August 14, 2014

#noexcusewaterchallenge a/k/a Gallon Challenge - it's on!

Posted by Ethne~

So bff Steph conned the other bff's (Grizz, Slags & me) into doing the No Excuse Water Challenge (#noexcusewaterchallenge), or as I like to call it, the Gallon Challenge.

What's this?  Drink 1 gallon of water a day for 30 days - that's 128 ounces.

And why in the world?!  Apparently lots of water can help with constipation, nails, hair, *wrinkles*, skin and overall well-being.

Well, I could use help with all of those things, seeing as I pretty much drink tea or Diet Coke and barely enough water to keep me alive (8 oz or less per day).

Day 1 - feel free to analyze the picture...

So what am I allowed?  Water, tea or coffee without sweeteners (those count toward the water count if they don't have artificial sweetener in them) and wine (that doesn't count towards the water count, but isn't prohibited).  I have had a couple cups of tea, and a few glasses of iced tea, but no Diet Coke, which did cause me to have some caffeine withdrawal headaches.  I also have had 2 beers and one glass of wine.  Steph and I think that one [Diet] Coke a day, as long as you're still having all the water, wouldn't hurt, and I think if you put honey in tea (like I do) would be no different than putting it on your oatmeal.

Well, it's started, and now we're on day 14.  I haven't done all 128 ounces each day.  Life sometimes gets in the way of a whole gallon of water, like if work would make it impossible for me to go to the bathroom on the hour, or when we were traveling and I didn't want to stop constantly.  But on the whole, I've had probably at least 100 ounces of water a day, and the full gallon many of these first two weeks.  My goal for the last two is to hit the gallon mark as much as possible.

Day 13 - my face is a little shinier because it was later in the day when I took this picture, but *besides that* I think my eyes don't look as puffy.  Obviously I needed chapstick if we're going to do a full analysis...

What changes have I seen?  I can't say that my wrinkles have disappeared...but I noticed that the whites of my eyes were whiter, which always bothered me.  I have healthy eyes (verifiable), and I get plenty of sleep, so never understood why they were always bloodshot.  Perhaps it was because I was dehydrated!  I also don't crave any Diet Coke, and am perfectly glad to grab water.  I crave it almost, no joke.  And my internal piping seems to be working pretty well *which I am grateful for* if you get my drift.

When I posted my Day One picture on Facebook, one of my cousins pointed out that too much water can flush out important electrolytes, especially if you're working out, and in extreme situations if you were to drink it too quickly, water intoxication can occur.  As with any change to your regimen, if you have any questions you should consult with your doctor.  In my case, I assured my cousin that I would monitor exactly such costs and benefits of this challenge.  In reality, I'm not that active, so flushing out electrolytes isn't as much of a concern as all the Diet Coke I was drinking.

I'll keep you posted!

1 comment:

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