Need to Drink More Water? Try This Challenge…
Written by Grace Moores
I’ve been on a bit of a health kick lately, trying to eat better and move more. There is one area that I noticed I needed to improve on however; drinking enough water. So, I challenged myself to drink two extra glasses of water every day, and the extra glasses couldn’t be just plain old water. I had to flavour it with natural ingredients and not use the same combination for more than two days in a row, for a total of 7 days, drinking 3 litres a day.
Here’s how it went.
Day 1
Water with Blueberry, Lemon & Rosemary
I was keen and looking for ideas. In searching online, I found this blog for inspiration. After making sure to check stock of my fridge and garden, I was ready to go. I selected blueberry, lemon and rosemary. I know, rosemary?! I thought to myself, ‘this could go either way.’ The rosemary sounded interesting but also scared me. What if I didn’t like it and had to drink 3 litres. Yes, I could have opted to dump it down the drain, but that would not be a great start to my challenge.
In the end, it was surprisingly refreshing! I normally love lemon in water, and even though I wasn’t expecting much from the blueberry, it was great. The rosemary was very mellow and not overpowering, which surprised me. I liked it a lot, and it was very easy to drink; 3 litres done.
One thing I will say; my body was not prepared for that amount of extra water, and it felt like I was in the bathroom every 5 minutes!
Day 2
Water with Cucumber & Mint
I have always loved mint; I used to have cucumber with Pimms, a refreshing alcoholic summer drink during my summers back in the UK. I figured Day 2 was going to be a walk in the park.
Oh boy, was I wrong. The first glass was good, mellow and refreshing; however, as the cucumber steeped throughout the day, it became overpowering. It reminded me that I had no Pimms to accompany it and that just made me sad. By the third glass I couldn’t even finish. Cucumber was not my thing…
Day 3
Water with Blueberry & Apple
By Day 3, the fridge was nearly empty; I hadn’t planned well and after yesterday’s disappointment with the cucumber I was hesitant. I had some blueberries left and a few apples and an onion, so Apples and Blueberries it would be! Not very exciting, but they would do. The blueberries had been a nice surprise on Day 1 and the apple was another surprise addition… one I would add again.
Day 4
Water with Orange & Ginger
I now had lots of ingredients to play with and first up was Orange and Ginger. I loved this so much, I ended up drinking 6 litres.
Day 5
Water with Raspberry, Lemon & Basil
My confidence was growing, so I decided to add another herb this time. I started really enjoying this challenge now, and was starting to see benefits.
Day 6
Water with Orange & Raspberry
This combination became another favourite, and I have had this one several times since.
Day 7
Water with Lemon, Ginger & Raspberry
This combination was my all-time favourite!
Apart from the cucumber (I’m not going back there unless there is alcohol included), they were all so yummy, and certainly made drinking water way more interesting. For me it was a success. I know this challenge isn’t for everyone, but it is worth considering if you are looking to move away from sugary drinks and/or to increase your water intake.
What I Learned From This Challenge:
- I need to add the fruit and herbs to make water more interesting.
- The more colourful, the more inclined I am to drink it.
- My favourites are citrus, raspberry, and ginger.
- The herbs were an interesting addition that I will use again, I wasn’t expecting to like them, so it was good to try them.
- We all know the health benefits of staying hydrated, but I still didn’t drink enough water on a daily basis. This challenge worked for me. It has now been 3 weeks and I’m still drinking 3 litres a day and adding fruits and herbs.
- I noticed I am less foggy in the mornings now; this was especially true during the first few days of the challenge.
- It takes a few days for your bladder to adjust to drinking more water.
- Don’t drink after 8pm; otherwise you will likely wake up (several times) in the middle of the night to use the washroom.
- I’m not as light headed when I stand up as I used to be. I do still get it occasionally, but nowhere near as much as I did.
- I have noticed that some of the supplements I take are not as harsh on my stomach as they were before.
- I have always gotten a lot of pressure headaches. These have now eased up.
Try adding some fun combinations of natural ingredients to your water, and see if this challenge is something that will work for you!
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