Project Hydrate

If you’re like me, you have a tough time getting your 8 glasses of water every day. And if you are like me, then why not join in on Project Hydrate to work on getting those very important fluids in.

(Feel free to borrow the graphic above if you’d like)

What is Project Hydrate?

Project Hydrate is a little challenge I put together to try to get myself to drink 8 cups of water every day for the rest of the month of March, starting Monday, March 8, 2010.

I typically barely get 4-6 cups of water a day, but I know I should drink more.

The Goods

I like reusable, non-BPA, aluminum bottles. They’re so much more eco-friendly than throw-away bottles of water.

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I got this fabulous water bottle for Christmas.

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I found these aluminum water bottles at Target today – 2 for the price of one ($12.99).

My Gameplan

I plan to use water bottles to help me gauge how much water I’m drinking. If I bring 2 water bottles with the total amount of water I need for the day, then I know I just need to drink the water from those bottles by the end of the day.

General Gameplan:

  • Since I work at an office all day and I’m a germiphobe, I prefer to take my water with me during the weekdays.
  • I’m planning to use eco-friendly water bottles, instead of standard bottled water.
  • I’ll try to space out my water intake over the course of the day. It’s not safe to consume too much water at one time and your body will be better hydrated if you pace yourself.
  • I get cold at the office, so I’m planning to make hot tea part of my daily water intake.
  • I’m planning to drink extra water for fitness activities.
  • I don’t typically drink much other than water, tea, and coffee, so I’m not really focused on drinks outside of those categories. If I drank them, I wouldn’t count sodas as part of my intake, though.

Daily Gameplan:

  • Coffee doesn’t count towards total intake
  • Bring 2 reusable water bottles full of water to work – each of mine hold about 3 cups.
  • Drink both bottles, paced out over the course of the day
  • Drink hot tea (to make up for any amount missing from the bottles – about 1-2 cups for me), also paced out

NOTE: Athletes have different requirements for proper hydration, which depend on the type of exercise and of course you. This challenge is for every day water consumption. You may want to research your activity to learn the best way to stay hydrated for your physical activity.

Players

Anyone interested in joining me for Project Hydrate? Leave me a comment or email me at thechiclife at gmail dot com and I’ll add your name (and link back to your blog if you have one).

  • Abby @ Abby Normally
  • Alison
  • Allison @ Eat Clean Live Green
  • Anuja
  • Bobby @ Fusion South
  • Caitlin
  • Christie @ Honoring Health
  • Christine @ Christine Hoenisch
  • Cullen @ The Coma Times
  • Elizabeth @ On Tap for Today
  • Erin
  • Fallon @ Living Fit, Loving Food
  • Fran @ FranCostigan.com – Diva of Dairy Free Desserts
  • Gillian @ Finding My Weigh
  • Heather @ Running Leaner and Greener
  • Heather @ Side of Sneakers
  • Jackie @ Striving to Be Fit at Forty
  • Jen @ Losing the Shadow Behind Me
  • Kelly @ A Local Foodie’s Fight
  • Kristen @ Going Green Mom
  • Lindsay @ Designer Wife
  • Lisa @ Bake Bike Blog
  • Mara @ What’s For Dinner
  • Maura @ Irish Eyes Aren’t Smiling
  • Megan @ Great Food, Hockey and Health!
  • Moi @ The Chic Life
  • Nicci @ Nifty Eats
  • Pen @ Pen at Peace
  • Running Large
  • Serendipity @ Serendipity’s Guide to Saving
  • Tasha @ The Clean Eating Mama
  • Teresa
  • The Faux Foodie
  • Thirtyandhealthy
  • You? – Join any time during the month of March

My Recaps

I’m trying to blog about Project Hydrate every day of the challenge:

Have you blogged about your experience with Project Hydrate? Lessons learned? Changes noticed? Etc.? Email me at thechiclife at gmail dot com or leave me a comment and I’ll link to your post.

NOTE: Please join in on Project Hydrate at your own risk. It is possible to consume too much water (though I’ve heard this isn’t typically applicable for the everyday person), so please be responsible. Also, Project Hydrate doesn’t take into account athletic activities. Athletes generally require more water than the normal 8 cups a day, depending on activity. Please consult your doctor before trying any new diet or lifestyle change or to learn about the appropriate amount of water intake for your personal needs.

49 thoughts on “Project Hydrate”

  1. I’m in! I’ve always been a pop (soda) girl and I know I am so dehydrated. Lately I’ve been cutting back on the pop and trying to drink more water. This is a great idea and I’m excited about it! Thanks!

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  2. Im in! I just bought a PUR system the other day since I think that has inhibited my weight loss lately. Not drinking enough fluids and eating more snacks. So, I’d love to jump on this bandwagon. 🙂

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  3. Count me in. I got a beautiful Sigg water bottle for my birthday last month so I will enjoy any excuse to show it off in pictures! Any other girlies find it harder to hydrate at certain times of them month? Maybe I’m just odd!
    Love love love your bloy BTW Diana. If you have time maybe you could give us a virtual tour of your house? It always looks so pretty in the pictures 🙂

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  4. Great post! This is definitely something that can often be neglected even by the health-conscious. I’m on a medication that makes me dehydrated, and I definitely need more than 8 cups a day to stay sated. So I’m always reminding (some might call it nagging) people to drink more water! 😉 Good luck!

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  5. I’m ready for Project Hydrate. I finally found my missing water bottle, at work. I’m also going to incorporate Green Tea into this challenge, to get my water intake.

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  6. hey..count me in too!!
    i used to drink 3-4 litres of water a day when i was in college..but ever since I started working, i find it difficult to even manage two…this is just the kind of thing i need right now!!

    And here’s a tip that might help, coffee and non-herbal teas are essentially de-hydrating, so for every cup of tea/coffee you have add another glass of water. Oh and lukewarm water is the best!

    Best of luck everyone!!!

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  7. I am bad. I barely drink 8 glasses of anything during the day. Maybe a bit of water, coffee, tea at night, ocassionally soda or Crystal Light. My dehydrated self needs to join Project Hydrate.

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  8. awesome idea! hydration is very important and I can totally tell if I haven’t had enough. I’m so glad you had a little warning too since fluid needs are different for everyone, especially athletes who also need added electrolytes. I try to drink at least 64oz a day, but when I’m active it is usually more around 96oz. Timing is also important too 🙂 I take my nalgenes with me everywhere, and I feel like something’s missing if I don’t have it in my hand lol

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  9. I’m game. My water intake has been lacking and it’s been on my mind. Great idea! Especially with the warmer weather and outside running.. I’ll need it!

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  10. I gave up pop for Lent but I am hoping to make it a true lifestyle change. I already drink at least one SIGG water bottle per day but I will attempt to up it to two. I also plan to drink water with my meals. I will limit my caffeine to one coffee in the am (been doing that since “giving up” my Starbucks run back in Jan/Feb) and one tea in the pm (before 6:00 pm).
    Great idea!!!

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  11. Count me in for project hydrate! I started this on my own last week anyway. Oh, and I got my SLR strap. It’s awesome! Thank you!!

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  12. I really don’t work at this so I will join! I have very low BP and my dr. said to increase the water. Last visit I was at 80/50!

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  13. I’m in!! I am notorius for carrying my water bottle with me everywhere. Unfortunately all to often I don’t actually take the lid off and drink the water. That seems to take way to much effort lately

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  14. Apparently unless you are really thirsty during the day, you don’t really need to drink an extra 8 cups

    You already get enough water via other sources — food, etc.

    I find that when I walk a lot, or when I am a tourist, I need a litre or two a day just to keep up… and it seems to evaporate right out of my skin.

    When I drink too much water, it flushes my system too much and I go to the washroom too much — that’s how I know I’m overdoing it.

    Still, it’s a fab idea to substitute water for coffee, tea or juice.

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  15. I’m definitely going to give this a shot. I’m an avid cyclist, and I drink a lot of water while on my bike. However, when I’m not riding, it’s usually coffee, tea, and, occasionally, chocolate milk!

    I hope it helps me stay hydrated on long bike rides…

    Thanks,
    Cullen

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  16. We make an iPhone app called Waterlogged (http://bit.ly/9uODZr) that helps people track their water intake. I’ll donate up to 40 promo codes for you to give away anyone that takes your challenge. Let’s help people finally drink the water they need to! Contact me and I’ll send them to you.

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  17. I really wish I could give you some of my thirst – I drink 16 to 20 CUPS of water a day! I really wish I could cut it down but I have tried…I am addicted to water. It’s annoying, I have to tinkle like 20ish times a day, literally.

    Reply

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