“I’ll have some water, please.”

It’s astonishing how people will look at you as you utter these words. Water? With dinner? Most people just assume you’re being cheap, especially if you happen to be at a restaurant. Others are simply confused.

Yes, I choose to drink water. I have been on a personal mission to drink more water for quite some time now. But when I heard about the NoFizz America 60 at 60 Hydration Challenge, I knew I could do better.

Living in Lubbock, Texas, it might seem odd that I would be participating in a challenge that originated in Charlotte, NC. So let me explain.

One day as part of a project for work (I am the Social Media Director at an ad agency), I sent out a tweet asking for examples of companies using social media well. One response introduced me to NoFizzUSA.

Through Twitter, I connected with Bobby a few times and really bought into his mission. I had already kicked my own soda addiction and supported the idea that others follow suit. A few weeks later, he told me about the hydration challenge. Like I said, I had already been trying to drink more water. It was then that I realized, however, that I never really kept track of how much water I drank each day.

I know I drank more on some days than others, and thinking about it, those were the days I felt much better. More alert, more energy, less headaches. I wanted to feel that way everyday.

So I accepted the challenge. To make it easier to track, I bought a 25 oz. aluminum water bottle. Drink two while at work and a couple of glasses at home and I would be good (although now, I drink much more than that!).

In the spirit of social media (the way I discovered the challenge in the first place), I wanted to share this with others. I got the idea to ask my whole office (about 25 people) to join. To my delighted surprise, many accepted enthusiastically.

In the twenty-some-odd days since, we have all been drinking more water. So much so, in fact, that we have had to replace our water cooler water much more frequently. The comments I’ve gotten so far from coworkers have lined up with my own experiences. Drinking 60 oz. of water each day is harder than you think. You get busy. It’s the weekend and you just forget. Many excuses come to mind.

And you really notice those days. I feel sluggish, prone to more headaches, and have difficulty concentrating. The days I do get in the full amount, it’s just the opposite. I’m glad to say we’ve all been up to the challenge nearly every day. We’re not perfect, but by just putting in the effort, it has already made a big difference.