Staying Hydrated Can Transform Your Life | Here’s How You Can Drink More Water

Do you want glowing skin? Improved concentration and energy? Healthier heart, joints, and kidney? It’s not magic – it’s just some of the amazing changes that happen when you drink more water! And despite all the incredible benefits, nearly 80% of us aren’t staying hydrated enough.

I’m ashamed to say that most days, I fall into that 80%. Way too often I find myself heading to bed thinking, “did I even drink any water today?” One day recently I felt bloated, tired, and had a splitting headache. When I realized it was because I was dehydrated, I knew something had to change.

That’s when I decided that I needed to drink more water. And what better way to do that than through one of my Make the Habit challenges! For the past 21 days, I challenged myself to drink at least 2 liters of water a day. Here’s my experience and how you can do it too!

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor. Consult a health professional if you need advice about your specific water intake needs.

This post may include affiliate links. That means that if you decide to make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your continued support!

Why 21 days?

How long does it take to form a new habit? The answer is different depending on who you ask, your personality, and the habit that you hope to implement in your life. For the purposes of this series, I’ve decided to choose 21. Although it’s hotly debated, 21 days is accepted as the minimum number of days it takes to start cementing a new habit. 21 days is the perfect amount of time to try a new behavior and set you on the right path to maintaining it in the long term!

What are the benefits of drinking more water?

There is so much debate about how much water we should drink in a day. I tried out a couple of different amounts before deciding that 125 ounces (or 2.7 liters) was the right amount for me. This is the average water intake requirement for women – for males, that number will be closer to 3.7 liters a day. That is a lot of water!

What changes will you notice once you increase your hydration? There will be dozens of internal changes like improved cardiovascular, kidney, and digestive system function. But for this experiment, I focused on 5 key metrics that I could actually keep track of. These benefits were:

1. Better focus and concentration.

Our brains are roughly 75% water. Plus, water helps flush out toxins and deliver nutrients to your brain. All of this leads to improved focus, concentration, and clarity.

2. Clearer, more radiant skin.

There are SO many ways that water fuels beautiful skin. When you are properly hydrated, your skin’s oil and water balance improves, meaning fewer breakouts and less dryness. It’s a win-win for all skin types!

3. More energy and physical stamina.

Dehydration forces your whole body to work harder. Staying hydrated means you can stay energized!

4. Reduced bloating.

When you aren’t drinking enough fluids, your body retains more water and slows down your digestive tract. Both of these factors can lead to a bloated, uncomfortable belly.

5. Improved mood.

Just like you can get hangry when you start to feel hungry, thirst and dehydration can impact your mood as well. It’s one of the many ways your body alerts you that you need more hydration.

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What keeps us from drinking enough water?

I asked my followers on Instagram what was keeping them from meeting their hydration goals, and there was a huge range of answers. Some of the most common problems were as simple as forgetting, or not having a big enough water bottle. Here were the most common reasons I heard in my poll:

Forgetting to drink water – 37%

The most common barrier to drinking more water is simply forgetting to drink more water! This was a problem I dealt with during this challenge as well. When we are busy with our routines, it’s easy to forget how important it can be to stay hydrated. Making water a part of your routine can be a crucial step to increasing your intake!

Something that completely changed my viewpoint was this fact: as soon as you start to feel thirsty, you are already dehydrated.

When I reframed thirst in this way, it became so much more important to stay hydrated. As soon as dehydration sets in, your body already needs to start working harder to make up for the lack of water. Knowing this makes me want to actively avoid getting thirsty!

Some other tricks that helped me were bringing my bottle with me at all times and setting designated breaks throughout the day to stop and take a sip.

Taste – 24%

So many of us ignore water in favour of tastier drinks like soda, juice, or coffee. But do these other beverages count towards our hydration goals? It depends.

While water helps flush your kidneys and keep them healthy, high sugar drinks like juices or sodas actually cause your kidneys to work harder! Meanwhile, any beverage with caffeine like coffee, energy drinks, or some teas are considered a diuretic, meaning they can lead to dehydration. There’s nothing wrong with juice or coffee, but when you’re working towards staying more hydrated, it can feel like one step forward and two steps back.

