a range of water bottles, the lowest volume one if 500ml and the highest is 1000ml, I am currently looking for bigger bottles. If I drink 500ml of water in one go, that’s already a fifth of my daily intake
- If you don’t like the taste of water, you can always add fruit (lemon, strawberry), some veggies (cucumber) and herbs (mint) to your water to give it a kick
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The down side to all this water drinking is the frequent trips to the loo. I am in and out of the loo at work several times a day, I even wake up at least once at night to the call of nature. There is no getting around that one unfortunately. With regards to how much you should be drinking, this unfortunately is not an exact science. There are guidelines based on your weight, the climate where you live and your level of activity. Actress Garielle Union drinks just under 3.8L of water a day, and she looks amazing! I’m not saying if you drink that much you’ll also look like her :). I think that is way to much water, I wouldn’t be able to handle that – I think I will stop at a daily intake of 3L.
Are you a water drinker? How much water do you drink in a day?
Great post Lungi, water is great not only for weight loose, hair, but for our body to function properly.
My water intake has definitely improved… I had the same problem with regards to weekend but not I can’t live without water. it literally just happened lol
It’s the best when you are at that stage, when it’s second nature.
I admire your commitment to drinking water. I also have a very low storage capacity, so I try to drink the majority of my target water intake after work or just before lunch. On weekends, I carry my water bottle to as many places as is appropriate. I usually drink 1 – 1.5 litres a day.
Hey Becca; 1.5L is a good amount. plus you also get some water from the food you eat.
I feel like going to gym and the lchf has already helped me drink more water, that time I’m still on week one of this new life. How’s your low carb journey going? I’m actually finding that it’s not impossible living without refined carbs
Hey Bonolo, my journey is going well. I’m not doing so much high fat anymore, but I’m still doing low carb and no processed foods. I’m also finding that I’m not missing refined carbs either. How long are you going to do it for?
I’m not sure but I’d really like it to be forever because I feel so great since starting. And you?
I would love to do it forever – with cheat meals here and there 🙂
Thanks for the shout out, Lungi. Weekends are tough for me too. Plus, I don’t want to carry my bottle all over the place.
That was an amazing improvement with your water intake. I forcefully take 8 glasses a day. Hopefully, I will improve someday.