Welcome to the 7-Day Water Challenge!

Welcome to the 7-Day Water Challenge! It's not going to be easy, but we know you're up for it. You can start by following these rules and tips below t...
Author: Darlene Wheeler
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Welcome to the 7-Day Water Challenge! It's not going to be easy, but we know you're up for it. You can start by following these rules and tips below that will help you stay strong during the challenge. The goal is for you to follow the recommendation for daily water consumption as part of your new lifestyle (and permanently). If you screw up one day, DON’T beat yourself up. Just finish up what you missed, and start on the new day’s amount.


– RULES FOR THE WATER CHALLENGE! – 1. Each morning, fill up a single container (bottle, pitcher, etc.) with your daily amount of water. You can simply buy a jug of water if you need to and reuse that jug. You must finish the entire contents of your container before you go to bed that night. 2. Do this for 7 days straight. 3. If you don’t finish drinking your daily amount of water on one day, finish drinking it on the following day (in addition to the recommended daily amount of water). That container is your lifeline! Only water from the container counts towards your challenge. (Squeeze real lemons into the water if you like, or add sliced cucumbers.) 4. You can drink additional beverages, but just minimize the amount of coffee, soda, and energy drinks you consume during the challenge. (You aren’t expected to just stop ‘cold turkey’.) Give yourself 1 point for each of the above rules that you complete (4 points total).

What’s the big deal about water? The Earth is 70% water. Your body is 80% water. It stands to reason that water is some pretty important stuff, right? Water is the body’s transportation medium. It’s how it moves EVERYTHING around to different parts of your body…everything. Water is used to move nutrients to the body’s cells. Water is used to remove the waste and toxins from your cells. These things have to get out somehow, right? They don’t just evaporate! So, water moves good things around your body to where they are needed, and water removes the waste and toxins.

What’s NOT water? Many of us drink a lot of LIQUID each day…but we don’t drink a lot of WATER. IMPORTANT – sodas, juice, and energy drinks are not treated the same as water by our bodies! Just because it’s a liquid does not mean that it’s water. Gasoline is a liquid, but drinking would be bad news, right? Take a look at the ingredients label on a can of soda or an energy drink. That liquid is made of things like high fructose corn syrup, caramel color, and phosphoric acid, which are NOT nutritive. If it does not say ‘water’ (plain H2O), then your body treats that drink as a ‘food’!

! Soda Ingredients

If you take a hamburger, throw it in a blender, and blend it up until it’s a liquid, that doesn’t make it water, and your body will use it the exact same way it would a hamburger. Your body will NOT use it to move nutrients around your body, and your body will NOT use it to wash toxins out of your cells/body.

How much water is enough? Rule of thumb to follow: Every day, drink 1/2 an ounce for every pound you weigh. 
 Examples:
 150 pounds: 150/2 = 75 ounces each day
 250 pounds: 250/2 = 125 ounces each day Metric
 68kg x .033 = about 2 liters day
 90kg x .033 = about 3 liters each day You probably just rolled your eyes and thought, “Are you nuts? That’s a lot of water to drink!” Actually, it’s quite simple to accomplish this when your water consumption is spread out during any given day. For example, let’s take a 192-pound person. Half their body weight is 96 pounds. Change that to 96 ounces. Divide that by 8 ounces (a typical glass of water) to determine the number of glasses the person would need to drink. In this case, the 192-pound person would need to drink 12, 8-ounce glasses of water per day. Wouldn’t you agree that drinking water this way is not so difficult?

What should I expect? • You may urinate more. Welcome it! That is how your body removes the toxins from your cells/ body. It will likely become less excessive within a week.You may have more regular, easier to pass, bowel movements. • You may have more energy! • You may be less hungry. • Many of you may lose an inch or 2 from your waist. • Many of you may lose 5-10 pounds (REALLY!). • Your skin may become clearer. • You may have less joint pain. • You may have less annoying body sweating (more water = less excess sweat!).

