Some health experts recommend that you should drink two liters or half gallon of water everyday. Personally, I have never really kept track of how much water I drink in a day. I would like to think it equates to two liters, but you can never truly know until you monitor your intake yourself. A friend and I decided that we are going to make sure we drink two liters of water everyday for two weeks to see what happens. To make sure my friend Jayme and I stay on track, we check in with each other every night to make sure we hit our goal of water intake.
Results After Week One
After one week of committing to this challenge, I quickly realized that on most days I need more than just two liters of water. Days I worked out I would drink three liters of water. Jayme ran a marathon during the week and said she drank over a gallon of water that day and the next day when she was in recovery mode. As my last semester of college is quickly coming to an end, I found myself busier than ever. This would lead me to forget to drink throughout the day, leaving me chugging a liter of water before bed about two or three times during week one. Jayme claimed that from drinking two liters of water in the day, she felt more energized. I for one, definitely noted the most obvious of having more frequent visitations to the bathroom.
Results After Week Two
After spending two weeks of drinking two liters of water, Jayme and I compiled our results. In the beginning of this challenge, two liters sounded like a lot of water on paper. However, it didn’t exactly turn out to be a challenge in our own opinion. Like I said for week one, some days I was forgetful with my water intake, but most days my body needed more than two liters of water. Jayme felt that on most days she drank more than two liters of water as well. So if this is the recommended water intake from health experts, why did I find myself needing more than two liters?
Coming to Conclusions
The recommended water intake actually varies from person to person based on a variety of factors. One of these factors is weight. If someone weighs more, then their water intake should be higher. For example, if you weigh 150 pounds you should be drinking 100 ounces of water daily, which equates to three liters of water. If you weigh 170 pounds you should be drinking 114 ounces of water daily which is almost three and a half liters of water. In order to calculate your water intake based on your weight you need to multiply your weight by 2/3 or 67%. You may need to modify this intake based on other factors such as activity levels, environment and specific health conditions. These factors can lead to different levels of dehydration which in turn leaves your body needing more water. I think the most beneficial outcome to this challenge, in which Jayme agrees with, is the constant tracking of your water intake. From doing this, we both noted how much water we drank throughout the day, making us more conscious of our body’s hydration levels and needs.
Editing Note: This article did not filter through the normal EmpowHER editing and fact checking process. It was checked for spelling and grammar.