Do you drink enough water every day? For most of us, the answer will be no. Despite knowing the countless health benefits that a nice cool glass of H20 provides, we either tend to reach for sugary drinks or only drink one or two bottles of water a day. For seven days, I challenged myself to cut out all sodas and juices and solely consume my recommended daily water intake. Here’s what happened:

Day One – Monday

I started off the challenge by calculating how much water I needed to be drinking on this site. It suggested that I consume 78 ounces of water, which is equivalent to about five 16.9 ounce Kroger plastic water bottles. Before I left for school, I finished my first bottle. I took two to school with me and then drank my last two between dinner time and bedtime. On Monday, I focused on getting through the week, so I chugged through the water on day one with no problem. I was feeling very optimistic that I could get through this week with none of my usual drinks.

Day Two – Tuesday

The next day, I woke up craving my usual breakfast beverage- apple juice- but decided to ignore the urge to grab a cup of it. Gulping water first thing in the morning instead made me feel refreshed and energized. After drinking the rest of my suggested daily water intake, I felt more alert. I could pay attention better in class lectures and at work. By Tuesday night, I started to realize that I really didn’t need a soda or juice to make me feel energized.

Day Three – Wednesday

On Wednesdays, I typically start my day with a 7 AM college class and work until 9 PM. These are the days when I need caffeine the most. I also woke up with a migraine that morning and was really contemplating grabbing one of my go-to energy drinks, but I decided to stick to the plan and got water. After my third bottle of the day, my headache was gone. Water is known to be a natural headache remedy, and it can clearly work some wonders on our bodies!

Day Four – Thursday

By Thursday, only drinking water had me feeling like a health nut. I decided to cheat a little and added fruit to my water to give it a little kick. After finishing my last water bottle for the day, I decided to look in the mirror and examine my skin. I could see that little blemishes had gone away and my complexion had a glow to it. Who needs a highlighter when you have water, right?

Day Five – Friday

I only go to school for two hours on Fridays, which means I have ample free time. Usually, I end up snacking a lot throughout the day but after drinking my water and eating breakfast and lunch I wasn’t in the mood for snacking. Water kept me full throughout the day and prevented me from pigging out on junk food.

Day Six – Saturday

Having breakfast with just water was routine by Saturday. However, my family decided to go out to eat for lunch and this put my challenge to the true test. At restaurants, I usually order my favorite thirst-quenching Sprite, but I forced myself to order water to finish out the week strong. I honestly enjoyed my meal more with a cool, glass of water to accompanying it.

Day Seven – Sunday

Sundays are my hardest days. I work for 7 hours and have to come home and do homework. I need the energy to get me through my day and since I couldn’t have caffeine, I made sure my water was ice cold. Ice cold water was an easy fix to increase my energy levels and help my brain function better throughout my workday.

My final thoughts: It takes a lot of willpower to just drink water for 7 days when you’re not used to doing it. Would I do it again? Yes! From healthier skin to decreased headaches, increasing my water intake proved to be beneficial in just a few days. I may start doing this challenge once a month in hopes to be able to go longer without juices or sodas.

My suggestions: Keep sugary beverages away from you when trying to only drink water for 7 days so you’ll be less tempted. I would also set reminders on your phone to help you remember how much water you need to be drinking daily.

Will you be taking the 7-day water challenge?

Let us know by leaving a comment below!