I heard people say, “stay hydrated” – well, you know how this story goes. As much as I know that I needed to drink a lot of water, staying on top of it just slipped my mind on most days. It’s not that I didn’t drink any water, but I usually drank just about a few glasses and a ton of coffee.

That said, it’s no secret that so many Instagram influencers and bloggers have been hyping up the benefits of water – things like clearer skin, more energy, higher metabolic rate and more. I wanted to know how I’d feel if I really dedicated myself to drinking a gallon of water a day and how I could challenge myself to stay accountable.

A gallon of water a day seemed like a lot, and I didn’t want to end up putting my body at risk for a “fad” diet. I know that drinking too much water too quickly can strain your body and dilute the amount of salt and electrolytes in your body (a condition called hyponatremia), which is extremely dangerous. I decided to first do my research. Was it worth trying? What should I do to get started?

After days of reading about the pros and cons of drinking a gallon of water a day, I decided to try it out for a week (baby steps). I ordered a gallon water bottle from Driptrip.in, filled it up with water and some apple cider vinegar (also really beneficial for your body, but that is a post for a different time), and started drinking.

The results were unlike what I expected. Within a week, I had observed so many benefits.

1. I sweat a lot more during my workouts. Drinking water helps get rid of waste through sweating. Our bodies don’t always detoxify naturally, and drinking water on a regular basis helps get rid of the toxins through sweating.

2. I dropped a few pounds. Granted I was working out, and eating healthy. But, the fact that I was able to drop 4 pounds within a week was crazy to me. I am positive it was the water weight that came off, but hey, it was still a win.

3. I am in a cheerful mood, most of the time. Dehydration usually causes us to have headaches, body cramps, mood changes, difficulty concentrating and more. I noticed that I was able to accomplish all of my goals and was in a better mood after I started to drink more water. I was more energetic before and while completing my workouts – I no longer take pre-workout supplements.

4. I feel less bloated. As someone who drinks coffee at least twice a day (coffee is life), I felt bloated on a regular basis. After a few days of drinking a gallon of water, I noticed my bloating was going down and I was able to eat better and drink as much coffee as I wanted.

5. I have clearer and softer skin. Though I don’t have a big zit problem, my skin doesn’t like it when I consume nuts or sweets, which is really though for someone with a sweet tooth like me. Drinking water miraculously cleared up my skin, and added some glow. I no longer wear foundation and luminizer.

Don’t be fooled by all of these benefits of drinking a gallon of water, though. Drinking a lot of water does come at a cost. You will be running to the bathroom for what feels like 50 times a day.

If you want to try drinking a gallon of water, here are some tips you can do to get started.

 Try infusing your water with some fruits to add flavor to your water.

• Try adding apple cider vinegar to help with lowering your blood sugar levels.

• Set a reminder to drink 8 ounces of water every couple of hours.

• Buy a water bottle that you can carry around with you.

• In summary, I have found drinking a gallon of water to be beneficial for me and I have continued the challenge further than the first week. But, please be mindful -- an excess of anything is bad, even if it is something you think is as harmless as water. It is important to read up on how a gallon of water may affect your body before starting. Also, be sure to drink pure and clean or filtered water to get the most benefits.