How I drink a gallon of water a day! {and you can too}

Did you guys see that article a while back about the woman who started drinking a gallon of water a day and had all of these amazing results? It was pretty awesome! It's not like it's new science or anything that water is GOOD FOR YOU. But why then, is it so hard to drink it sometimes? I mean seriously, it's the cheapest and easiest thing you can do for your health. I think it's funny how we (I) can spend all kinds of money on pre-workout drinks, face creams and supplements...when I could really give myself a huge leg up by just drinking more water!  So, now's the time! I decided to try to drink a GALLON of water each day.

Here are a a few of my personal reasons for wanting to increase my water intake: 

• More energy PLEASE
• Better skin? I'm a sleep deprived new mama. Bring it on!
• Improved digestion
• Better fitness performance
• Increased milk supply for my nursing baby

There are tons of benefits to drinking more water.. but the real challenge is HOW!? Have you figured out a good trick to keep you hydrating all day? I know it's harder for me during the winter when I'm always cold to drink a tall, cool glass. This week I started something new and it's REALLY WORKING so I thought I would share! Plus, it's so easy you'll wonder how you haven't thought of this already! Simplicity my friends. 

First - pick a favorite cup/glass/water bottle...whatevs. I love my Starbucks straw-cup. It's perfect for 1 handed (or no handed) drinking while toting a baby around. 

Next - measure how much it holds. Mine holds 24 oz. A gallon is 128 ounces - so I need a little more than 5 of these cups a day to drink a full gallon. 

Finally - grab some rubber bands (I totally wanted to use cool sparkly hair ties but alas, they were too small. Bring on the boring brown ones). Use the same number as the number of cups you need to drink each day. So, I use 5. I place them on the top half of my cup. As I finish a cup, I move the band down to the bottom of the cup. When all 5 bands are at the bottom, I know I've reached my goal! So simple, right? 

I love having the visual throughout the day so I can see if I'm on track. For some reason it takes me most of the morning to get through the first cup, but then I down the next 4 in the afternoon/evening. I've done this for 4 consecutive days now it I really think it's making me want even MORE water! Score! 

how about you?

Have you ever tried this method?
Do you have your own tricks for drinking more water?