Instead, I’d recommend finding a way to make water taste great to you! Infusion water bottles like this pretty rose gold one or this adorable motivational one from Amazon are a great way to infuse some natural fruit flavors into your water. Natural water sweeteners or herbal teas are also yummy options that will still count towards your hydration goals!

Frequent bathroom breaks – 15%

One of the first things I noticed when I started drinking more water was that I had to pee. A LOT. But even though this side effect can be annoying, it’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Unfortunately, we can’t stop those annoying bathroom breaks. But, you can reframe the way you look at them. Frequent trips to the bathroom mean your body is flushing out toxins and maintaining your kidney health! Dehydrated urine will be dark yellow as your kidneys try to preserve as much water as possible. That lighter urine you see more often when you’re well-hydrated means your kidneys are being flushed out to keep them healthy. Although it can be irritating to have to stop what you’re doing to use the bathroom more frequently, it’s actually a good thing and a great indicator that you’re drinking enough water.

Work/school regulations – 14%

I was shocked by how many of you are working in environments where drinking water is discouraged. A lot of people who gave this answer are in helping professions – but how can you help others when you’re not helping your body operate at its full potential?

If you can, try to schedule quick water breaks throughout your day. Try to keep your bottle on you or in a central location where you can stop for a sip. If that still doesn’t work for your profession or schedule, at least make sure that on your breaks you are drinking water and hydrating liquids rather than dehydrating drinks like those that are high in caffeine and sugar. Your hydration is still important!

Water bottle size – 10%

Having the right bottle was crucial to my success in this challenge! If your bottle or glass is too small, it will probably spend more time empty than full.

I invested in this huge bottle from Amazon and I use it every day. This bottle holds a whopping 40 ounces or 1.2 liters. It made it super easy to hit my goals – once I had refilled twice for the day, I was almost there!

My results

Like with any wellness change, drinking more water isn’t going to create huge changes overnight. In fact, if you’re like me, the first few days were actually pretty annoying. Other than a ridiculous number of bathroom trips, it was hard to notice any other changes. But slowly, I started to feel and see the benefits of hydration.

Stamina and endurance

The first change I noticed was better endurance and stamina when I exercised. I would often finish my daily walks feeling a little thirsty and worn out – I now know that I was dehydrated. All of a sudden I was ending my workouts feeling more energized than I was when I started. Is this how exercise is supposed to feel?

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Bloating and gut health

Another major change for me was a reduction in bloating. On around day five I noticed that my belly (which is normally constantly bloated) felt more flat and generally just more comfortable. I was also heading to the bathroom more regularly for, er, the other kind of bathroom break.

Clearer skin

A huge bonus for me was also how clear my skin became. Normally this time of year makes my skin dry and flakey. But not this year – my skin is glowing and doesn’t have that tight, dry skin feeling as much. I have heard from oily-skinned friends that they had amazing results from drinking more water as well!

Focus and mood

At the end of the day, I am not sure how much of an impact my hydration had on my focus and mental health. But, to be fair to my water routine, I have been going through a stressful time lately and it’s possible that my stress canceled out any benefits I may have noticed from the water. Even though I didn’t notice any dramatic changes, staying hydrated certainly never hurts. I wonder if this period of time would have been even less manageable if I had been dehydrated all the time?

I always try the best with these Make the Habit challenges – but I’m still human! There were days when I forget my water bottle at home, drank too much caffeine (or alcohol 🤪), or just didn’t meet my goal for whatever reason. Despite some of my shortcomings as a test subject, I still saw some amazing benefits from this experiment. I’m excited to keep sipping and see what other changes I notice in the coming months!

Pin me for later!

Do you want to learn how to drink more water but don’t know where to start? I can’t recommend this 21-day challenge enough. Just enough time to get a taste of your new lifestyle without feeling like too huge of a commitment. So what are you waiting for? It’s time to get sipping!