A stressful day was a day that I needed a Diet Coke. On a bad day it was a Diet Coke and a bag of peanut M&M’s. Through my second year of teaching, I found myself walking back to my classroom with a coke in one hand and M&M’s in the other almost every day.

I realized that I was not having bad day after bad day, but that I had become addicted to feeding my money into those evil vending machines for some sugary relief. When one of my students asked me why it was ok for me to drink soda at school when he was not allowed, I decided that I needed to set a better example for my students.

In August I was determined that I was going to only drink water at school for the new school year. The first week of school I was exhausted, had a constant headache and was bringing home water bottles that I had not even opened throughout the day. This was not going the way I had planned.

I heard about the NoFizzUSA 60 at 60 Challenge and decided that I had to make a conscious effort to drink a lot more water every single day. After chugging water for the first few days, the headaches were gone! I was feeling more energetic, spending less time on my couch and more time at the gym.

After a few weeks diligently drinking water, I noticed that I was tightening my belt farther and that all of my clothes were fitting a little loose. What was I doing differently? I was drinking water!

I realized how much drinking water was helping me, and realized that my second grade students were not drinking nearly enough water throughout the day. If water was helping me have more energy, I was positive that my students would also benefit.

I explained to my students that our bodies are made of mostly water and encouraged them to bring in their own water bottles to keep at their desks. Although we have to take many more bathroom breaks throughout the day, water has become an essential in my classroom!

One day, the parent of one of my students came into school and told me her son told he should be drinking more water. When she asked him why, he explained to her that water helps to make your brain work better, and if her brain worked better, she would be able to help him more with his homework!

The mom thought the homework comment was amusing, but I was so stuck on the water. I was excited that my 7-year-old student had internalized the importance of water and was now encouraging his family to drink more water!

Not only has NoFizzUSA encouraged me to drink more water and in turn become healthier, but my students are choosing water and are now getting their families to do the same!