Post: #1

Important: Make sure you have officially signed up for 21DHL before you proceed.

This is Day 1 of Live a Healthier Life in 21 Days Challenge, Jan 2012 run. Subscribe to the free newsletter for lifetime access of personal development articles and future challenge announcements like this one.

HELLO EVERYONE!! Welcome to Day 1 of 21DHL! Today is 2012, and it's the first day of the new year. I just finished the countdown for the new year, and I'm really excited to see what this year has in store for all of us. For sure, I'm definitely very pumped up to be kicking off the new year with 21DHL for all of you, because I know at the end of the next 21 days, all of you are going to be healthier and fitter than you've ever been.

Doing the challenge in groups

As there are so many participants in 21DHL, and due to the personalized nature of 21DHL challenge, I've split everyone into different groups, based on the first letter of your username. You would know this if you have already created your 21DHL journal.

1. Group #1: A-B
2. Group #2: C
3. Group #3: D-E
4. Group #4: F-H
5. Group #5: I-K
6. Group #6: L-M
7. Group #7: N-P
8. Group #8: Q-S
9. Group #9: T-Z
   

Your job for the next 21 days is to (1) follow your 21-Day Healthy Living Plan (which you should have already done via the Pre-Work) (2) follow the 21DHL official daily tasks (3) post your progress in your journal every day, for the 21 days (4) check on your group members' progress by reading their posts, supporting them and encouraging every step of the way.

If you feel that you might not have the time to read/comment on everyone's journals, don't worry. Simply select a handful of participants you want to follow and follow their journals. It's not a necessity to read everyone's journals in your group, though it'll be nice to do so and provide support to them.

Also, even though I've split you into the groups above, feel free to follow other participants in other groups as well (while supporting your own members)! We're ultimately doing this as one big community to achieve healthy living!

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Day 1 - Drink the Right Amount of Water

Past 21DHL participants probably saw this coming, as this was the first task for last year's run too. If you've read 45 Tips To Live a Healthy Life post on PE before, you might recall this as the first tip, which is to drink more water.

Why am I setting this as the first task for 21DHL? Because water is life. Water is essential for our body to function – Do you know over 60% of our body is made up of water? Water is needed to carry out our body functions, remove waste and carry nutrients and oxygen around our body. Since we lose water every day through urine, bowel movements, perspiration and breathing, we need to replenish our water intake.



Furthermore, drinking more water alone actually aids in losing weight. A Health.com study carried out among overweight/obese people showed that water drinkers lose 4.5 more pounds than a control group. The researchers believe that it’s because drinking more water helps fill your stomach, making you less hungry and less likely to overeat. I agree with that, and I have an added take that your body tries to retain whatever water you take when you don’t take in enough water, leading to increase in weight. Whereas when you regularly drink water, your body knows that it’s going to get its supply of fluids, so it doesn’t try to retain more water.

Shockingly, most of us actually do not drink enough water. We only drink like 1-2 times a day, during the meal times, and we do not hydrate ourselves at all in the other times of the day. Hence, our first task of 21DHL is to drink water - specifically the right amount of water for our best health.

Step 1: Calculate the amount of water you need to drink

Most of you probably heard the common phrase "drink 8 glasses of water". What it really means for us is to "Drink the right amount of water that's needed for your body". It's important to note that we have different fluid needs, and we should identify what is the optimal amount for ourselves. It is equally important to drink more water if we are lacking water, as it is important to drink less water if we are drinking too much. Drinking too much water can be as harmful to our body as drinking less water is.

To estimate how much water you need to drink, use the method below.

• Divide your weight (in pounds) by two. This is the amount of water intake (in ounces) you need in a day. (150lbs = 75 ounces/day) Or;
• If you use the metric system, divide your weight (in kg) by 30. The answer is the amount of water intake (in liters) you need a day. (66kg = 2.2 liters/day)
  

Then, take the number and multiply it by 80%. Food intake contributes about 20% of our fluid intake, so this final number is the actual amount of water in fluid form that you need to drink. This is a rough estimate - if you've an active lifestyle, you live in a warm climate where you perspire a lot and/or you do high level of physical activity (sports), you can add about 5-20% more.

Remember, when in doubt, use your own body as a gauge. If your lips/throat feel dry, your lips look dry, and you feel dehydrated, that means you should be drinking more water - and you should have been doing so long ago, because signs of dehydration typically surface only after our body has been depleted of water for a while.

Step 2: Drink this amount of water today

Make sure you drink this amount of water today (slightly more is okay too). Water here refers to pure water, NOT soda, coffee, tea (drinks with caffeine) or alcohol! These are diuretics - mean they cause a fluid outtake rather than intake when you consume them!

