After looking at my calendar last week and realizing that I had yet another extremely busy week ahead of me, I groaned, “Ugh, I will need so much coffee next week.”. I’m not even an avid coffee drinker, but I knew I would need some type of energy. After a moment, though, something dawned on me. When was the last time I had drank a glass of water?
Unfortunately, I couldn’t answer that question because I didn’t remember when I had last had a good amount of water. I’m always on the go, and I barely remember to get myself ready in the morning let alone remember my water bottle. Since I knew it would be a hard week, I decided to challenge myself and see if I could remember all my important due dates and meetings as well as the recommended eight glasses of water a day for the 5 days a week that I am the busiest.
Monday
I started the first day with a glass of water before heading out the door for class. For this challenge, I made sure to use the same water bottle every day so I could accurately remember how many times I refilled it. I used one from Starbucks, equipped with a reusable straw because I find everything easier to drink that way. I worked on Monday night, and I usually drink the most water at work, especially on nights like Mondays where there is not much to do. Monday was also my easiest day of the week, so I had a lot more time to remember my water.
Glasses of water: 7/8
Tuesday:
Tuesday was a long day because I had class in the morning and afternoon, and only a small bit of time to get home, start some homework and eat before I was back at school for a sorority event. I did carry my water with me all day, however I decided to try something different. I don’t like the taste of water, and that may be the reason why I don’t drink enough of it. I do however love the taste of lemon water and could probably drink a litre of it, so I started adding lemons into my water. According to Healthline, lemon water promotes hydration and vitamin C that is found in lemons is good for your skin, as well as your overall health. Therefore, I wasn’t altering the glasses of water a day by adding lemons to it. On my way to sorority, I realized I had forgotten my water bottle at home and was desperate for water during the event because my mouth was so dry, running in and out of the room for a water fountain.
Glasses of water: 8/8
Wednesday:
I had a bad sleep on Tuesday night, so I was already in a bad mood on Wednesday. I could feel myself coming down with a cold so the only thing I wanted was tea, which I had quite a bit of. I accompanied my boyfriend to an information session that night and forgot my water bottle again. Overall, not the best day of the week.
Glasses of water 2/8 (yikes)
Thursday:
Like Tuesday, I had a busy day. I remembered both my water bottle and my extra lemon slices for the day at school. I could feel a sickness coming in more and more, so I attempted to add more lemon than usual to try and use vitamin C to combat my oncoming cold. I sipped water through my classes and meetings all afternoon, and even remembered to bring it to my sorority event that night. I felt the most refreshed on Thursday, and I think it had to do with the amount of lemon I was squeezing into my water.
Glasses of water: 7/8
Friday:
I was forced to skip my class on Friday because I was much too sick to get up. I felt very dehydrated, and finally made a trip to the kitchen to get some lemon water. I know that drinking water is vital while sick, but I was so tired and congested that I just couldn’t be bothered to drink too much. Fortunately, I did manage to get some down with lemon.
Glasses of water: 5/8
All in all, this challenge was easier once I added the lemon into it. If I were to do it again, I would try using different fruits and herbs to infuse my water, such as cucumber and mint, and try tracking it in my planner so that even while busy, it’s not something to forget. This was a tough week, and I’m still impressed that I remembered (for the most part) to drink more water than I thought I would. I think the word “challenge” makes me want to do things even more, so I think I will start telling myself I am going to do a “challenge” and start drinking a lot more water!