Dear reader,
For every month of this year I am going to do a challenge. I am going to challenge myself to do something I should or should not be doing. By doing this I am able to create the best version of myself and see where I am addicted too in life and what great changes I can make to improve my health, well being, finances and mood. Maybe more improvements that I don't know will come up during these challenges.
This month's challenge is to only drink water for the entire month of January. With the New Years celebration on the first I will start the second of January and since January has 31 days I will still make it for 30 days. So what do I normally drink? Well I start every morning with a glass of water during breakfast, when I am at work I will have 4 to 5 cappuccinos during the day, also there will be about 3 to 5 sodas depending on the time of the year and day. During the weekend days then there might be some more alcoholic beverages. When I am at home I will have more tea after dinner and sometimes during the day. Often I will have Coke Zero Caffeine free in my refrigerator and I will have 2 or 3 a day. I hardly and rarely drink alcohol at home.
Overall this doesn't sound like a healthy drinking diet. I know that I drink too many sodas and coffee at work but I hardly do anything about it. I buy less of them each time but when I am out at work or at my family it is the easiest to go for. I know I am addicted to soda, I am going to make a great change. I am going to only drink water for a month. I am going to drink nothing else then water. No coffee, no tea, no soda's, nothing. Just plain boring old water.
Preparation and expectations:
To get prepared for not drinking water I did some research, I read some different blogs and stories from people that have also just drank water for a week or month. Some of them were more used to drinking water than others. Just to be clear, I don't dislike water, I do actually enjoy it so that will make this challenge a bit easier.
I have done some research to see how much water I should be drinking and according to the Mayo Clinic (Link) men should be drinking roughly 3.7 liters and women 2.7 liters of water each day. There is a rule of thumb of drinking roughly 8 glasses of water each day. You should not be over drinking water otherwise you will get kidney damage and you can even die from drinking too much water. The best thing to do is to drink when you are actually thirsty.
The reason I do these challenges is to see, feel and notice any great changes. The same goes for drinking only water. I want to see what kind of affect it has on my skin (often very dry), on my overall health, on my body fat, on my energy levels during the day and other energy accomplishments such as overall concentration, motivation and creativity.
I will keep a journal based on what has happened, changed and improved during the week. At the end of the blog I will review the month as well as answer the questions that I related to any affect drinking water has had. I am and I am not looking forward to this. I know that the first week is going to be hard without any soda's but I want to try this and I want to deliver the best result I can give you.
Week 1:
This was a hard and easy week. The easy part was that the week went by very fast. The hard part is that you realize how much coffee and soda you drink. The first few days went by easily. After the third day I did feel that I was getting a bit irritated faster than normal. I made sure I had a bottle of water in the fridge and when I am at work I make sure I have a bottle of water next to me and I fill it up whenever it is empty. The hardest part is to have something else to drink after a long day of working or being busy.
Week 2:
This was a harder week, because I started with a strong start in the first week. The second week was way more difficult. The desire to have something else to drink wasn't bigger but the feeling of only drinking water was starting to bore me out. I want to taste something different and I feel that having something different would be good for me. I miss a juice in the morning and maybe a soda now and then. It is extra hard when everyone around you is drinking coffee, sodas and whatsoever. But it takes great will power so I have to keep going!
Week 3:
This week was a test, a test to see how well you are able to commit to only drinking water. This week I often wanted to have something else to drink. I have eight cans of Coke in the fridge and the temptation to take one is very high. Just one can't hurt, the little voice in my head tells me. But you have to stay strong and resist the temptations that your mind is tricking you into. Towards the end of the week it feels like drinking water is the new normal for my body and mind.
Week 4:
During this week I can actually feel that my skin is getting softer. Often when it is cold outside I can feel my face getting irritated and my skin having problems. The redness is out of my skin, just as any kind of bumps and pimples. The tone of my skin has become more natural and hands and face feel the softest it has ever been. Drinking water has become automatic at this point. Without thinking about it I only drink water. I automatically walk towards the faucet or I fill up my bottle or glass whenever it is empty.
Pro's and con's:
For everything there is a pro and a con. One of the biggest pro's is that it saves you in shopping. Because only drinking water saves you in buying drinks at the supermarket. It also saves you a lot of money depending on what and how much you drink. For me I only buy juices and soda at the supermarket. I hardly drink alcohol at home so this saves me a lot already. A rough estimate is that I spend between the 5 and 10 euros a week on soda. So for a month this means that it saves me between the 20 and 40 euros a month. If you would do this for a year it would save my anywhere between the 240 and 480 euros a year.
The con is basically that you stick to water and this means that you might get bored quick of water. If you are used to drinking more sodas and juices or alcoholic beverages that might make it harder for you to give it all up for just plain water. Another con is that if you drink a lot of water you have to pee most of the day. My focus was not on drinking an x amount but more on just drinking water.
Conclusion:
Not only is drinking only water good for your health but also a test for your will power. It tests if you are able to control yourself and able to stay determined on drinking water. With every new change or addiction it takes time to get used to the new situation. For drinking water this is the same. It eventually becomes the new normal and it automatically becomes a habit without you even noticing it.
My diet won't be water only for the rest of my life. Actually once I had a soda or two afterwards I was actually questioning myself why I was drinking it. I am going to keep up my water intake. I will limit myself with regards to coffee and soda once I feel that my skin is getting irritated or too dry I am going to change my drinking behavior. What you eat and drink is very important for your body, skin and health. So regularly notice when it gets out of hand and try to change it to your comfort.
Thank you for reading this weeks blog post, I enjoy doing these challenges because it keeps me busy and I am learning my boundaries. Also it takes me out of my comfort zone and it helps me to become a better person. So for every month of this year I am going to do a different challenge. If you have any ideas for I should try let me know in the comments and if you need help to do challenges yourself let me know and I am glad to help you out.
Thank you for reading and enjoy your week.
Franklin, Moments 2 Success
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