HOW I DRINK A GALLON A DAY
“Of water, silly. Water is life.”
Disclaimer: I’m not a medical doctor nor am I a fitness coach. I’m simply a girl who used to drink diet coke and coffee and a few sips of water and then, when replacing that for a gallon of water a day, lost 42 pounds and gained mental clairty. Here are my tips as to how I did it.
TIP 01/ YOU HAVE TO BUILD UP There’s no way you’ll go from zero to 128 ozs of water in a few days. You have to build up gradually. Also, one gallon of water a day (128 ozs) might not be a perfect amount for your body. You’ll need to experiment and find the right amount for you. Either way, you’ll need to build up. Start out by adding 16 ozs to what you are currently drinking. Then add 8 ozs to that every other day until you reach a gallon (or your goal).
TIP 02/ PLAN YOUR START In other words, plan to do this during a week that doesn’t require you to travel, locked up in a car or a plane for hours at a time. You need to have access to a bathroom because your body is going to be working! It’s a good thing! Even now, when I’m used to a gallon a day, I can’t drink my normal water when traveling. After the first few days you’ll still need a bathroom frequently, but here’s the good news: you live in a country where there are bathrooms everywhere. Don’t worry. You’ll find one. That’s not an excuse not to do this.
TIP 03/ START EARLY in the day. If you try to start drinking your water late in the day, game over. Besides, the best water benefits come from early morning (or, upon rising) because it cleanses your body and “jump starts” your metabolism immediately. Plus, it makes it easier to actually get all of your water in.
“If you try to start drinking your water late in the day, game over.”
TIP 04/ WATER TEMP I drink room temperature water. I found that drinking a gallon of ice cold water was too much for my body. I was getting “brain freeze” and mild head aches. As soon as I changed it went away. Now I pull water bottles out of the pantry. Experiment with this and do what works for you.
TIP 05/ USE A WATER APP I don’t use one myself, but I do keep track of my water in my “fit app” (currently I use “Lose It”). The biggest “tracker” for me is the fact that I fill up 6 water bottles the night before (+ set a 7th by my bed at night for the next morning + an 8th one in my bathroom to drink when getting ready). Those all have to be gone by bed. That works for me. But several of my friends swear by the water apps. Whatever works for you is what you need to do. Check out WaterMinder and HydrateDaily.
TIP 06/ ACCOUNTABILITY PARTNER Pair up with someone who has the same goal as you and keep each other accountable! My assistant is constantly saying “Teri are you drinking your water?!” and seriously, it makes me pick up my water bottle at that very second so I can say “yes!” back to her. It works.
BIZ BENEFIT: Entrepreneurs rejoice! Your brain is about to jump for joy. Literally. A dehydrated brain has to work harder to function. Water literally lifts what many refer to as “brain fog”. Whatever it’s called, I can tell you it’s real. Once I started drinking enough water, I felt like I walked through a wall and on the other side was pure clarity. It’s really real people. Drink your water.
Want to know my water schedule and how I fit it all into my day? Check out this article: