by Ryan Freebing
We all know the age old question, “How much water should you drink every day to stay hydrated?” Since it’s been asked for so long, there are plenty of different answers on what this number actually is. The reason we need to drink water is because on average our bodies are made up of about 60-70 percent of this transparent elixir. So, naturally, we need to continuously replenish our levels in order to stay alive.
For most people, the amount of water we should be consuming can vary based on our activity level, mood, sleep and a few other factors. Not having heard the answer in a while, I partnered with the natural drink mix Everly to see just how much I should be drinking and how I was going to do it.
On their website, Everly actually has a hydration calculator. So I plugged in my numbers and based on my body weight and activity level, Everly recommended I should be drinking at least 108 ounces of water a day. That means I should be drinking 13 cups of water every day! That’s equivalent to 24 apples, 14 grapefruits, or 0.37 watermelons.
Catching up with the CEO of Everly, Ryan Gaines, I quickly understood their mission and why it was important for me to stay hydrated:
“When we first launched Everly, we set out to help people cut back on sugar and drink more water in a healthy way. While most drink mixes have either sugar or artificial sweeteners, Everly is the first drink mix that is sugar-free and naturally sweetened. Water can, in fact, be quite challenging for some people to drink, as the lack of flavor can make you more cognizant of the act of swallowing.”
Now with a clear plan, I set out to drink 13 cups or 108 ounces of water every day for 30 days using Everly as a natural flavor to help. For this experiment, I was using their new Everly Calm Pomegranate Berry and Peach Mango flavors which have 105mg of magnesium per serving. There is also no sugar, so I knew I didn’t have to immediately watch my sugar intake.
Making sure the quality of water was important, every morning I added a serving of Everly to an 8-ounce glass of water as soon as I woke up. Early in the process, I started to visually see some residual effects. Other than needing to use the restroom all the time, I noticed my skin looked clearer in the morning and I had less redness in my face.
Since I am typically getting some type of movement in or sweating a few times a week, staying hydrated is really important to me and it was easy to consume more water than usual using Everly as a support base.
“Because your body is comprised of so much water, staying hydrated is crucial in helping increase circulation, keeping your skin fresh, maintaining energy levels, lubricating joints, and clearing toxins from your body.”
This experiment was really fun. At the end of the 30 days, I felt more energized, awake and healthy (as in I never felt sick or sluggish). Let it be known, I did not drink Everly all day, every day. I only used it in the morning to help kickstart the day, which is the most crucial time to get water back into your body. Try it yourself if you are struggling with normal water intake! Visit https://goeverly.com to learn more about this local drink mix.
