Do you drink eight glasses of water each and every day? While we’re generally told that adults need to consume just that much in order to stay healthy, not all of us drink the proper amount. And it’s definitely important since getting enough H2O keeps you hydrated, protects your muscles and organs, is great for your skin, keeps your temperature regulated, helps your digestive system, and so much more. That’s why I was eager to get in the habit of drinking more water every day. But it’s also why I want the rest of my family drinking plenty as well. As Parents.com points out, “Your kids probably drink plenty of juice and milk each day. But don't forget about water. Although it has no nutrients, H2O is essential to your child's health.”
However, when it comes to how much water adults and children should be drinking each day, it turns out that there is a lot of conflicting information out there. While doing some research, each website or publication I checked out seemed to recommend a different quantity, even though I stuck to reputable sources. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention even states that “there is no recommendation for how much plain water adults and youth should drink daily.”
You apparently also need to take into account your lifestyle when figuring out how much water to drink. According to the Mayo Clinic, “Studies have produced varying recommendations over the years. But your individual water needs depend on many factors, including your health, how active you are and where you live. No single formula fits everyone. But knowing more about your body's need for fluids will help you estimate how much water to drink each day.”
To get a little help figuring out just how much water my family would need and to also help me keep track of my intake, I decided to use an app. I found the straightforward Water Drink Reminder and popped it on my phone (bonus: the app lets me set up a little alarm that tells me when it’s time to drink throughout the day — very helpful while forming a new habit!). After entering my information, it told me I would need around 2,000 ml each day (which is 2 liters or just under 68 ounces). Since each of my family members has a bottle that holds 1 liter, I figured my husband and I should aim to drink two full bottles a day while my kids would aim for one full bottle.
To help us all keep track, I made up a chart that I left on the fridge so that we could each mark down how much water we were drinking as time went on (I added a few snazzy details, like little drops that would represent 1 bottle of water). I decided to start with just a week, but I am hoping that this is something that will stick and become a part of our everyday life.
Read on to find out how my family did with our water drinking challenge and find out how you can do it for yourself and your own loved ones.
Day 1: Adults
Me: I’m the kind of person who usually has three or four drinks at a time — either water, coffee, juice, tea, and maybe a pop/soda. To keep myself on track for this challenge, I decided to keep my water bottle with me at all times and try to skip most of the other drinks (except my morning coffee, of course). Thankfully, the app on my phone kept reminding me when to drink, but I still found it hard to keep up and only managed to drink one bottle’s worth of water when it should have been two.
My husband: My husband took a different tactic and instead of drinking a little bit of water throughout the day like I was doing, he gulped down giant amounts of water at once. However, he also lost track of time and only ended up drinking one bottle’s worth instead of two.
Day 1: Kids
Kid #1 (M): My older son always seems to be thirsty. He regularly downs an entire glass of water and takes a water bottle with him when he heads to bed at night. He started off the week by quickly hitting his goal and definitely stayed hydrated throughout the day.
Kid #2 (L): My younger son doesn’t seem to drink as much as his brother, but usually carries a water bottle around with him for both baseball and basketball games. While I had to remind him to drink throughout the day, he also had no problem hitting his goal.
Day 2: Adults
Me: Being busy certainly made it harder to keep on top of my water intake. Not only did I forget to actually drink when I was doing something else, but it was also annoying to have to find a bathroom every hour because I was taking in so much water while out of the house. Day two was another one bottle day for me.
My husband: My husband fully forgot. Although he did have coffee, he didn’t have any water until I prompted him to fill in the chart at night and he realized he had simply forgotten, which was honestly totally understandable.
Day 2: Kids
Kid #1 (M): While I had to remind my older kid to be sure to drink his water because we were all so busy, he definitely did and was happy to do so.
Kid #2 (L): I also had to remind my younger son to drink his water, but he also had no trouble getting in the proper amount. The kids were definitely already into the swing (or swig) of things!
