I recently ran my first group challenge on the InBalanse FB page…the 7-Day H2O Challenge. It was fantastic! The challenge was to drink half your weight, in ounces, in water, everyday, for seven days (or as close to it as you could).

That’s a LOTTA WATAH!

The point of the challenge was to help make folks aware of how much water they should be drinking daily and to get them started on the habit of drinking at least that much, every day. It’s no surprise to anyone that we need water, but it’s the amount of water we should be drinking daily that is a big surprise to most people. That, and how far off they are from that amount of water, even when they think they drink lots of it.

For most of my life, I never drank water. I hated water and only drank milk (and now, I’m completely dairy free because of a sensitivity). Knowing what I know now about how medicinal plain water is for our bodies, it makes me shudder to think about how dehydrated my body must have been! It’s why I went into labour at just seven months with my first baby – my poor body was trying to grow a baby and keep my body functioning on very little water. I didn’t have a clue how important it was!

Thankfully, I came across an article that spoke to the importance and benefit of drinking water before even getting out of bed, every morning. What stuck with me from that post was the explanation that after sleeping all night, your body has gone seven to eight hours without any fluid…it’s no wonder we usually find it hard to wake up!

That was almost 10 years ago and the before-my-feet-hit-the-floor water habit has stuck with me and continued to improve from there. I now drink a 650 mL water bottle every morning when I wake up and I try to get two more bottles in before noon. What I noticed most was the energy it gave me and how quickly I started to feel alert. It’s an almost instant reaction. The rest of my family have since jumped on the morning water train (my husband has even cut back his daily coffee intake from four cups to just one!) and they’ve noticed benefits such as increased energy, easier to wake in the mornings, fewer breakouts (a bonus for teeneagers!), better focus/attention, and better workouts. The awesome participants from our water challenge experienced similar results:

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“I am over 50 and a nurse and had no idea the impact of increasing my water intake. I was thinking that my sluggish feeling was related to working too many long hours, an intense job and age! What a wonderful surprise to learn I am aging better than I thought.”

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“It was actually easier to do than I thought and it made me realize that I need to pay more attention to the amount of water that I drink in a day because it makes a big difference. Feeling great. Thanks!”

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“I can’t get over the difference on day 1 … and how little water I have been drinking. I thought there was “no way” I was going to drink only 1 cup of coffee. But this was easier that I thought. My sluggishness must be from being low on water.”

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I think the biggest surprise to most of them was how quickly they started noticing positive changes during the challenge–most of them after only one day. Besides what they noticed on the outside, there are are so many great things going on inside the body when you give it enough water:

• Glowing Skin: water helps to purge toxins from the blood which helps to keep skin clear and healthy;
• Weight loss: drinking water in the morning helps boost your metabolism and keeps you feeling full longer;
• Balance lymph system: drinking water supports your lymph system function by balancing body fluids and fighting infection;
• Increased energy: drinking enough water will keep your energy levels up all day and have you less likely to reach for that mid-afternoon sugar snack or soda;
• Lubricate joints: as we age, our joints need some extra TLC and water is a great way to help keep them lubricated and moving smoothly; and
• Improved digestion: when we drink enough water, we make sure everything keeps flushing through our digestive system which helps to ensure nothing gets stuck or stagnant in there!

There are so many amazing benefits of drinking half your weight in ounces in water every day. Water is truly one of the best medicines you can give your body. It’s easy to get your hands on and is suitable for everyone!

Your challenge? Figure out what your water quota is for your weight and set a goal to drink that much daily. Very few of us drink enough water to properly hydrate our bodies and there’s really no reason for it. It’s cheap, it’s easy and it’s a sugar-free, caffeine-free, and drug-free way to support your body and feel great!

How do you measure up with your water consumption…are you reaching your daily quota yet? If not, set a goal to start today! If you’re already a water rockstar, what are your tricks to make sure you drink enough daily?