As far as water goes, everyone knows how important it is to the Earth and our human bodies. I’ll spare you that lecture. I was once the person that drank the recommended amount of water a day. It wasn’t even something I even had to monitor it was just a part of my life. Somewhere between the birth of our second child and the rest of life, I lost it. Looking back I can see that many of my poor dieting choices began because I was not drinking enough water. Instead I drank sugary drinks, teas, and supposed fruit juices that really were loaded with sugar which in turn led to me craving more sugar to which I turned to junk food! This realization is why drinking the recommended amount of water daily is my first step towards a healthier me. I’ve taken this past week to focus on this area. Below you will find a break down of how it went. During the course of the week I will not allow myself to drink anything else besides coffee – because I must have coffee – until the 64 oz are completed.

• Day One February 28th: I am so gun-ho about getting the water in. I start the day optimistic but after 24 oz and 6 bathroom trips, my optimism slowly begins to fade. I pull up my big girl pants (literally) and keep at it. I lose count of the number of trips to the restroom but I made it. I didn’t complete until bedtime so no sodas for me! I’m sure I will be going to the bathroom all night long!
• Day Two March 1st: Nothing feels different today besides an hour or so less sleep. I begin the day not quite as enthusiastic as my first day. I had forgotten it would take my kidneys a couple of weeks to adjust to my water intake only then would I notice a decrease in urination. Or at least that is how it went the last time. Again I’m finding it a struggle getting anything done with all the trips to the restroom. Thankfully since I’m supposed to be resting up from an injury, there isn’t much to do but I can not imagine having to work and do this! Today I’ve managed to complete the water before 6 p.m. so I  hope for a more restful night.
• Day Three March 2nd: The night was not anymore restful. Since I do not fall back to sleep quickly or easily, this is costing me precious hours of sleep! Looking at the day ahead of me in the light of the restless night – this day is entirely impossible! It is now the weekend & this is the first real day I’ll be going out on my own since recovering from a nasty fall. I have things to do for the farm & supplies that need to be picked up. Gauging by how the previous two days had gone, I am not confident that I can drink water while I am out and about so I’m making a calculated decision not to. This resulted in me drinking only 32 oz of water today which is 8 oz more that I’d customarily drink before this week started. No drinks for me again today.
• Day Four March 3rd: Slept in today, however that didn’t put me as far behind as you may imagine. I conveniently placed a full water bottle on my bedside table before going to sleep. Today too proved to be busy so I only downed 50 oz. I know what you are thinking. I cannot continue to  use being busy as an excuse. You would be right! That is never an excuse to not take care of yourself. As my body does adjust, however, I will require lest restroom visits and let me tell you – that is a welcomed time! Public restrooms are so disgusting! No sugary drink for me today again. That’s gotta count for something!
• Day Five March 4th: I woke feeling super energized today – before coffee! I thought today is going to be awesome! Maybe my body is finally adjusting? NOPE! Today my body chose to detox. I am going to the bathroom EVERY SINGLE HOUR, SOMETIMES TWICE AN HOUR! My friends over at Hawkins Homestead Farm can testify to this fact. It made it really hard to get planning done for a future event. (More on that in a different blog.) I did complete my water goal this day! I was super proud of myself since I have completed it by  4 p.m. and I am rewarding myself with ice-cold Pepsi! Mind you, this is the first soda or beverage besides coffee (just assume I always drink coffee) I have had in 4 days!
• Day Six March 5th: Life is starting to feel more and more like life and I’m starting to feel like the me that gives up when things get annoyingly complicated. I hate complicated. Busy again today but I’m not going backwards. I make myself drink water every hour and in a timely manner I have all 64 oz in! Pepsi for me! Strange thing happens, the Pepsi makes me crave more water. Stop the presses y’all! Today I drank 72 oz of water!
• Day Seven March 6th: After the great accomplishment yesterday I woke thinking today would be a breeze but it hasn’t been at all. While restroom visits have decreased slightly, I’m not craving water as I had hoped. Maybe I am just tired of water. I keep going and I finally get it done! Literally as I am typing this blog! Tomorrow will be a struggle for sure but I do not want to start this adjustment phase all over again by no means!

That is the last seven days of my life in a nutshell! I’m hoping it will pave the way for many more days of healthy life choices. As I have posted on Facebook about this, many of the public are already in a good pattern of drinking water. That is amazing! Keep up the good choices! For those of us that lost their zeal for water, it isn’t to late to rejuvenate that love; it just takes some effort.

Drinking water is one of many things I need to improve on, starting tomorrow I will add a second area in my journey to a healthier me! Stay tuned!