• A few of you may become bloated. That’s not because you are drinking too much water. It’s caused by a lot of gut activity now that you have the proper amount of water. That’s causing some gas, and it’s trapped. And, of course, it’s temporary. FACT: When your body has a shortage of water, it takes water from less important places (like the joints) to use in more important places (e.g., the brain).

Measuring Results • •

Record before and after weight. Record before and after waist measurement.

Ways to Make It Easier • •

Don’t do it alone – get a friend or a group of you and keep one another accountable. Tell others what you’re doing – post on Facebook! Every day will become easier!

Daily Tips and Action Items Day 1 


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TODAY'S TIP: Take baby steps. If you're struggling to drink even one glass of water per day, going straight for the gold on day one might leave you feeling lousy and defeated. So, try to gradually increase your water consumption each day. Keep your eye on the goal! TAKE ACTION: 
 Replace drinks with water for the week! Try adding some sliced lemon or cucumber to make your water more flavorful! Get creative and share your new flavorful combos on the WC:OC Facebook page and get 5 bonus points!

Day 2 
 TODAY'S TIP: Eliminate unhealthy soda from your diet! Replace soda with water at lunch, dinner, or any time during the day. Kill two birds with one stone – eliminate that unhealthy soda from your diet and get more water into your system. TAKE ACTION: Give yourself 5 bonus points for replacing one (1) soda or energy drink with one (1) 8 ounce glass of water on one given day. Share your successes on the WC:OC Facebook page.

Day 3 You have consumed the recommended amount of water for two days! Are you excited for day three? Are you noticing what a challenge it is to drink enough ounces of water each day? 
 TODAY'S TIP: Be prepared for snacking. When the afternoon snack attack strikes, drink a glass of water instead. You might even find that the water quells your snack cravings. TAKE ACTION: SHARE Your Success! Take a picture of your daily container of water at the end of the day to show how much you’ve drunk for the day. Share it on the WC:OC Facebook page and get 5 bonus points!

Day 4 TODAY’S TIP: Drink water before a meal. Drink a glass of water 30 minutes before every meal. This practice may help you feel less hungry and, therefore, reduce your calorie intake. TAKE ACTION: Give yourself 5 bonus points for actually drinking 8 ounces of water before your daily meals. Share your successes on the WC:OC Facebook page.

Day 5 Congratulations! You've made it over halfway! Do you feel great? For inspiration, check out what's happening with your fellow challengers on the WC:OC Facebook page. 
 TODAY'S TIP: Freshen up your water. Drink water with lemon. Let's face it – water just doesn't tantalize our taste buds like other drinks do. Try squeezing lemon juice into your water for a little extra kick. TAKE ACTION: Adding the Flavor. Give yourself 5 bonus points for being creative and adding sliced lemons, cucumbers, mint, and other fresh fruits and herbs to your water. Share your additions on the WC:OC Facebook page.

Day 6 You've made it to the sixth day of the water challenge - consuming a ½ an ounce of water per pound of body weight. We are doing it together. We're proving it can be done! 
 TODAY'S TIP: Rise and shine. Drink a glass of water as soon as you wake up in the morning. You’re groggy, your mouth is dry, and you need a pick-me-up. Instead of going straight for the coffee, drink a nice, refreshing glass of water first.

TAKE ACTION: Give yourself 5 bonus points for actually drinking 8 ounces of water before your morning cup of coffee. Share it on the WC:OC Facebook page.

Day 7 CONGRATULATIONS! You completed the 7-day challenge of drinking the recommended amount of water each day! You are well on your way to a healthier lifestyle! TODAY'S TIP: Make it a rule! Make it a rule that you drink at least three cups surrounding every meal you eat: one before, one during, and one directly after. If you eat 3 times a day, you’d be drinking 9 cups right there. Nearly ½ a gallon - done!

If you have made it to day 7, give yourself 10 points! Well done!