BuiltLean® 7-Day Water Drinking Challenge

Of all the actions you can take to improve your health and well-being, drinking ample water is among the simplest and most impactful.

In fact, drinking water is so important, that it’s one of the 3 core pillars of the BuiltLean Transformation Program.

That’s why I created this challenge for you. Here’s how it works.

1. What Is The Challenge?

Drink at least 60 ounces of water (~2L) a day for 7-days. This equates to 5 12-ounce glasses of water, or 2 32-ounce water bottles.

The Institute of Medicine’s recommended water intake is 3.0 liters, or 101 ounces for men and 2.7 liters, or 91 ounces for women. This excludes hydration contributions from food, which is typically around 20% of hydration.

So why is this challenge only 60 ounces of water? Because this barrier is still high for most men in my estimation, especially when excluding coffee drinking. Coffee technically counts as hydration¹, but not for the purposes of this challenge.

To learn more about water intake, check out this article by Dr. Charlie Seltzer on BuiltLean: How Much Water Should You Drink Per Day?

2. Why Should I Do It?

1. Reduce Hunger

The research is conclusive that adequate hydration decreases the amount of food you eat.^{2 3} In his BuiltLean article, Dr. Charlie Seltzer summed this up well, “The reason behind this effect is simple – water has no calories and takes up space in the stomach, allowing people to feel fuller after consuming fewer calories. Additionally, the brain will often mistake thirst for hunger. In this case, a person will eat unnecessary calories when in fact the feeling of “hunger” could have been alleviated by drinking water.” There is also very compelling evidence that “preloading” water intake can significantly reduce calorie intake.^{4 5}

2. Improve Mental Clarity

There are many pills and potions that promise you more energy. Adequate water intake trumps them all as nature provides you everything you need to function at optimal levels. One meta-review concluded, “Water, or its lack (dehydration), can influence cognition. Mild levels of dehydration can produce disruptions in mood and cognitive functioning…such as concentration, alertness and short-term memory.”⁶ It has been theorized that mild dehydration acts as a physiological stressor which diminishes cognitive processes.

3. Improve Energy Levels

Research studies show dehydration decreases athletic performance, which suggests your energy levels will drop as well. In fact, only 1% body mass change could impede muscle endurance, power and strength.⁷ Of course, your sleep patterns have a big impact on energy levels along with mindset and body posture, but from my experience, ample water intake will help maximize your energy levels.

3. How Do I Make The Challenge Easier To Complete?

Buy a water bottle, consider 20-ounce so it fits in your cup holder, 32-ounce, or even 64 ounce. I’ve been using the 32-ounce Midnight Black Simple Modern Insulated Water Bottle (affiliate link) for years. I’ve beaten it up quite a bit and it still looks great. The only downside is the bottle is not dishwasher safe, so you must hand wash it instead. We have no affiliation with the company and the link to Amazon is an affiliate link.

For this challenge, all you need to do is drink a 32-ounce water bottle twice throughout the day. I typically drink a full bottle early in the morning as part of my morning routine. Then I have water with lunch and dinner. Occasionally, I’ll have some water between meals, but I’ve found it’s not really necessary as I’ve figured out my hydration needs in advance. You can find what schedule works best for you, or just go with the flow. I typically have about 100 ounces of water a day.

4. When Do I Start?

Consider starting this Monday for a full 7-days.

5. How Do I Track My Results?

We created a PDF that you can print out and keep in a visible place like your refrigerator or nightstand. You just mark off an “X” for each day with no snacks. You can certainly use any app tracker or other method that works well for you.

You can share your results, how you’re doing, and lessons learned in the comment section below. We plan to keep the comments open for the foreseeable future. You can also leave comments under the Water Drinking Youtube Video, Facebook post, or Twitter post with hashtags #builtlean and #waterintakechallenge. Whatever works best for you.