Goal #89: Drink 8 glasses of water a day for two weeks — Achieved: Feb 8, 2016
A note before we get started: I’m clearly not going in any sort of order with my goals — mostly because I am not nearly as organized as Maya is and because I have no method to this madness. I’m just doing what I can, when I can (and that, I think, is the beauty of 101 goals in 1001 days… small wins!).
I didn’t expect this goal to be one of the first that I’ve achieved – mainly because I’ve always had it in the back of mind that I should drink more water – but it’s thanks in large part to my colleague who introduced me to an adorable little app: Plant Nanny.
Plant Nanny essentially positions you as a gardener of adorable little plants — which is yet another reason why it’s surprising that this thing worked for me, as I am not what one would consider a green thumb (I’ve killed many a plant in my day, thanks in large part to just not thinking about them once they’ve been planted). You pick a plant to plant, name it, and then are in charge of its well-being by tracking your water intake. You have an option of choosing different sizes/containers of water (and can switch between these different options throughout the day) and, based on initial questions about your activity level and height/weight, are given a target to reach each day. The app offers options for reminders via push notifications – but truly, the most engaging part of the app is just how cute the plants are… and how sad it is when they’re not getting the water they need:
In the past two months I’ve been using the app – and since achieving my goal of drinking enough water per day – I’ve noticed the following:
(1) Drinking a lot of water makes you have to pee… a lot. I’m still working on figuring out how to manage this, as I now have to pee essentially every 40 minutes. Apparently, my body will eventually get used to being as hydrated as I should be (and am now) — but I’m still waiting for that day to arrive.
(2) Drinking a lot of water makes your skin glow. And I’m not even kidding about this. I’ve always had to deal with breaking out, as I have very oily skin – but since drinking my required amount of water (112 oz per day), I’ve seen a noticeable difference in the brightness and texture of my skin. I have had fewer breakouts, and I’ve even had my sweetheart tell me that I look “radiant” (post-workout, no less!). He might be biased, but I – my harshest critic – have seen a noticeable difference in how fresh and clear my skin looks – better than it has looked in years, to be honest.
(3) Drinking a lot of water makes you more aware of your thirst. I think I always assumed that getting into the habit of drinking my required amount of water per day would mean that I would just no longer be thirsty, but I think the opposite has happened (in a way). I now am more acutely aware of when I get thirsty – particularly in the morning. Now, it has gotten to the point that I am more concerned about getting my first cup or two of water in the morning than I am my coffee! This has also translated to realizing how dehydrating these other beverages can be (coffee, beer, wine, etc.) — so much so that I have made it a habit to have a glass of water alongside any of these kinds of beverages.
Given that last item, I’m realizing that I’m so used to drinking my required amount of water per day at this point that I could probably dispense with using Plant Nanny. And I would, except that my garden keeps growing and looks pretty darn cute…
xo Jaya
Jaya Mohan
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