Being the mom to two beautiful little girls – one of whom is an infant – certainly keeps me busy throughout the day. Often times, like any other mother, I put myself on the back burner. I don’t get enough sleep, I eat semi-meals, and I forget to do simple things like drink water. In the past, I have had to think about if I even had a single drop of water earlier in the day. Not good!

I found myself drinking at least one (if not more) Diet Coke a day just to keep me awake and “thriving” as a mom who didn’t get enough sleep, but I didn’t fully realize the true impact of Diet Coke until I decided to participate in the NoFizzUSA 60-Day Challenge back in October.

I have to admit I was a little nervous about drinking the water because there are often times throughout the day that water just sounds disgusting to me (anyone else have that problem?). Anyway, I knew it would be doing something good for myself and setting a good example for my girl at the same time. So, I jumped in with both feet and started a 60-day challenge with no soda and 60 ounces of water per day.

Every day, I filled my Nalgene bottle up to the 32 ounce top, and started my day off right. I took the bottle with me everywhere I went, and of course I had my oldest daughter’s sippy cup filled too! Some days I didn’t quite get my 60 ounces in, unfortunately because quite honestly I was too busy and forgot to finish it out.

Even so, on most days I hit my 60 pretty easily, and went above and beyond well past 64 ounces, or in my terms, the two Nalgenes. And there were days when I had my mini-withdrawls causing headaches and a general uncomfortable feeling. Those were the days I knew I made the right decision to “kick” the diet Coke habit.

After a few weeks of better hydration, I noticed that my skin wasn’t as dry, I wasn’t as hungry, and even my breath was fresher. Things that all moms would love to tout, right?! Not to mention the biggest positive to drinking more water; getting rid of overconsumption of all the horrible chemicals that soft-drinks contain.

A better me means a better mommy and a better wife, and doing something as simple as opting for water makes me better, and healthier, for my family. It’s important for me to be healthy for my children and to set a good example for the way I want them to take care of themselves. I want them to drink their water and stay away from soft-drinks, (we call them “adult drinks”).

And if I don’t want them drinking it, I probably shouldn’t be doing so either. So I took the challenge and am always working towards improving my water to soft-drink ratio, which in turn helps me make better choices when it comes to food, fitness, and general life decisions. I’ve found that I care more, and I’ve started putting myself on the front-burner once and a while – something that almost every mom/parent doesn’t do often enough.

So here’s to a continued effort towards putting the “good stuff” to work, and becoming a healthier, better parent because of it!