Don't drink them all in one go because it's not going to solve the issue! (We're not a camel; our water isn't going to distribute itself when needed) The point is to distribute our water intake throughout the day. The best times will be when we wake up (since we've been sleeping for some time), before/after our meals, while we're working, and at night before we sleep.

If you're not sure how much water fills a glass, simply use a soda can as estimation. A normal soda can is 330ml or about 12 oz. If you have a large glass that can contain all the water in a can, that means you'd need 8 glasses for 2.6-2.7 liters of water fluid intake.

Some tips to help you in this goal:

1. Carry a water bottle - You never know when you're going to get thirsty! This way you can drink wherever you are. Knowing the capacity of your bottle will also help you keep track of how much you have drank/how much more you have to drink.
2. Have a big drinking mug at your desk so you only have to refill once in a while.
3. Having a jar/flask of water right at your desk is really useful for the same reason as #2.
4. Buy a large flask and fill it in the morning with the amount of water intake you need for the day. Drink only from the flask the whole day so you can use it as your gauge. At the end of the day, it should be empty! If not, finish it up.
5. Set reminders (either in your phone or computer) on a busy day so you don't forget to drink.
   

Step 3: Continue this habit for the whole of 21DHL

After you've completed this habit, continue on for all the days of 21DHL! Add this to your 21-Day Healthy Living Plan. Mark a tick whenever you have finished drinking your required amount of fluid intake for the day. Mark a cross when you haven't. At the end of 21DHL, you'll be able to see how you fare in this area.

Day 1 of Your 21-Day Healthy Living Plan

What are your tasks listed for today? Do them with excellence and report them in your 21DHL Journal.

Also, read your group mates' 21DHL journals and cheer them along! Pick a few members' journals and make it a point to post meaningful replies there.

By the end of 21DHL, I guarantee you that you'll find powerful new friendships and bonds forming, as we've witnessed in all our previous challenges.

Update Your 21DHL Journals

Once you are done for the day, update your 21DHL Journal. You are also welcome to update your 21DHL Journal multiple times throughout the day. Post all your results for today's task and your 21-Day Healthy Living Plan directly in your journal.

If you have any questions specific to today's task, post them here.

"If you want to get something you have never gotten before, you've to do something you've never done before."
Personal Excellence - For people passionate about achieving excellence in life

Post: #2

helpful, really helpful

Post: #3

Wow. I never knew that everybody needed to drink a specific amount of water daily. Thanks. This is really helpful info.

Post: #4

Is herbal tea a diuretic or can I count it to my daily water intake? I have problems with drinking so much cold water in winter, I feel like it cools down my body. And pure warm water is not my cup of tea

Post: #5

(01-01-2012 05:31 PM)bfhpierce Wrote:  Is herbal tea a diuretic or can I count it to my daily water intake? I have problems with drinking so much cold water in winter, I feel like it cools down my body. And pure warm water is not my cup of tea

I think as long as it has no caffeine, it should be fine where diuretic-effects are concerned. I can't be sure though, cause I don't drink tea myself. Anyone who has knowledge on the topic - please feel free to jump in and share what you know!

"If you want to get something you have never gotten before, you've to do something you've never done before."
Personal Excellence - For people passionate about achieving excellence in life

Post: #6

I went and looked it up and here's what I found:

Quote:Herbal teas that contain alfalfa, burdock, cornflower, dandelion, dog rose, ginger, hibiscus, holly, horsetail, juniper, larkspur, calendula, corn silk, mate, meadowsweet, olive leaf, parsley, nettle, sweet clover, fennel, uva ursi or winter cherry may be diuretic, according to the PDR for Herbal Medicines.

Green tea is apparently available with or without caffeine so, as Celes said, the no-caffeine one is fine.

Post: #7

Thank you very much for looking it up! Seems like I need to carefully choose my herbal teas, but I think I'm going to find a non-diuretic solution.

Post: #8

I'm usually pretty good about drinking a lot of water throughout the day. Unfortunately I also often grab a Cherry Coke while at work but I'm going to work to cut soda out of my diet for the next 21 days.

At home I drink tap water from my kitchen faucet. I put a Brita filter on it an it works quite well.

I don't like drinking the tap water at my workplace though. After drinking their fountain water for a couple days I noticed a white layer of minerals and sediment that had collected at the bottom of the bottle I was using. Yeck! Now I drink bottled water when I am at my work desk. My grocery store sells 32 packs of 16 oz water bottles for only $3.50. So I usually drink three or four each day. This works out well for me but I feel a little silly wasting all that plastic. Maybe I should just fill up a big pitcher of water everyday before I go to work.

Post: #9

I thought I was good at drinking water, but I drink less than the calculated amount. I should be taking around 2.4 litres. Day 1 - I took only 1.5l. I often forget to drink water at the office when I am busy working - I've set up reminders on my calendar to drink water regularly during the day.

