Q: Should I buy a filter for my tap at home and a refillable stainless steel water bottle in order to avoid destroying the planet with all those plastic bottles??
A: YES, PLEASE!! It may seem expensive at first, but the filter and refillable bottle more than pay for themselves very quickly in the savings of not purchasing plastic bottles.
Q: How much water is too much?
A: The National Health Institute has conducted studies where they had people drinking upwards of 8 liters of water a day (more than two gallons) with no detrimental side effects. At 21 liters of water a day (over 5 and half gallons), bladder lesions have been caused. 21 LITERS. That said, if you are a hardcore athlete, listen to your doctor’s advice when it comes to sodium, electrolytes, water and training.
Q: I have heard that there are some health conditions that require you to limit your water intake.
A: You’re right. If you are in heart failure or suffering kidney, liver or adrenal diseases, please listen to your doctor about how much water you should be drinking. We happily exempt you from this rule and wish you ever improving health (and you can earn your 10 water points by following your doctor’s instructions as to proper medication/treatment each day.)
Q: Can I count my coffee/green tea/black tea/diet soda/juice as water?
A: No. We only count water and unsweetened herbal teas as water. Because even though they say “total beverages,” several studies show that the caffeine, carbonation, sugars and chemical sweeteners in other beverages can have detrimental and/or dehydrating effects. And this is our tricky little way of encouraging you to drink less of those other beverages. (Three liters of water doesn’t leave you thirsty for much else.) By the way, no soda is allowed while playing the game except on your day off and meal off! This includes diet soda!!
Q: I like my sleep and I don’t want to be up all night peeing. What do I do?
A: Finish drinking all your water by at least 2 hours before bedtime. There’s a school of thought in Traditional Chinese Medicine that says drinking a liter of warm water upon awakening will keep your bowels moving regularly and awaken your organs for the day. So maybe try that and that way you have a whole liter out of the way first thing in the morning!
Q: Do I get extra points if I drink more than 3 liters?
A: No, point hog, you don’t.
Q: If I miss a liter one day, can I drink 4 the next day and get my points back?
A: Nope. This game is about, among other things, getting present and conscious about your health habits. I am SO a person who would like to be able to do 2 liters one day and 4 the next because I tend to be pretty chaotic and disorganized. But the game requires me to pay more attention and paying more attention seems to be a key to health and weightloss. That said, we do allow you a day off from this rule – the day of rest. And you can take your day off any day of the week. So if on Thursday morning you wake up and realize you didn’t drink all your water on Wednesday, you can call Wednesday your Water Day Off and not lose any points! Aren’t we nice?
