A Gallon a Day Keeps the Makeup Away!

Ever see those crazy people at the gym with the milk jugs filled with water? Or the pins on Pinterest (like this one) where the gallon jugs have lines on them indicating how much water you should drink per hour? Me too! I used to make fun of them, until I recently became one of those people.

For 14 days straight I drunk a gallon of water everyday. Initially, I didn't have a number of days in mind. At the beginning of the first seven days I went to the grocery store and just randomly grabbed seven, one gallon jugs. They were only $0.88! That motivated me to grab more than one. I bought the spring water (I would've preferred a better pH water, but I'm not balling so there's that).

This challenge came right on time. My skin was so, so, so dry! Lately I've been struggling with hyper pigmentation on my neck and chest area, as well as on my face. If you've never experienced it or seen it, it's where you skin is blotchy and discolored (which can give you clues to other issues I'll share in another post) My skin was itchy and irritable. Instead of finding out what was going on from the inside, I bought more makeup and changed up my skincare routine. But that didn't work, so I decided to look deeper. The body is so smart! Not only was I experiencing hyper pigmentation, my pee was too dark! I was tired and sluggish. My body was severely dehydrated and I knew I needed more than expensive makeup and a consistent skincare routine.

Skin glowing like

First Week

The first week I was so hype that I breezed through the one gallon per day. The mornings were rough because once I have my coffee I don't want anything else to drink until lunchtime. By the time I would get to the gym every evening I would be at the halfway point of the gallon jug. Thankfully my workouts can be tough, so I was able to finish off my gallon right after my workout.

Second Week

I won't lie, I struggled with week two. Like I mentioned before, when I went

to the grocery store in week one I didn't know how many days I would do the challenge. On a whim I decided to grab seven more one gallon jugs. Week two was the struggle. Some days I killed it. Some days I woke up to water leftovers.

Here's What Happened: Pros & Cons of my 14 Day Gallon Water Challenge

Pros:

- my skin was visibly hydrated

- my pee was clear

- slept better

- energy

- focused

- my body detoxed

(there was one more pro that came as a surprise, but I'll save it until the end ;))

Cons:

- Frequent pee breaks

- Carrying around a gallon jug of water

- Conversations about the gallon jug of water I was carrying

- Frequent pee breaks

- Did I mention the frequent pee breaks?

So, What Now?

I will absolutely not ever do this water challenge again! Well, maybe not ever, but not in the near future. I drank a gallon of water for 14 days straight and it was intense. I'll let my skin be the judge on when I do this challenge again, but I'm hoping to maintain hydration by drinking plenty of water on a daily basis.

It's been one week since I ended the 14 Day Gallon Water Challenge. The day following the last day of the challenge was weird. I'd grown accustomed to the gallon water jug, frequent bathroom trips, and weird stares from strangers. Since ending the challenge I've focused on the recommended daily amount of water (you can calculate yours by clicking HERE) based on my weight and workout intensity. This challenge has reminded me to listen to my body and give it what it needs to thrive. The lesson learned: if you're good to your body, it will be good to you!

The Pro You've Been Waiting For:

Confidence! In just 14 short days I actually felt comfortable going out of the house without makeup. I actually didn't wear foundation, blush, or concealer to work during the 14 days (I wasn't experimenting, I'm just lazy and like to sleep late) with the exception of mascara and lipstick. My skin wasn't completely blemish free, but it was smoother than usual.

Follow me on Instagram and I'll try it again with you! I encourage you to try it at least once!

IG | @thatgoodthing.co

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