Challenge: Drink Water!! Charity: Tearfund Total £ accrued: £7 Status: Doing the pee dance does not get you ahead in the queue…
The Seventh Challenge: To Drink Water
Downing to Drinking
I don’t know how it happened, but one day I looked at my half empty water bottle and realised that I hadn’t been forcing it down my throat. Had I developed a taste for it? Would I start craving water in the same way I craved a good mango daiquiri back in Thailand? Could I manage… gulp… two litres of water?!
Oh well, if the sign says no then I guess this month is cancelled…
Yes and no… No, I still don’t enjoy the taste of water and I couldn’t imagine ever savouring the flavourless liquid in the same way as I would a good cocktail. BUT… I had managed a full two litres on more than one occasion! To me, that’s a success!
Restrooms are for Customers
Along with the success of 1 – 2 litres of water a day, came the downfall of 1 – 2 HUNDRED pees a day (slightly exaggerated). And it didn’t get any easier finding ways to manage the much needed toilet time.
Oh look! A beach after a 6 hour long boat ride down the Mekong Delta… I wonder if they have bathrooms…
Consuming that amount of liquid needed planning, where am I going to be in the next couple of hours? Will there be toilets there? Am I prepared to hide behind a sand dune and pee in a hole on the beach on a 6 hour boat ride down the Mekong Delta (it only happened once, I promise!). And sometimes this meant putting off the water drinking activities until I was sure I would have toilet access.
I had high hopes for my trip to the US because I knew there would be shops everywhere, and where there’s shops, there are also “restrooms” (that means toilets, or loos in American).
Parents, hide your children’s eyes. This is what I had to deal with in Asia…
Doing the pee dance around the entire Heathrow airport after following the bathroom signs that seemed to lead me in a perfect circle, I found out the hard way that no matter how dancy your pee dance is, you will not get ahead in the long queue for the ladies.
Upon entering the United States, it didn’t take me long to find out that my restroom plan was pretty shot. That’s because every shop has the sign “Restrooms are for Customers ONLY”. Apparently I’m not the only one doing the water challenge here.
Forming Good Habits
Getting Rained on: When you thought you were drinking water but actually water was drinking you…
I have to admit, it didn’t take long before planning for water became a regular part of my day. Everyday I think about where I can go to fill up my water bottle or buy a cheap one and most days I have been able to meet my 1 litre target (at the very least).
I realised, you have to start in the morning or you won’t do it! It seems to make all the difference. Also, have a bottle that is 500ml or more. That way you know you only need to fill up twice for 1 litre or 4 times for 2.
Now, when I go to a restaurant, I almost always opt for water rather than a sugary soda (that’s American for fizzy drink).
The Conclusion
Success rate: 89% (7 days failed out of 31) Cost per fail: £1 Money raised for charity: £7
I will definitely be carrying this habit forward with me, hopefully into the rest of my life. Annoying as it can be… but nobody said that I can’t also consume other delicious liquids!
Next Challenge: Saying Yes!