My water bottle holds 24 oz. So I decided that I needed to fill this up (and drink) at least four times a day. I would start first thing in the morning, like right after me feet touch the floor and drink the first 24 ounces. What I discovered is that in order for me to get all of the water that I need I can't sip. With each filled bottle I would essentially chug the water till there was only a quarter of the water left in the bottle. Because otherwise if I sipped the water (like I was doing in the past) I would only drink a full bottle during the day.
The first day was rough because I immediately felt bloated. I went from drinking maybe 26 oz. to drinking 96 oz. Though there was some discomfort I figured that I needed to keep going day after day. Well Thursday was the best time for me to try this experiment because I had a five mile run the next morning. With the humidity and temperatures so high here in south Florida, I really should be drinking more water anyway. Friday morning was humid and muggy just like every other morning for the past six months. But this morning was different in that I didn't feel like I was going to die two miles in!
I couldn't believe how great I felt and I thought Wow! My wife was right, I wasn't drinking enough water. Today makes four days of drinking 96+ oz. of water and earlier this morning I ran 15 miles. This was the first time in a long time that the end of my run was a faster pace than the beginning. I didn't feel completely exhausted and depleted.
The other day I looked up what percentage of water you should have in your body. I have a scale that measures your fat, water, muscle and bone percentage. I never really paid much attention to the water percentage but I do remember that it was always at 31%. After two days of drinking more and more water, I got back on the scale and checked what my percentage was. Now I was at 51%! Based on this website women should be between 45 and 60 percent. So that means that I'm in the golden zone!
If you are wondering if you drink enough water take a moment and look at this list to see if you are showing signs of mild to moderate dehydration.
- Dry, sticky mouth
- Sleepiness or tiredness
- Thirst
- Less urinating
- Headache
I used to get headaches quite a bit. That is definitely a tell tale sign that I wasn't getting enough water. If any of these symptoms apply to you, try increasing your water intake. Drinking too much water can be very dangerous too and shouldn't be taken lightly. Talk to your doctor first about how much water you are currently drinking and how much water he/she suggests you increase it to. It will take some time to adjust to having more water in your system but you will feel better, run better and look better. And your body will be happier.
