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In Health Challenge

Week 1 & 2 of May 31-Day Water Challenge

Author AmandaPosted on
close up of water splashing
Photo by Samara Doole on Unsplash

Water and I have NOT always been friends. I used to have such a hard time drinking even one glass of water a day, even though I could drink 3 cups of coffee or iced tea or soda like nothing. I always knew how bad it was for me to not be drinking enough water. There was just never the right motivation to get me to actually do it.

And then I went to the ER twice in less than 2 weeks. Both times, I was severely dehydrated. I should start off by saying that the dehydration was due to all the issues I was having with my stomach. I couldn’t even hold down a sip of water without it coming right back up again. (TMI!!) It was horrible. The nurses hooked me up to those IV bags in the hospital. They were shocked when my body drank up all the fluids like a sponge! Those nurses swore I’d be peeing like crazy after 3 bags of fluids. But when you’re severely dehydrated, that’s not the case.

So something had to change.

I made the decision to start a month-long water challenge, even if no one was doing it with me. That meant half my body weight in water, every day for the month of May. I was pleasantly surprised to see that other people were determined to get their daily water intake just like me. So I marked the date in my calendar, and I started on my water journey with the support of my fellow crazies.

Week One

The first few days were pretty easy. I was retraining my body to follow a new routine, one that included more water a day than I was used to. It was daunting at first, but I had set a new goal for myself, and I had no plans of messing it up. I will say, more water does mean more bathroom breaks and more times filling up the Brita pitcher. That was definitely a change I needed to get used to.

The most surprising thing about this first week was how drinking enough water effected my energy level. It seems silly to say it now, but it had never occurred to me before that not getting enough water a day was making me groggy and tired. By starting my day with a glass of water, I felt twice as energized and awake. Some days, I didn’t even need my morning cup of coffee!

Week Two

By the second week of my water challenge, drinking my daily amount got a little bit more difficult. The initial excitement of starting the challenge had worn off, and I wasn’t working as hard to get in my 8 glasses. I was still feeling the great effects of drinking water, like energy and not snacking as much during the day, but I was still having trouble spreading out my water consumption throughout the day. This usually led to me pounding two water bottles back to back about an hour before bedtime.

I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS!!!

Not only was I making it harder on myself to get in my daily amount of water, but I ended up waking up every hour because I had to pee! Sorry if that’s too graphic for some of y’all, but seriously, you do not want to do this to yourself!

We’re Halfway There!!

For the past two weeks, I have been retraining my body to drink as much water as I should be drinking a day. It took some time to get the hang of it, but I have stayed on top of my water intake so far. For the next two weeks, I’ll continue to kick back water shots. In the meantime, here are some quick tips I’ve picked up thus far.

  • Have your 1st glass of water as soon as you wake up. It will energize you, and make you feel great that the day just started and you already have 8 oz. under your belt.
  • Use a Water Tracker to keep up with your progress. I’ve been using Daily Water Tracker and it has been a lifesaver!
  • Come up with some sort of water schedule for yourself. This will help to space out your drinking, so you’re not trying to chug your last 2 water bottles right before the end of the day. (Trust me on this one.)
  • Have a friend join in on the challenge with you. It’s a lot easier to stick to something when you have someone else there to hold you accountable.

I hope you’re all getting in your daily water intake, and if you missed a day or two, keep trying! No quitting! This will only make you feel better, both physically and mentally. Best of luck!!

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In Health Challenge, Self love, Therapy

Self Care is NOT Selfish

Author AmandaPosted on
cup of coffee on table; mug says Enjoy the little things
Photo by Anita Austvika on Unsplash

Given that today is Day 1 of the May 31-Day Water Challenge, I figured I would take the time to talk about self care and why it is so important for healthy mental health. I remember the first time my therapist looked at me and said, “Amanda, self care is not selfish.” It seemed like such a simple concept at the time, but it stuck out to me because it’s such an easy one to forget.

I don’t know about you, but I spend a lot of my time worrying about what works for everybody else and what I can do to make other people happy. On the surface, that sounds like a pretty good thing, right? I’m empathetic to people’s needs and care about pleasing the people around me. It sounds great, but actually, it sometimes can be more harmful to my mental health than I realize.

I tend to always put people first, but then you have to wonder…what about me? And the same goes for you. Taking care of other people is great, and being in tune with the needs of the people you love is an admirable quality, but it shouldn’t mean that you forget to take care of yourself. You wouldn’t leave your friend or your family member out in the cold if they needed some lovin’, so why would you do it to yourself?