Day 3: Adults
Me: I improved a little on the third day and thought that I might actually finish two bottles. But midnight came before I knew it and I ran out of time.
My husband: My husband drank one bottle of water and by the end of the day, the two of us were determined to hit our goal the next day no matter what happened.
Day 3: Kids
Kid #1 (M): The third day was a little more relaxed, so it was definitely easier for my kids to stay on track when it came to drinking water. Not only did my older son drink one full water bottle, but he also had a few glasses of water on top of that.
Kid #2 (L): My younger son also had no problem getting in his one water bottle’s worth. And he was loving keeping track of things with the chart I had made up for us all. Win and win!
Day 4: Adults
Me: Success! On the fourth day, I finally managed to drink two full bottles of water. Although, to be honest, by the end of the day it kind of felt like there was a balloon sloshing around in my belly. I certainly need to adjust to taking in this much liquid every day.
My husband: Since my husband was just as determined to meet his goal, he opted for a combination of regularly drinking out of his water bottle and simply downing big glasses of water. It certainly worked and he hit his mark as well.
Day 4: Kids
Kid #1 (M): By the fourth day, my older son was having no problem hitting his goal. As a parent, it was great to be assured that he was getting the proper amount of water each day.
Kid #2 (L): My younger son was also having an easy time of the challenge and asked if we could keep it going after our first week. Since this is a habit that I want us all to keep up, I told him that we could definitely do that.
Day 5: Adults
Me: I wasn’t about to falter now. While the app on my phone was a little too easy to ignore after a few days, I made sure to adjust the notification tone to one that I couldn’t miss. This helped a lot and I was able to keep on top of sipping a little water throughout the entire day.
My husband: My husband kept going with his method of drinking his water bottle and glasses of water and by the fifth day, he was easily meeting his goal.
Day 5: Kids
Kid #1 (M): The fifth day was another super busy one and my older son had trouble keeping track of how much water he drank. While he didn’t finish his water bottle, he had a few glasses of water throughout the day so we decided that he had most likely met his goal.
Kid #2 (L): My younger son nearly finished his water bottle and had also had a few glasses of water, so we decided that he had also met his goal for the day.
Day 6: Adults
Me: By this point, I was already feeling like our little experiment was a success. It wasn’t easy for me to keep on top of drinking the proper amount of water even with the reminders, but the challenge helped me stick to my plan and strive to meet my goal.
My husband: My husband also felt like the challenge was a good idea. He appreciated that it made him aware of how much water he was (or wasn’t) drinking and prompted him to take in the proper amount, which we were consistently doing by the sixth day.
Day 6: Kids
On the sixth day, I asked the kids about their thoughts on the challenge and if they thought that getting the proper amount of water made them feel any differently.
Kid #1 (M): “The challenge was great. It made sure we all had a lot of water and I know that’s important.”
Kid #2 (L): “I liked the challenge. I want to keep doing it.” He added, “I feel good. It probably makes me feel better.”
Day 7: Adults
Me: I agreed with my older son. It was definitely easier to keep on top of drinking the proper amount of water now that I was aware of how much I really should be drinking every day and had a water bottle to help me keep track. Although it took a few days to get into the habit of drinking so much water, I was hoping it would stick and I was confident I would be able to keep it up after a full week of our challenge.
My husband: My husband was also doing a lot better at drinking the proper amount of water thanks to the water bottle, although he grabbed a glass of water regularly. I’m glad he embraced what works for him and I’m thrilled that we all seem to be getting into the hydrated groove.
Day 7: Kids
On the seventh day, I asked the kids if they thought that they’d continue to drink the proper amount of water, whether or not we kept the challenge going.
Kid #1 (M): “Yes, I think I will. It’s easier now that I know I should finish my water bottle and that’s the right amount.”
Kid #2 (L): “I think so. But I still want to do the challenge.” Challenge accepted!