Post: #10

I started well on Day 1.. Did almost all that I intended to except touch the high water mark of 4 litres. Did only 1 against 3 that I have been able to do for a week earlier Day 2, stumbled further. Had just one litre so far (its 10.30 pm already) and skipped on meditation and studies too. Tomorrow is another day and its already near I will skip reading the many newspapers I do in the morning and use that time to stretch, drink some more water.

Post: #11

Something to be aware of: if your kidneys are not functioning properly, they may not be able to process as much water as normal.

My husband, is 6' and weighs 200 lbs, has kidney damage and is restricted to 48 oz of fluids per day -- water, tea, soft drinks, broth, etc all count. He used to drink a lot more but the doctor made him cut back.

Several members of his famiy had apparently been drinking too much water and when they reduced the amount they were drinking, they lost a lot of weight. It was water retention, caused by overloading the kidneys' capacity.

Most people do not drink enough water, and I am not suggesting that you don't need to do so in order to be healthy. I just want to point out this potential problem.

If you increase your water intake and start gaining weight and/or retaining fluid, you should check out the possibility of kidney problems. This could turn out to be an early warning from your body that allows you to prevent serious health problems later.

Again, I'm not saying that anyone should ignore the advice about drinking more water. Most of us need to drink more. And all of us need to pay attention to what happens to our bodies when we do get enough.

Post: #12

I have calculated the amount of water intake by dividing my weight by 2, but I am not understanding...

(12-31-2011 09:07 PM)Celes Wrote:  Then, take the number and multiply it by 80%.

80% of what should I multiply it with?

Post: #13

Hey Am proud of myself! Had 3 litres of water so far. That's a major step since yesterday. Read my books. Did meditation. Went for a walk too. Celes, just knowing I am going to write here every night about my day motivates me! Thank you

Post: #14

(01-03-2012 10:56 PM)Ira Wrote:  

(12-31-2011 09:07 PM)Celes Wrote:  Then, take the number and multiply it by 80%.

80% of what should I multiply it with?

80% of the number you obtained from the previous step. Because food intake already attributes to 20% of our water intake a day, as explained in the post. Hence the actual amount of water we should drink should be 80% of our daily water intake.

(01-03-2012 03:52 AM)VickiB Wrote:  Something to be aware of: if your kidneys are not functioning properly, they may not be able to process as much water as normal.

...

Most people do not drink enough water, and I am not suggesting that you don't need to do so in order to be healthy. I just want to point out this potential problem.

If you increase your water intake and start gaining weight and/or retaining fluid, you should check out the possibility of kidney problems. This could turn out to be an early warning from your body that allows you to prevent serious health problems later.

Thanks so much for sharing this, VickiB - I really appreciate it. This is very important advice which everyone should take note of.

It's important to drink the right amount of water, not necessarily to drink more or less water. This is the point of Day 1's task - I noticed some members are wrongly perceiving the task as "Drink 8 glasses" (literally) or "Drink more water". Day 1's task is about drinking the right amount of water, as outlined in the task write-up. I recommend everyone to calculate your right water intake via the steps provided and drink in accordance to that (vs. blindly drinking 8 glasses). Hope that helps!

(01-04-2012 01:24 AM)leigh Wrote:  Hey Am proud of myself! Had 3 litres of water so far. That's a major step since yesterday. Read my books. Did meditation. Went for a walk too. Celes, just knowing I am going to write here every night about my day motivates me! Thank you

Aw thank you, leigh! I'm so glad you're here for us, and you're benefiting from the challenge. You're truly doing an awesome job - keep up with the great work!! I'm so happy for you.

"If you want to get something you have never gotten before, you've to do something you've never done before."
Personal Excellence - For people passionate about achieving excellence in life

Post: #15

Hi Everyone,
I have been drinking water as my main beverage of choice for about 30 years. This has probably saved my life, despite all the foolish bingeing and overindulgences that I have "chosen."(in quotes because I did not know that there was an actual disease called food addiction/compulsive overeating, and I had it. That was dramatic for me when I realized that my "secret" activity of bingeing was one that countless others kept to themselves. I just thought I liked to eat and had a tendency to gain alot of weight.)

One time, last year, I drank too much water too fast, and 1 1/2 or so hours later, I felt really woosy, like I was going to faint. My friend and I looked up symptoms, and I felt alot better quickly when I took some sea salt. I was on a virtually no salt food plan, and drinking all that water put my body's balance at a big risk. Learned a big lesson! So....too much of a good thing is unhealthy, not wonderful, like somebody once said. (May West?)