It really isn’t selfish to think about yourself every now and then.

So self care can look like any number of things, and what works for you may not be what works for someone else. Maybe you like to blast show tunes in your bedroom. (Like me!) Maybe you prefer to slash some zombies in a video game. Find your own ways to show yourself some love, and then carve out some time for it every week, if not every day. Self care really is that important to your mental health.

Ways to Help Care for Your Body

  1. Go to the doctor. If you’re sick, you should be getting yourself to the doctor. I’m a firm believer in annual checkups and staying up to date with your medical history. Take care of your body. It’s the only one you’ve got.
  2. Follow a balanced diet. No one is saying that you can’t indulge or continue to eat the way you want to eat, but food can affect your mood, and therefore, your mental health. Include foods in your diet that make you feel good. You’ll thank me later.
  3. Get enough sleep at night. Staying up all night may have seemed like a good idea when you were a kid, but as you get older, you realize how vital sleep is to your mood. Don’t just get enough sleep to function in the mornings. Get enough sleep to actually feel good in the morning. And if you’re having trouble sleeping, talk to your doctor about natural ways to help you fall asleep at night. There’s a reason we spend so much of our lives sleeping. It’s important!
  4. Exercise! Try to do some sort of exercise every day. I struggle with this one too, but it really is so important. There’s nothing that makes me feel worse about myself than when I’m winded after going up 1 flight of stairs. Start slow, and build up to a routine that works for you.
  5. Stay away from using mind-altering substances as way to self medicate. No lectures here. I’m not going to tell you what to do with your body. Just know that alcohol and other substances act as a depressant, and when you already feel down, it can be easier to fall into a downward spiral. A temporary fix may seem like a good idea at first, but it won’t solve the problem. Find real solutions to feel better. Like I said, you only get one body. You owe it to yourself to take care of it.
  6. Make mental health a priority. This one is the most important one, in my honest opinion. The same way you’d go to the doctor if you fell and sprained your wrist, mental health should be just as much of a priority. Invest in therapy, and if that’s not an option for you, talk to a trusted friend, or write it all down for yourself. Feelings can cause physical illness if you don’t let them out in a healthy way.

Sometimes we get so busy, that we forget to make time for ourselves. Don’t neglect yourself. You’re no good to anybody else around you if you don’t make yourself a priority first. It’s like flight instructions on an airplane. In case of an emergency, put on your oxygen mask first before assisting others. Whatever you decide to do with your free time, make sure you take a little bit of that time to take care of you.

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In Health Challenge

The “May 31-Day Water Challenge”

Author AmandaPosted on
water pouring on hands
Photo by mrjn Photography on Unsplash

We’ve all heard the same statistics since grammar school. We need water to live. Water makes up about 60% of your body weight. Our bodies are mostly made up of water, and yet, 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated.

Drinking water is hard. As hard as it is to drink enough water, for some reason, it never seems hard to guzzle down two grande espressos with breakfast and two cups of soda with dinner. But drinking that much water a day? Impossible!

As I get older, it becomes more apparent to me how important it is to take care of my body. Getting enough sleep and not looking like I just walked off the set of The Walking Dead means a lot more to me now than it did 10 years ago. We only get 1 body. We really should take better care of it.

And so, I challenge you to join me, starting May 1st. Some water challenges encourage you to drink nothing but water for 30 days. My goal is just drink as much water as I should actually be drinking every day, while still allowing myself a coffee or iced tea here and there.

The Rules

  • A general rule of thumb is to drink half your body weight in ounces of water a day. If that seems like too much to start, you can always do 8 glasses of water a day. Therefore, you need to drink 64 ounces of water a day to hit the goal.
  • Keep track of you water intake, whether on paper or in an app on your phone. I prefer to track my water on the Daily Water Tracker app, but there are plenty of other apps, like Waterlogged or MyFitnessPal.
  • If you don’t complete your water intake for one day, just keep going! No quitting allowed! If you’re still trying, then you’re not failing.
clear glass of water on table next to glass water bottle
Photo by Clint McKoy on Unsplash

Water is essential to our lives. It can help prevent a whole bunch of physical ailments and illnesses. My goal is to complete the Water Challenge every day for the month of May, all the while, updating all of you on my progress and findings. It’ll be difficult, but I’m determined to succeed. And I’m rooting you all on as well!