Health | Lifestyle | Water

I Drank 4 Liters of Water Daily for 365 Days — This Is What Happened

Personal experience of drinking daily so much water

60% of the human body consists of water. Lack of water in human body leads to bad consequences: the brain works worse, muscles don’t keep the good shape, and restoration processes are slowed. So, drinking enough water is crucial for your health, performance, and life in general.

But what is «enough water»?

There is no perfect amount that fits everyone. Each person is unique. The circumstances a person lives in are also unique. In this article, I use the average water daily norm according to the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine:

• 16 cups (~4 liters) of water for man
• 12 cups (~3 liters) of water for woman

Luckily, we don’t have to literally drink 4 liters of water daily.

20% of the required daily water norm we receive with food. Fruits and vegetables are especially good for this purpose. So, food compensates for 3–4 daily cups of liquids.

You don’t need to get exactly 4 liters of water — any other liquid would be good too. You can drink anything: tea, coffee, cola, juice, lemonade, and of course pure water. Still, there are nuances of drinking too much of any of the above beverages. So pure water is the best choice.

When you start building a water-drinking habit, it is a good idea to merely add 1–2 more liters of water to your daily ration. Do it step by step — 1 additional cup in a day. Then you can calibrate the perfect amount.

Drinking enough water isn’t easy. Lots of people fail to drink enough liquids daily. Even though it has an incredible long-term effect. So how did I crack this challenge?

Challenge

1 year ago, I didn’t drink enough water. I knew it was bad for my health and performance. So I decided to change the situation. I challenged myself with the new water drinking routine.

I am a man, so my daily norm should be 4 liters of liquids. Let’s substract 20% of water received with food. It results in 12 daily cups of liquids: tea, water, and juice.

My challenge was — to drink at least 12 cups daily.

The begging was complex. My body got used to new amounts of water for a couple of days. I had to visit the bathroom more often than usual.

On the other hand, as time passed I noticed positive changes: metabolism, productivity, and even skin state. My well-being became better.

Here are 3 things that improved during this 365-days challenge:

Better Metabolism

Metabolism is a too abstract term. Practically, it means that your body works better. You burn more calories. You produce more energy. You perform better at anything you do. You feel full of energy.

From the very first days of the challenge, I noticed changes in my everyday feeling. I didn’t want to eat as usual, because of drinking too much water.

In a couple of days, I decided to add exercises to my daily routine. So I could sweat more and lose extra water. It helped to keep the water balance.

This change was crucial. Even a small amount of daily exercise in addition to the new daily water norm improved metabolism. I caught the momentum.

daily exercises + keep water balance = better metabolism

Water plays a crucial role in all processes in the body. Drinking water increases metabolism by 25% for an hour after drinking it. So, think about drinking a cup of water every hour to keep your metabolism at peak performance all day.

Boosting metabolism is like throwing lumps of coal into the firebox of a locomotive all day long. It produces more energy and works stably. Each cup of water is a lump of coal for your internal engine.

Takeaway: you can force your body to work better if you drink more and exercise daily.

What About My Skin?

Skin condition is an individual thing. Usually, my skin is super dry. Sometimes it even peels off, especially after shaving.

So, I was shocked a little when I noticed that my skin became softer and tenderer. Regular peeling off decreased, too. It didn’t take long — only a couple of months of regular water drinking.

I had to explain it with my new and better water balance. There were no other significant changes in my life that could affect my skin this way.

Water drinking habit correlates with skin health.

I try to take care of myself, drinking at least a gallon of water with lemon a day — Beyoncé

Isn’t Beyoncé scientific enough for you? OK, let’s base the explanation on the scientific paper — “Dietary water affects human skin hydration and biomechanics”.

This research was published in the Journal of Clinical, Cosmetic, and Investigational Dermatology. Enough scientific for me.

The research found increased skin hydration in participants consuming more water. It references a relation between skin hydration and skin mechanics to justify saving of younger and healthier-looking skin.

Water is a natural lubricant for the skin. So increasing my daily water norm was a perfect fit for my dry skin. But for someone with oily skin, it could be a bad approach. If you want more lubrication — drink more water.

Takeaway: higher water consumption affects your skin.

Increased Productivity

The better your water balance the better your brain works. The brain is the most important part of your body. It controls all chemical processes inside of you. It is also responsible for daily productivity and the sharpness of the mind. For proper functioning brain needs water.

Your brain consumes up to 80% of the energy produced by your body. The more energy you have, the better your brain works, and the higher your productivity. So it makes sense to keep the energy level high.

How do we gain energy?

To produce energy your body needs 3 main components: oxygen, glucose, and water. All of them are crucial, but water is the most important.

Oxygen

Oxygen is a chemical element present in the air. When you walk outside and breathe fresh air your blood became rich in oxygen.

Oxygen is a crucial element to produce energy in your body. Also, it is important for chemical processes in your brain.

Glucose

Glucose is more known as sugar. Eating too much sugar is bad for your health, but some glucose amount is mandatory for energy production.

You can get the required amount of sugar by eating fruits, drinking tea or coffee with sugar, or even by drinking sweet beverages like Cola or Pepsi.

Water

Water is the basis of all the above. It works both as a transportation system and as an element for some complex chemistry inside the body. Any process inside your body requires water.

Drink enough liquids every day to maintain a good water balance.

Takeaway: water, oxygen, and glucose are crucial for productivity.

Final Thoughts

Drinking more water is a tricky challenge, but it leads to significant results.

My health, well-being, and water balance improved during this year. I built a crucial habit for my long-term health. And I’m proud of it.

Now I recommend water drinking to everyone I care about.

Still, all people are different. So pay close attention to the signs that your body sends you. Drinking too much could be a problem too.

Completing a 365-days-long water drinking challenge proved that I can. It gave me faith in myself. It’s a life-changing experience. I strongly recommend it to everyone. It’s worth it.

If you must do something, then you can do it. It became my new motto.

Debes Ergo Potes in Latin

Also, you can read about my other challenges on this list. For example, 435-days walking challenge, or 365 days exercise challenge.

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