Besides a great outfit, clear, healthy looking skin makes me feel confident. Over the years, I’ve tried different cleansers to get rid of my acne marks. While some of them have helped, none of them gave me that “just born” skin I wanted to get back. It’s been disappointing and frustrating to spend money on face products and not have them work as well as I hoped. I was discouraged until I had an “A ha moment.”

I was only treating my skin but not the inside of my body. If I wanted to see real progress with my skin, I had to nourish my body from the inside out. One of the holy grails to achieving great skin is (drum roll please) WATER! It has a ton of benefits and I wanted to see how it would help me. I decided to only drink water for one week straight.

That’s right folks, no juice or soda for seven days.

Challenges are meant to test your mental strength. I wanted to see how strong I would be when I couldn’t have something. I had high hopes for myself that I would make it through the week without caving in and drinking iced-t.

On Sunday, I went to IKEA and bought a new, cute water bottle. I figured it would be motivation during the day to drink more water. Since drinking plain water can be boring, I researched ways to spruce it up. One website suggested adding slices of lime to the water. I had three in my fridge so that’s what I went with. The benefits of drinking lime water are impressive. According to stylecraze.com, “The Vitamin C content of lime is very efficient in detoxifying the blood and making your internal system pure which helps with getting healthy, clear, glowing skin.”

Yay!

When I opened the fridge, my bottle of ginger ale was staring back at me. It was calling my name. I stretched my hand out to grab it but pulled back. I couldn’t do it. If I did, I’d fail my challenge before it even started.

So, I grabbed the lime instead and sliced it into three. I placed it in my bottle and gave it a shake. The minute I drank the lime water, I felt like a health god. I walked around my house drinking my water and feeling great. Four hours later, I refilled my bottle and kept drinking throughout the evening.

The following day, I woke up and ran to the mirror. I could actually see a slight difference in my skin. It looked more moisturized. During the water challenge, drinking tea (without sugar) and fruit smoothies were allowed. Every morning, I drink green tea to start my day. I add a spoonful of brown sugar or drink it bare, depending on my mood.

Green tea contains catechins which are antibacterial agents that help fight acne-causing bacteria. Also, it helps to reduce redness and inflammation. After I finished my cup of green tea, I refilled my water bottle for the day. I left out the lime because it can do more harm than good when consumed too often. Limes are acidic and can cause breakouts when consumed on a daily basis.

One of the downsides to drink so much water during the day is how many times I have to use bathroom. I practically live in there now. (lol) I learned to cut down on my water intake before I leave the house because if not, I’ll be doomed.

On day three I felt great. I was drinking water throughout the day and keeping myself hydrated. I wasn’t tempted to have any sugary drinks until I went out to celebrate my best friend’s birthday. On most occasions, I’m the friend who orders water when asked, “What do you want to drink?”

Super boring and typical.

We went out to eat and when I asked the same question, I asked for iced t. I know, wrong answer but I was craving it. I took a sip of the iced-t and it was so sweet to me. I did continue to drink it because I didn’t feel like ordering anything else. My taste buds were saying, “What is this foreign beverage?” (lol) In technical terms, I failed the challenge but I was drinking water for three days straight so I gave myself a free pass.

Day four of the challenge arrived and my skin was feeling and looking good. Every morning, I checked out my progress in the mirror. A part from looking more moisturized, new bumps didn’t pop up to say, “hello.” It was a relief because I wouldn’t have to treat new marks.

My excitement over the progress I was noticing made me want to share it with friends. I’ve been documenting day by day on snapchat and some of my friends have joined the challenge. For them, it’s not about improving their skin (lucky) but limiting the sugary drinks they consume on a daily basis.

Since everything has been going so well, I’m extending my challenge. I look at it now more as a lifestyle change. I don’t miss drinking juice but I’ll have it from time to time. Progress is what I aimed for and it’s what I’m seeing. Perfect skin is a myth. No one has it therefore I won’t beat myself up about it. My new skin journey has just begun and I look forward to seeing more results.