Should you drink a gallon of water a day? Can you drink a gallon of water every day? Does drinking a gallon of water a day improve your skin? Will drinking a gallon of water a day improve your health? Can you drink a gallon of water to lose weight? Well, I’ve been drinking water all week in order to find out.

Drink 8 Glasses of Water a Day?

I’m sure we’ve all heard “drink eight glasses of water a day.” But has anyone else ever struggled with the ambiguity of that phrase? What size glass are we talking about? Does it have to be water, or will any liquid count? And why 8? With so many variables to consider, I decided to settle on a more concrete goal: drink one gallon of water a day for a week. I was hoping it would get rid of acne and improve my skin complexion. What happened was not what I expected, but before I get into that adventure let’s see what the pros have to say about drinking water.

What The CDC Has to Say About Drinking Water

As a natural soap company, we know how much water matters. Water is what activates our beautiful bars of soap. Have you ever tried rubbing a dry bar of soap on dry skin? It just isn’t as much fun. We also know how important water is for the human body. 

Benefits of Drinking Water According to the CDC:

• Water helps regulate your body temperature.
• Water “lubricates and cushions joints.”
• Water “Protect(s) your spinal cord and other sensitive tissues.”
• Water flushes out toxins and waste in the body.

Situations in Which Your Body Needs More Water According to the CDC:

• When you are “in hot climates.”
• When you are “more physically active.”
• When you are “running a fever.”
• When you are “having diarrhea or vomiting.”

What Mayo Clinic Has to say about Drinking Water

How Much Water Do We Need to Drink Daily?

According to Mayo Clinic, our bodies are constantly losing water through typical bodily functions. It’s our job to make up for this loss with consistent water intake.

Mayo Clinic asks, “So how much fluid does the average, healthy adult living in a temperate climate need?”

Their answer comes from The U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, which “determined that an adequate daily fluid intake is about 3.7 liters of fluid a day for men and 2.7 liters of fluids a day for women.” There are about 3.7 liters in a US gallon. 

Although your daily fluids aren’t all depending on how much water you chug, “These recommendations cover fluids from water, other beverages and food. About 20% of daily fluid intake usually comes from food and the rest from drinks.”

What Kind of Fluids are Best for Your Body?

I was surprised to learn that a considerable amount of fluid intake can actually come from the vegetables and fruits that you eat (it’s called “water”melon for a reason). When it comes to beverages specifically, the CDC recommends low calorie beverages like plain tea or sparkling water or drinks with calories and important nutrients like milk or vegetable juice. 

The CDC cautions that sugary drinks, alcoholic drinks, caffeinated drinks and sports drinks should be consumed in moderation and are not substitutes for water.

What kind of Water is Best for Your Body?

When it comes to shampoo bars, soft water is the only way to go. But for drinking water, it is generally agreed that type matters less than quantity. So cheers to spring, mineral, purified and pH balanced!

Drinking a Gallon of Water a Day For a Week

I thought this experiment would look a lot like my Power Posing Challenge (check out my blog here if you’re curious). I thought I’d drink my gallon, assess my results, and jot them down in a daily journal. This was not what happened.

A lot of Youtubers have tried the Gallon of Water a Day Challenge. You are welcome to watch them here. However, if you want to hear it straight from the mouth of the average person who doesn’t always find time to exercise and enjoys the occasional midnight potato-chip snack then keep reading because my account is nothing but honest.

I struggled through this challenge, and so instead of keeping a daily journal I have compiled my research into two categories: dilemmas, and what I learned.

Dilemma

I actually started trying to drink a gallon of water a day three weeks ago. I knew I needed a week to conduct my experiment, but when I failed to empty my gallon for the first three days of the challenge I actually re-evaluated my process. I decided to spend one week practicing and building up my water drinking stamina, and then pushed this blog back an extra week to fit in an additional Christmas-related blog I felt was much needed for the holidays. So I’ve actually been doing this challenge for three weeks now.

What I learned

Because this challenge ended up running much longer than I originally intended, drinking a gallon of water a day has actually become a habit…and one I don’t plan on breaking! I’ve never been the water bottle carrying type, but I take my gallon with me everywhere (yes, I affectionately refer to it as “my gallon”). Having water on hand at all times is extremely handy. I am much more intentional about my water drinking because my gallon is a visual reminder. Some people love water, some people don’t. If I didn’t remind myself to drink water I probably wouldn’t drink any…so the fact that my gallon reminds me is extremely helpful.

Dilemma

I realized that in order to drink that much water I’d have to be drinking constantly throughout the day which meant I’d have to bring my gallon with me everywhere. I thought this would be inconvenient and embarrassing.

What I learned

My gallon became a fantastic topic of conversation. Not only did my gallon inspire conversations about health, it also brought smiles to people’s faces because…yes…I did look pretty goofy carrying around that giant gallon. I think in a weird way my gallon taught me not to care too much about what other people thought of me. If you’re doing something that positively benefits you, you should do it with pride.

Dilemma

Okay, here’s the big one. I have yet to empty an entire gallon in a single, 24 hour day.

What I learned

While this dilemma might seem like enough to render my experiment a total failure, it actually stretched me as a person and taught me a lot about how my body functions. Now that I measure my water intake by referencing my gallon, I usually drink half a gallon at night, and half a gallon from morning to afternoon. This might be confusing, but because I was refilling my gallon every morning it made it seem as though I was only drinking half a gallon every day. I felt really down about this for a while until I adjusted my concept of time and realized I was technically drinking a gallon over a 24 hour time period. This blew my mind. The fact that my body let me know when it was thirsty and that it seemed to have specific times during which it needed water also fascinated me. At the beginning of this experiment I was under the impression that I knew what was best for my body, what I learned is that I needed to listen to what my body said was best for me!

In Conclusion: I Drank a Gallon Of Water a Day Challenge

I tried this challenge in the first place because I was really hoping it would improve the quality of my skin. Do I feel like it worked? I personally feel as though my skin has been clearer and brighter, especially as I hit week four of drinking a gallon a day. In the past week I have had no new acne. I also feel as though my hormonal acne has been more manageable and that my skin is able to heal faster when acne does occur. If I could, I would run an extended version of this experiment by keeping a daily log of my skin over the course of three months. I would keep track of water intake, nutritional intake, weight and skin condition. Then I would repeat this challenge and keep track of any differences I noticed. Sounds like a project for the new year!

Much Love,

Nora