Update

Since beginning the March Madness Challenge I have started to feel better from the inside out. I have lost 5lbs and overall feel fresh. Usually after working a 7-11 hour shift in front of a computer screen for the last 5 years I would get this feeling when I thought my brain was expanding so much that it was going to crack my skull kind of headache that only a can of coke, two Excedrin Migraine pills, and a nap would cure. The afternoon and car drive home have been headache free now for the last 11 days. It's amazing what the body can accomplish with the necessary amount of water.

The amount of hydration I have been providing my body is unbelievable. I have not only exceeded the average number of 8 full 8 oz. glasses of water in one day, I have doubled it by providing my body with about 14-18 8 oz. of water in one day. The amount of bathroom breaks has gone up but that also benefits a person like me that has a hard time getting up from a computer screen every couple of hours to stretch. It forces me to get up and take a walk across the building for a little added exercise.

After 11 days without Coca-Cola and soda in general, I have seen some definite improvements with my body. I have always struggled with acne and not just the occasional breakouts either. I am prone to black heads on my nose and T-zone area, which seems to be the least of my problems. Breaking out on my chin and jaw are the worst and happen the most often. When I break out I normally see about 2-4 newer pimples at a time. Out of the group I will have at least one white head on my chin and the rest will be the cystic acne that is really deep seated in and around my jaw line.

Growing up I always assumed that I had oily to combination skin due to the amount of oil my face would produce in a day. I tried every teen acne medication you can think of between the ages of 8 and 23. I would go through tubes of spot treatments and would purchase oil blotting sheets in bulk. When I was 16 I was even told to use birth control as a way to handle my acne since hormones play into the chemistry of the face but the hormones in the few birth control products I used threw my body out of whack. I ended up going off of the products because I did not like the way my body felt while using them. After that, I thought maybe I just touched my face too much and was spreading dirt and oil from my hands to my face. Even though I was doing this, I was also focusing on the wrong problem.

Once someone told me that oil combats oil when I was getting my brows done a few months ago, I have been moisturizing like crazy. Since then, my facial breakouts have subsided and I only get the bad acne around my chin and jaw. I have completely changed my makeup routine to gear towards foundations for dry skin with a matte finish and have had a lot of luck. I still blot around my nose and chin half way through my day, but this is significantly better than feeling like your face is melting off. Adding water into my diet has made my skin feel so beautiful and I haven't had a break out since February. I'm starting to believe in the magic in the water.

A friend told me the other day that "water creates life and if you don't give your body what it needs, being that we are made up of 80% water, then you are doing an injustice to yourself." No truer words have been spoken! I know exactly what she has been talking about the last few years that we have been friends. She has been one of the most supportive friends in this journey and has really encouraged me throughout the last week or more with tips and words of wisdom to stay away from soda. I seriously cannot thank her enough for the support, and had to mention that this little quote has been written down and hung up in my room at home to look at. Not only would I be doing my body an injustice by drinking soda the way I used to but also if I were to go back to the way I drank water, which was close to not at all. The reminder is a huge inspiration of why I started this journey in the first place.

 

Just in case you're reading, thank you Mon!

 

 

Here’s to another 19 days and 2,698 ounces of water! Cheers!