Bite-Sized Self-Care Challenge Day Seven
Drink some H₂O: day seven of the QUALITY BOSS 30-day self-care challenge.
Welcome to day seven of the self-care challenge! You can catch up here if needed.
Today’s Bite-Sized Self-Care: Drink some H₂O
The human body is approximately 60% water.1 Water, food, air. These are the bare minimums needed for survival.
Being well-hydrated offers many health benefits beyond mere survival, as dehydration can impair your mood, cognitive function, memory, and ability to pay to attention.2 Dehydration can also affect your physical abilities, energy levels, and cause headaches.
When I don’t drink enough water, I get headaches, I lose my ability to concentrate, and I also get irritable. I didn’t notice this until I started paying attention to how much water I drink–or don’t drink!
Earlier this year, I experimented with the 75 Hard Challenge. Part of the challenge is to drink a gallon (128 oz) of water per day. I knew that would be next to impossible for me. At the time I was starting the challenge, I was drinking about 8-12 oz of water a day. I set a goal to drink a ¹/₂ gallon per day, and while I was not successful every day, I quickly noticed I was feeling better when I was well hydrated.
Since then, my daily water intake fluctuates, but I’ve been trying to steadily increase how much I’m drinking. If you’re like me and you like data and keeping a streak, I use an iOS app called Waterllama.
Today’s Challenge:
Drink some H₂O.
If you’d like to find out how much water you should be drinking each day, the recommended amount varies from the standard “6 to 8 cups a day” to 11 cups (91 oz) for women, and 15 cups (125 oz) for men.3
Since 20% of daily water intake typically comes from food, and a small person might need less water than a very large one, another way to calculate is by body weight - drinking ¹/₂ oz per lb of body weight. If you’re active or live in a warm/hot climate, drink more. (Please note I am not a doctor. If you have any medical conditions, please check with your doctor on the appropriate amount of water for your unique situation.)
You can also go by how you feel (often when we think we’re hungry, we’re actually thirsty), and by checking your urine–it should be clear to pale yellow when you are sufficiently hydrated.
What are your tips and tricks for staying hydrated?
Thanks for continuing to join me on this challenge! I hope you’re enjoying the series and making a tiny bit of time for self-care along the way.
Stay refreshed,
Brie