“What?!” I can hear you thinking, “Anyone can do that, right?!” Right. The difficulty is not in drinking water itself, but in persevering every day.
Of course you can run marathons, train for a body building competition or jump through burning hoops. But let's start with the basics:drinking water. Make sure you get those two liters every day. Even if you are on the road, you have a busy day or if you are visiting a festival. Will you join me? We go for 2 liters of water, spread over the day (every day). Quickly fill a glass with water and read how I fared.
To start with, I look at how much 2 liters actually is. I go to work with my measuring cup, pull out all my glasses, mugs, cups and bottles and fill them with water. A good way to see how many ml actually go into each glass and what those 2 liters look like when it's in front of me. Oops, a bit more than I thought! But we're doing it for a good cause:I want a sparkly glow, less visible lines in my face (yes, they're starting to show up) and feel more vital. And all this I want to achieve by drinking a little more water. Must be possible right?!
Now that my counter is full of glasses of water, I immediately get to work. Perfect. I now know how many ml go into my glasses and I keep track of how much I throw in. Between the glasses of water I drink herbal tea and before I know it, I have already had a liter of water. Today I work at home all day and drinking the water is quite easy. But I'm starting to realize that it's very easy to think you're drinking enough, when you leave your glass behind because of a busy schedule or a deadline that requires a little more work than you thought. But for now, the first day was successful! Now for the rest of my life.
Also read:Why do I have to drink 2 liters a day?
So I can get through the working days at home, but what about the other days? I give various sports training and I am often on the road for work. I cycle from location to location all day long and I don't always have the opportunity to fill a cup with water. That's why I carry a liter of water everywhere with me these days and I try to think of a time for myself when this bottle should be empty. That goes pretty well, although I'm constantly looking for a toilet. Still takes some getting used to. But hey, that's how I flush out all the waste, right?! I feel very hydrated (and super happy when I have found a toilet).
It takes some getting used to, especially in the first week. I did find out that before the start of this challenge I really didn't get those 2 liters every day (while I really thought that!). When you change from a cactus to an aquatic plant, you can imagine that this entails difficult situations. It's a slightly less fun challenge when you proudly and super hydrated have knocked back your water bottle and then have to ring the doorbell of a complete stranger to ask if you might (very please) use the toilet. oops. Planning is key!
Also read:With these 5 tips you will start spring energetically
By completing this challenge, I became aware of how much water I was actually drinking. I honestly felt like I was absorbing moisture on all sides, while on busy days I was only getting half of my goal and trying to achieve that sparkling glow with a frugal 1000ml of water. Now that I'm used to drinking 2 liters every day, I immediately notice when I'm getting too little fluid again. Then it feels like I've been catching wind with my mouth open all afternoon.
What I also notice now that I get enough water every day for a month; I feel more alert, suffer less from dry lips, make quite a few meters from toilet to toilet (profit) and the lines around my eyes seem to be filled in a bit more. And that sparkling glow?! Maybe it came about because I'm glad it worked! Now keep going!
Here are some tips to make sure this 30-day challenge becomes an everyday goal. Will it work? Give it a go!
Also read:Lotte's Challenge:12 medals in 12 months
Drinking (too) much water also carries dangers. So be careful. Your body can only process a limited amount of water. If you drink too much at once, you can put too much strain on your body and water intoxication can occur. The kidneys can process about 0.8 to 1 liter of water per hour, so spread it well throughout the day!
Is your glass empty already?!
Want to read more from Lotte? Every Sunday she writes a blog on Santé about a new challenge. Also take a look at her Instagram @happy_lotte_
