The Seven Day Challenge: Drink Lots of Water

I have a confession to make. Even though I’m passionate about bringing clean drinking water to the eight billion people in the world who don’t have it, I have a hard time choking down the stuff. Sure a tall glass of ice water is great on a hot day or during a workout, but when I’m just sitting at my computer a glass of water does not sound appealing. When I do drink water it’s usually because I’ve flavored it with kiwi strawberry fitness powder or because I’m too cheap to pay for a drink at a restaurant.

Yesterday I got a really bad headache and I started to wonder if it’s because I’m dehydrated. So I decided to put myself to a seven-day test. I’d do what people have been telling me to do for years– drink eight 8 ounce glasses of water a day. Here goes nothing.

Day 1: My head was still pounding so I thought a workout might help get my blood flowing. I easily downed the first eight ounces while on the elliptical. I filled up my water bottle again and tried to drink it as I got ready for the day. I made it through about half the bottle. I made myself some breakfast and purposely chose wheat toast so I’d be able to drink more. I made herbal tea which I’m permitting myself to substitute for plain old water. I chugged another eight ounces with my toast. Now I’m feeling really full. As the day went on I drank another glass of tea, and carted my water bottle with me to Spartanburg for a writing assignment so I could finish two more bottles. I had a nice dinner at La Bastide, chugging water the whole time which I’m pretty sure also saved me boat loads of money.

Day 2: Started the day with a ten mile run so drinking the first two bottles was easy. I’ve slowed down since then. I came across an ironic freebie deal. When you buy Dr. Murad’s new book The Water Secret you can score $200 worth of free Murad products. I used Amazon gift cards I earned through Swagbucks to buy the book for free. Judging by the book blurb it sounds like Dr. Murad doesn’t think drinking eight glasses of water a day is as effective as getting water from fresh fruits and veggies. I think I’ll have a salad for lunch, but I’m not sure how much water that equals so I’ll keep drinking. Finished the day with an organic tea. I think I fell one glass short.

Day 3: Woke up thirsty for some odd reason. Downed one glass right away. Drank another late-morning and logged a third with a mug of hot tea. Got my fourth in around lunch but now it’s dinner time and I realized I’m only half way through my challenge for the day. Ugh. Better get chugging.

Day 4: Started the day downing two glasses before breakfast. Working my way through another glass and a half before lunch. I’m definitely noticing a decrease in the amount of food I’m eating. I just can’t fit it all in so I guess that’s a good thing.

Day 5&6: I think I did pretty well over the weekend. The hubs and I ran a 20-miler on Saturday morning so I drank almost a full days worth of liquid during the three-and-a-half mile run. I also chugged lots of water and tea throughout the weekend. I did have a little soda, but I figured as long as I was consuming enough water that would be OK.

Day 7: The last day has arrived. I started off with a big glass of ice water which has become the norm for me lately. I also treated myself to a pumpkin spice latte to celebrate a fun announcement. I finished the day out with more tea, water and milk which I’m not sure is a substitute for water.

The week started off a little rough, but the more water I drank the easier it became. I think I notice a slight change in my skin. It looks a little more fresh, but I also did have a facial last week and I am trying some new skin products so that could be part of it. I’d say I have felt fuller while eating less which is always a good thing. Even though my seven day challenge is over, I’ll definitely continue to drink more water. And not just because I’m too cheap to pay for another beverage option.

Photo courtesy of gfrphoto

You Think Roaches are Nasty?

I’ve had a few run-ins with roaches over the years. Whenever I see them I suddenly feel grossed out and itchy. But what if they lived in your drinking water supply? Would you still drink the water? I bet you would if you had no other option.

Image from Water of Life

Five hundred people relied on this well as their source of drinking water in Liberia. They didn’t have a choice. Thanks to Water of Life they now have a new well and clean water to drink. Kind of changes your perspective, doesn’t it?

Dogs are Funny

Dogs have such personality. Maybe that’s why I try to rescue them all the time. Our newest shelter dog is Milo, formerly known as Zippo, we like to think of him as The Situation from Jersey Shore in the form of a dog. He’s such a boy. He grumbles at noises, picks on his brother and occasionally eats poop. (YUCK!) I found him hanging out in the recycle bin a few days ago.

Milo in the Recycle Bin

And just like The Situation, Milo is incredibly protective of his family. He loves to sit on the back of my chair while I work (he’s only fallen off once) and every morning he sneaks into our bed for a little snuggle. Some times I catch him sleeping in really weird positions.

That Can NOT be Comfortable

My husband and I are consistently finding lost or stray dogs. A couple of weeks ago I was running down a busy street and two doggies decided to join me for my morning jog. One of them had a collar so I was able to walk him off the main road and his big companion followed. Thankfully the little guy had a tag for a nearby vet’s office so they were able to connect me with the boys’ frantic mother. While we waited for her to arrive I snapped this adorable shot of Gus sitting on Jet.

Gus Using Jet as a Sofa

It was obvious they were best buddies. I think Gus probably convinced Jet to go on a little adventure that morning, but they were both happy to see their mom and I was glad I played a little part in the reunion.

Love This Book

Have you read it?

I can’t tell you how many books I’ve started and been unable to finish because of my low tolerance for bad writing. But this one I devoured. And I know it’s good because sometimes I still visit the places Kathryn Stockett writes about in my mind. The only thing I don’t like about this book is the cover. But I guess that’s OK because I’ve been sucked in to a bad book by a great cover quite a few times.  And this time it was the writing that kept me hooked.

Have you read it? What did you think?

Attic Conversions: Not as Easy as it Sounds

I tend to be overwhelmingly optimistic. Even when I’m standing at the bottom of a mountain, getting to the top always seems easy. I don’t see the potential road blocks. I am not easily discouraged. I just go. I know I haven’t always been like this but I think my faith combined with years of pulling seemingly impossible stories together on ridiculous time frames has programmed my brain to believe everything will work out. I tackle the issue without worrying about the details. Normally this attitude serves me well.

But when it comes to the task of converting our attic into a master suite my optimism has been tested. So far we’ve failed every initial inspection but one. I learned that despite what you see in design magazines chandeliers are not allowed in walk-in closets. And just because one project is done doesn’t mean you can cross anything off your to-do list. It usually means you’ll have to add a few more things on.

The good news is I think we are finally getting to the fun part– pulling it all together. We just picked up this cute desk at West Elm for $57 and some little yellow accessories.

Regularly $299 We Saved 80% on a Floor Sample

I think we are just about done writing huge checks to plumbers and electricians and air conditioning guys. The tile is in and the vanity is built. The paint will go up next weekend and with a little more hard work we should be moving up to our new room by the end of the month. That will give us about two months of living in it before putting the house on the market.

It has always been our plan to sell our home after two years, but most people can’t grasp this idea. They all say the same thing– “don’t you want to just enjoy it for a while?” The truth is I have been enjoying it. I love seeing the transformation. I get a sense of accomplishment watching a smelly space that used to be inhabited by squirrels become a beautiful new room. And I think I’ll probably enjoy the money we hope to make off of this project, too. So despite its problems, I’m still feeling optimistic about home renovation.