Drink your water challenge!

Let's kick the week off right, shall we?  Not long ago I wrote a post declaring the benefits I experienced when I elevated my water consumption.  Soon others chimed in and expressed similar sentiments around their water drinking habits.  Over and over again I heard how you attribute your beautiful skin and healthy nails to your internal hydration levels.  Even miss Gabrielle Union herself has stated that drinking a gallon of water daily has "made a huge difference in her skin and nails, it grows!" She also shared that she doesn't have skin flare ups and because she remains so hydrated.  Then I received an email from Kim after she read my post asking if we could create a Hydration Challenge.

What a great idea!!! A challenge could help keep the focus on drinking adequate amounts of water on a daily basis.  Hopefully the Water Drinking Challenge would create the foundation of a lifelong habit.  Let's chat a little about how this will work.

• The goal will be increase our current water intake with a goal of drinking anywhere from 2 liters to 1 gallon a day.  
• We will focus on consistency so the act of drinking water soon becomes second nature.
• We will set ourselves up for success so we can realize the benefits of drinking water which will cause us to continue our actions.
• This challenge does not have a time frame (i.e. "30 Day Challenge") because the goal is to make it part of what we do from now on.
• Everyone in the challenge should pay close attention to the benefits they are receiving as a motivator to keep the habit going.  Notice things like how your skin behaves or if your nails are getting stronger. Do you experience less dryness than before, how does your hair respond? How is your energy level? What about your weight, your digestion?  
• We can update the progress of the water challenge on a thread I created on the discussion section of the blog.

Here are some basic strategies on how to drink more water daily:

• Start each morning by drinking at least an 8 oz glass of water. There are several benefits to doing this.  Overnight, our bodies are working to cleanse and repair. A large glass of water in the morning helps us flush some of the toxins and waste out.  
• Substitute your juices, sodas, etc for water.  
• Drink healthy teas if you don't like the taste of plain water.
• Add lemon for taste and alkalizing benefits.
• Use a large bottle like the one below so you don't have to refill so often.  
• Make it intentional.  Set a goal for yourself like "I'll drink this entire bottle before 2:00 pm today."
• Pair your water drinking with other routine actions. For example, when you lotion your skin, drink water. When you moisturize your hair, drink water.  When you are watching your favorite TV show, drink up!
• Every time you drink water think to yourself "my skin and hair is getting healthier, my body is so hydrated. I love water!"  This is a different way of thinking than saying "uh, I hate the way water tastes."
• Track your progress. You can take pictures, or journal your water intake.  I'm glad I wrote down the benefits I received in a blog post, because when I read it again, I'm motivated to keep drinking my water.  

To keep our bodies in balance, take a multivitamin with minerals or add a pinch of pink salt to your water to keep your electrolytes up.  Water is like to foundation of any beauty ritual. We need it to help the nutrients in our blood stream to permeate the walls of our cells.  Buying a bunch of beauty products is cool but make sure you've done the basics first.  I think about how we use water every day to clean our hair, skin, clothes, bathrooms, dishes, etc. Yet some of us rarely use water to do internal cleansing.  Start to shift your thinking of water from something that's optional to a requirement.  It's a must!  

So who's ready to take on this challenge with me?  Tell me about in the discussion forum!