This 30-day water challenge is perfect for anyone who wants to feel more energetic and focused during the day.
If you are new to completing 30-day challenges to improve yourself, we recommend starting with a simple challenge like this one. It will help improve your energy levels, and successfully completing this challenge will make it more likely that you continue to develop good habits by completing other 30 day challenges.
How to complete the 30 day water challenge
- In order to complete the 30 day water challenge, we recommend you download and print a copy of calender on the curriculum page.
- Having a printout to mark off when you drink water, will make it more likely that you actually stick to the 30 day challenge.
- Once you have done that, decide on how many glasses of water you should drink every day. The number of glasses you drink, will depend on your gender, activity levels, and climate. You can read more about it below.
- Each time you drink a glass of water, make a little tick in the calender. At the end of the day, count the number of ticks, and put a colored mark on the day to indicate that you successfully drank the correct number of glasses.
How much water should I be drinking in a day?
The United States National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine has determined that men require roughly 15.5 glasses (about 2.6 liters) of liquid each day and women require about 11.5 glasses (approximately 3.7 liters) of liquid each day to remain healthy.
Most of the water your body needs comes from food and most people do not realize that up to 20% of the liquids they drink every day come from foods like fruits, vegetables, soups or yogurt. While it is important to make sure you are drinking enough water every day, it is equally as necessary for you to make sure that your body is also receiving enough of it from the foods that you eat.
Since 75% of the water you consume comes from drinks your recommended water intake for the challenge is therefore as follows:
- Men: 11 glasses of water each day
- Women: 9 glasses of water each day
How to know if you’re drinking enough water?
To know if you’re drinking enough water you must first understand what your body’s optimal fluid level is. This is an individual preference and depends on a variety of factors such as: environmental temperature, sweat levels, and activity levels.
So if you live in a very hot climate, or you exercise a lot, you may want to adjust the amount of water you drink during this 30 day water challenge.
An easy way to tell if you’re drinking enough water is by observing the color of your urine. If your urine appears clear or only slightly yellow, then you are probably consuming enough water for your body. If you notice that your urine starts appearing darker yellow in color, then you should consider increasing the amount of water that you drink.
Pay attention to how thirsty you feel during the day as well. If you pay attention to your body, you’ll intuitively know how much water your body needs.
If you consume the recommended amount of water and are still thirsty, then increase how many glasses you will be drinking each day.
Is it possible to drink too much water in a day?
While it is possible to drink too much water, it is extremely rare. Most cases of individuals drinking too much water occur among athletes trying to make up for water lost during exercise.
If you are unsure of whether or not you are drinking too much water, please contact a doctor before completing this 30 day water challenge.
Best time of day to drink water
Drinking water first thing in the morning, and at least 15 minutes before your meals, is healthy, and aids with weight loss. We also recommend you drink 1 glass of water before you sleep, as your body loses water as you sleep.
- Drink 1 glass of water (with lemon) first thing in the morning (1 glass).
- Drink 1 glass of water 15 minutes before each meal (3 glasses).
- Drink 1 glass of water 1 hour after each meal (4-7 glasses).
- Drink 1 glass of water at bedtime (1 glass).
- Before, after, and during exercise (as needed).
This will ensure you consume between 9 – 12 glasses each day, and more if you are exercising.
Tips to successfully complete this 30 day water challenge.
- Download the 30 day water challenge to keep track of how much water you have consumed. Print it and stick it up on your fridge.
- Reward yourself for every 5 days that you successfully stick to the 30 day water challenge.
- Put hourly reminders on your phone to drink water. Or keep the calendar where you will see it throughout the day.
- Purchase a special water bottle, to make the 30 day water challenge more special. Investing in an activity (using either time or money) will make it more likely that you will stick to it.
How to use this 30 day water challenge to create a water drinking habit
Habits are actions that we do without thinking about. Almost half of our actions actually consist of our habits – both good and bad. This is your brain’s way of ensuring efficiency. These are actions that your brain doesn’t need to waste time or energy on.
New habits take a minimum of 21 days to form. By completing this 30-day water challenge, you will get used to drinking water at specific times of the day. And so even when it is over, you are more likely to continue drinking the recommended amount of water daily.
You can use the following tips to help ensure that this 30-day water challenge helps you create a habit that lasts a lifetime.
Use cues to create a habit
A cue is something that prompts your brain to take action. It is essentially a trigger for your habitual behavior.
Psychologists recommend habit stacking, which is where you use another habit that you already have as a trigger to remind you of a new habit you are creating.
Connecting your new habit to an old habit that you already have significantly increased your chances of sticking to your new habit in the future.
Here are some examples of current habits you can use:
- Drinking a glass of water, right after setting the lunch/dinner table
- Filling up your glass of water every time you take a break from working.
- Drinking water right after you brush your teeth in the morning.
Use rewards to create a habit
Rewarding yourself for completing an action makes it more likely that you will repeat it again. And that the action will become a habit.
Once drinking more water has become a habit, you will no longer need a reward to continue doing it. Once it is a habit, drinking water will be the reward itself.
Here are some ideas for rewards:
- Reward yourself after every 5 days of sticking to the challenge.
- Mix the rewards up to make the challenge more exciting
- Give yourself one large award at the end of the 30 day water challenge.
Routine
Remember habits take a minimum of 21 days to complete. Once you get used to drinking water at specific times during the day, it will become part of the routine.
Benefits of completing this 30 day water challenge
Increases energy level, and improves brain function
Dehydration impedes the flow of oxygen to the brain, which forces your heart to work harder to transport oxygen around your body. This makes you weary and less attentive.
Water helps increase energy levels by increasing the flow of oxygen to your brain. It also promotes the circulation of nutrients and hormones in your body.
Drinking the right amount of water usually has the effect of making you feel significantly more energetic and alert. That”s why we often recommend completing a 30-day water challenge if you have been feeling tired, or weary.
Helps with headaches
When you don’t drink enough water, your body starts to hold on to the water that it does have. This leads to lower blood volume, which in turn leads to a decrease in thoracic pressure, often resulting in headaches.
If you suffer from headaches, drinking water often helps release the tension.
Helps with weight loss
Drinking water actually helps with weight loss, as it significantly boosts your metabolism. It also increases the body’s ability to release fat from storage and transport it to the muscles, which in turn raises the rate at which we burn calories. Drinking water before a meal can also help curb your appetite.
Improves concentration
Have you ever felt so thirsty, that you couldn’t concentrate on anything else? This is because being dehydrated makes you tired- forcing your brain to work harder to focus.
If you want to improve the quality of your work, try drinking more water each day! You will notice a difference in how much concentration you have.