Happy Thursday from inside the hyperbaric chamber at Duke University. I’m sitting here at 12,000 feet pooping in plastic bags and collecting my urine all in the name of science. I like to conduct my own little experiments at home too. After reading an article in some magazine (maybe Outside?) in January, I was inspired to initiate a water challenge. My plan was to drink a gallon a water a day for a week and if it seemed sustainable, I’d do it for the whole month.

Let me break the suspense now, I did not do this insane challenge for a month and I wasn’t entirely successful at my smaller goal. Here’s my journal of a week of trying to drink 128oz per day for a week.

Day 1 

First day was hard! Drank 20 ounces before bed and another 100oz during the day. I didn’t finish the last one until 2am… you think I could have swallowed another eight ounces, but I simply couldn’t. Was definitely sick of water by that point.

Day 2 

Started the morning strong by finishing a bottle ten minutes into my drive to work. I felt like I should have been more prepared – those were minutes I could have spent drinking! What a waste of time!

Having to pee so much at work that I feel like a slacker…

Tried to chug water before I went pee and ended up spitting it out on the floor of my cubicle. Basically ran to the bathroom coughing.. water up my nose.. tears in my eyes. Maybe this challenge will teach me how to drink without doing that.

It’s 12:40 on day 2 and I’m only 1 bottle and 3/4 of another (35 ounces) into my six bottle quota. Pray for me.

Peeing so much is distracting.. my hands are so dry from washing them with crappy office soap.

Day 3

Water is the most terrible liquid.

I didn’t drink my first 20 ounces until 2:30pm.

Why am I doing this?

Somehow finished the second bottle by 3:15. I’m an animal.

Still haven’t mastered ‘the last sip’ and ended up with a mouth too full of water to swallow.

Ebs and flows with my hatred of water today.

Downed a piece of cake so fast. Not sure what that has to do with water.

Last 28 oz to go at 12am.

Day 4

Totally fell off the freaking wagon.

Drank 60 ounces.. then went out to drive my friends around for a brewery tour and while I could have easily ordered a water at each bar, I simply didn’t.

I maybeeee drank 8 ounces on day 4. Shame on me. I’ll extend the challenge by at least a day.

Day 5

Why is this so hard? Why do I hate water?

My supervisor gave me a full sparkling water and I didn’t even open it. She totally thought I was sick or something. Can’t imagine adding more to my stomach along with the water.

Needed about 20 more ounces today.. slept with a full water bottle, but couldn’t bring myself to drink it. FML.

Literally didn’t drink anything else – not even tea except for morning tea or coffee. Sad.

Day 6

Starting off slow. Finishing off the first twenty ounces at 2PM.

Good luck to me.

Contemplating the wording to my newsletter for a monthly initiative as I walk to the bathroom kinda annoyed that I’ve peed three times at work already today..

Hands are dry but this time from lack of water versus washing them?!

Lips are dry this morning too.

I yi yi

50oz by 6:42. Never gonna make it..

70 by 8:21

90 by 10

90 by 12

110 by morning.

Day 7

trying.

20oz of water and 10 oz of tea by 2:20.

Starting to count tea now.. Because this is super fucking hard and I’m over it. Initially I wanted to do it for only a week, but with my feelings towards it, I think I should force myself to do it for a month… my only worry? Next week I’m doing my NOLS Wilderness First Responder course and I’ll be having to pee literally every two hours.. it’s a huge commitment!

My lips are so dry they are cracked and nearly bleeding. wtf. How!?

Chugging 20oz before lunch…well by 4:15. Seriously pitiful.

90oz by 9pm – feeeelin’ good!

110 by 12:17

130 by 1:41AM

Fuck this, I’m only drinking 100 oz from now on.

DAY 8

40 by 1pm

30 by 5:30

100 by 9pm

12 oz of seltzer, omg!

Really almost peed my pants today while having to talk to a client … yikes.

Day 9

20 by 1 pm

40 3:30

60 by 5:45

70 tea

87 water

97 tea

Oh water.

Happy to be back on the tea train

Drinking anything feels like a chore

Like I MUST ACCOMPLISH IT.

And that’s that y’all. Just a totally insane monologue about a self imposed water challenge. Now that you read that don’t you want to try?!

Let me tell you the positives, my skin and lips did feel much better when I was keeping up. Not only that, but my usually irritated sinuses and immense pressure was non-existent. This is huge for me and one of the main reasons I’m so motivated to keep up with the 100 ounces. It also felt just plain good to drink water in the morning as a way to start the day. I also felt like I ate less because the water kept me feeling full all day.I

highly recommend this challenge (or your version of it) for at least a week. It’s a great way to become aware of your drinking habits and to alter them for the better.

*More water facts here.