I recall when I was a teenager and in my 20's, all I did was drink diet soda. UGH! Liked it at the time (wasn't so conscious of health, just losing excess weight was important, no matter how unhealthily I did it. so sad, all the desperate effort I made, to my detriment.) I made a switch to being more conscious about what I was putting into my body when I was in my early 30's...before then, I really did not think of how certain food/drink affected my body...i was ruled by trying to satisfy the bottomless pit of cravings.

Today, nothing satisfies me like great, healthful H2O!!! I have received the benefits of drinking good water in many ways....cleansing my body of toxins/metabolites, hydrating my body from the inside out, and giving me the feeling of fullness, in the healthy sense of the word.

Drinking the right amount of water has been and is a very automatic priority in my daily life, and I am grateful to know that and have practiced that for decades. It is a basic "no brainer" that comes natural to me. I am amazed, just astounded that some people just do NOT drink water, that it never occurs to them that water is a beverage. I honestly don't see how anyone can feel good without drinking water, but soooo many people just don't/won't/say they can't do it.

I find that I desire to start my daily intake of water when I wake up in the morning, and have had a quart or so already by noon. I definitely prefer room temperature water to cold or iced water, but that is just me. Occasionally I will have hot or iced herbal tea, or hot or iced decaf, but that is not part of my water tally.

Water is life. I sometimes have put a drop of an essential oil in my water. Or placed an intention in my water like "clarity" or "vision" or "optimum health," or "peace and harmony," and focused on that intention being absorbed by all my cells, ready to increase their vitality and aliveness. That way I focus on what I am drinking/taking into my body as something that indeed dirrectly affects my life. I connect with my body and the water I am drinking with the consequence of putting that water/intention in my body as part of living my best life...keeping the best possible flow of health coursing through every single cell.

I toast you with life-giving, health-increasing water.
Cheers! Here's to our health!
Bette

P.S. Am I posting this in the right place, or are these daily tasks supposed to go in our journals? How do I add to my journal?

Post: #16

(01-04-2012 01:24 PM)Bette Wrote:  P.S. Am I posting this in the right place, or are these daily tasks supposed to go in our journals? How do I add to my journal?

Hey Bette, feel free to post task-related insights you want to share with the group in these group threads, as you have done so here. If you want to post something into your journal, simply post a reply to your journal (same way you posted a reply to this thread).

"If you want to get something you have never gotten before, you've to do something you've never done before."
Personal Excellence - For people passionate about achieving excellence in life

Post: #17

This challenge was a great reminder of one simple step to make your body feel better - drinking water eliminates headaches! Thanks Celes! Good luck everyone :-)

Post: #18

Hi,
Today is the first time I am posting ...although late by a few days ....
I drink water more or less adequately , and it is ( was ) great to start this challenge with the water water exercise.
I would like to share how I am maintaining the " drinking the right amount of water" :
As soon I wake up , I drink two glasses of warm water. Not cold. This actually makes me feel hydrated in every cell of my body and starts off the day in a great manner. The next water intake I make consciously at 11 am - at least a glass. Then two glasses at lunch. another glass at 4 pm and then a definite two glasses around dinner.
Normally this is enough to take care of my bodily requirements , but I never miss the chance of taking a sip now and then , as I live in India, which is hot most of the year.
So this is it. How I am doing this.
The trick is in starting off the day with enough water (2 glasses).I am already ahead
I hope some of you will agree.

Post: #19

I am still getting used to the forums, so I had asked a question and per Celes, I am posting it here. I dislike the taste of water very much. My question about Day 1 is this: does bottled flavored water count, such as grape or strawberry or is this cheating on my water intake? I had actually been slightly occupied and didn't get a chance to post the question again. So, instead of procrastinating on Day 1, I sucked it up and am up to 6 glasses of water a day. For me that is a lot of progress. I still would like to know the answer to my question about flavored water because once the 21 days are over on this challenge, I plan to continue with all lifestyle changes I have made. So on days when I don't drink regular water, is flavored water suitable also?? Thank you all so much and I hope everyone is enjoying this challenge. I know I am gaining a lot of positive information and also making great progress. Thank you Celes!!!

Post: #20

Hey Netta! I suppose flavored water is water too, but the thing is when you drink flavored water / carbonated sodas / etc, you're consuming a lot more than just water - you're also taking in artificial flavorings, chemicals, additives, etc. If it has caffeine, which is a diuretic, that dehydrates you actually. So that sort of defeats the purpose of drinking water, which is to (1) hydrate yourself (2) embark on a healthier lifestyle. There are many types of liquids that are not unhealthy and comes with a flavor, such as sparkling water, juices, fruit smoothies, green juices, milk/soy milk, or even adding a few drops of lime juice to regular water.

"If you want to get something you have never gotten before, you've to do something you've never done before."
Personal Excellence - For people passionate about achieving excellence in life