For the majority of my life, the struggle of drinking enough water has been all too real. Growing up, I literally hated the taste of water — which is pretty strange, considering the fact that water doesn’t really have a taste at all. Regardless, water was always my very last choice of what to drink after soda, juice, and even milk.

It wasn’t until my first pregnancy that I started drinking water voluntarily, and that’s because of how much I craved the stuff. I mean, my body literally had cravings and crazy urges to drink water — and a lot of it! God sure does work in mysterious ways, doesn’t He?

But a craving is just your body’s way of telling you what you need, or what you may be deficient in. I remember that little known fact from all the exercise and sport science courses I took in college at UNC. The truth is that water is crucial to our survival. The human body is made of nearly 60% water, and water flows through our bodies to deliver essential vitamins and nutrients to our cells. “Our bodies also use water to flush out toxins, regulate body temperature, and aid our metabolism,” says health science expert Jonathan Atturbery on HowStuffWorks.

After my pregnancy, those strong cravings disappeared, so I fell back into the habit of consuming less water. I was drinking more than I did in the past, but not anywhere near the recommended eight glasses a day. I capped at around four glasses, and didn’t think much of it.

That didn’t last long.

You see, when I went in for my first facial at Glam Boutique Spa, I actually became super-motivated to #drankmowater. While I was getting my facial, my esthetician simply asked me whether I drank a lot of water. Guilty as charged, I knew I had to give her an honest answer, so I shook my head and told her no, not as much as I should. She responded that she could tell based on the tightness of my skin. She said my pores were more suseptible to hold on to oil, dirt, and bacteria because they weren’t hydrated and elastic enough. We agreed that this probably explained the annoying breakouts that I experienced on occasion. Obviously, I wanted to avoid these breakouts at all costs, and have clear skin all the time. (Who wouldn’t want to avoid unnecessary blemishes?) So, from the moment I left the spa, I decided that I was going to commit to #drankmowater.

And I’ve finally figured out how!

Since I’m pretty competitive by nature, and usually need a little motivation to get things done, I figured I’d create an official water challenge so that it would be easier to motivate myself — and others, for that matter — to take this simple step toward adopting a healthier lifestyle!

The challenge is simple: Eight glasses (64 oz.) of water a day for 30 days. Scientists claim that it takes about 66 days to create a new habit, so consider repeating the challenge for another 30-day cycle. To make this challenge as easy as possible, I’ve broken it down into three steps!

1.Get a Water Bottle

The first step is simple: getting a water bottle. The goal is to drink the recommended eight glasses a day, which comes out to about 64 oz. I got a 32-oz. water bottle on Amazon that has labeled benchmarks so that you can keep track of your consumption throughout the day. I love this water bottle! You just fill it up in the morning, drink it down, replenish the bottle halfway through the day, and finish it off at night. As an added bonus, this bottle is equipped with an infuser so that you can add fruits and veggies to spruce it up a little. This is great for people like me, who don’t especially enjoy the taste of water.

 

 

2. Keep Track of Your Water Consumption

In addition to the water bottle, you need to track your progress and consumption each day. Remember, you may fall short of the recommended eight glasses a day, but making a conscious effort to drink more water is better than doing nothing at all. Challenge yourself to do better than the day before. This FREE EASY TO PRINT AND USE TRACKER makes it easy to keep track of your eight glasses a day. Consider laminating it so that you can reuse it for future challenges. You’ll be amazed at the end of the 30 days, when you see how much water you’ve drunk! Make a realistic goal of what percentage of the daily recommended eight glasses you want to drink, and if you reach the goal at the end of the month, treat yourself! Personally, I want to complete at least 90% of my target. When I do, I’m buying myself a new pair of shoes!

3. Join Forces with a Friend

To really make this work, you need at least one other person to commit to the challenge with you. That way you can hold each other accountable, share your struggles and triumphs, and watch each other make progress! What better gift can you give a friend than a fun, easy way to improve their health and overall wellness? Just direct your friend to this blog so they can see how easy it is to participate.

I’m super-excited to get this challenge going. My plan is to do the challenge for two consecutive months, and eventually make it a long-term habit. I want to encourage everyone to do the same — especially those who want to live a more balanced life. Mommas, I know you’re dealing with low energy, especially after a long day of balancing the kids with everything else in life, and I want you to know that I can relate. If my personal story wasn’t enough, check out these additional benefits of drinking water.

By the end of the challenge, you’ll be energized and more active than ever! Join me and hashtag #thebalancedmomwaterchallenge and #drankmowater to show everyone you’re making the commitment. Also, leave a comment if you have any questions, or if you want to share any challenges or triumphs you’ve come across. Personally, I’m so eager to hear about how this goes for everyone. Together, we can do this! Track my progress on my Instagram page  @asiasaffold — you’ll also find a series of quick recipes for the water bottle infuser as the weeks go on! 

Let’s do this!