Not All Water Is Created Equal

Despite living in Florida (aka the land of the endless summer) I have to admit I struggle to make hydration a priority and it often shows.  Don't get me wrong, I like water and I do drink it, just no where near as much as I should for my activity level, especially in this heat and humidity.

And probably one of my biggest hydration mistakes is assuming all water is created equal.

So when I was contacted by Eternal Water to take on the 24-Day Hydration Challenge, I jumped on the opportunity!  I took it as a sign to not only increase my water intake, but learn what a difference all natural, electrolyte water could make in my daily life and performance.

Before agreeing to the challenge and receiving my water, I was provided with the following information...

• While other bottled water companies are artificially enhancing and adding electrolytes to their water, Eternal Water is 100% All-Natural with nothing added or removed. Therefore, no ingredient label is needed. Eternal Water was discovered not ‘made.’

• Naturally Alkaline Water (pH 7.8 – 8.2) sourced from naturally alkaline underground springs (U.S. based).

• Naturally Occurring Electrolytes including Calcium, Magnesium, and Potassium. Electrolytes are key to hydration and vital to physiological function and athletic performance. Electrolytes act as chemical messengers in the body carrying electrical impulses from the nerves, which control all tissue function and movement.  Having imbalanced levels of electrolytes are detrimental to performance and health

• BPA Free, Phthalate Free 

So as you can see I learned quite a bit about the water and was excited to take on the challenge.

Like I said above, I had never really put much thought into the water I was drinking.  I just figured water is water and never realized all the extra junk most "electrolyte enhanced" waters had in them.  Plus I had heard about the benefits of alkaline water, especially for distance athletes like myself, but again, I always just drank whatever water was available.  So I figured it would be a fun learning experience for me OR my suspicions that all water is the same would be confirmed.

My water arrived about a month ago.  The timing was perfect because I had just come off racing a marathon and was preparing to pace another one.  Also, the temps had been unseasonably warm, so hydration was of the utmost important at this busy time of training.

The challenge itself was pretty straight forward...drink a bottle of Eternal water each day for the next 24 days.  The most challenging part was keeping my husband from stealing all my water, lol.  He LOVES water.  I have never met anyone who drinks as much water as he does.  So I had to get him some too so he wouldn't feel left out!  Plus it was fun to get to do the challenge together.


I had never tried Eternal water before and my just from my initial experience I was very impressed.

The Bottle- It's light and sleek, and looks cool.  It's a big bottle (1L) but with it slender through the middle, it's easy to grip and carry.  Plus it's BPA and Phtalate free, so that's definitely nice!

The Taste- This is when I was schooled that not all water is the same!  The taste is so clean, crisp and refreshing.  Honestly, it was unlike any other water I had tried.  It had absolutely no taste (unlike the almost metal or salty like tastes other electrolyte waters had), it was just pure replenishing water!

The Quantity- The 1L (33.8 oz) bottle was the perfect way to step up my hydration game.  My daily goal is around 80oz, and I'm typically lucky to make it to 60oz.  But having a bottle of Eternal water handy made it possible to meet and exceed that goal (plus the challenge was just a great reminder of the importance of hydration).

And of course, The Benefits-

After staying consistent with drinking the water for a solid week, I already noticed some changes.  I could feel my energy levels increase which showed in my training.  I made sure to bring a few bottles of water with me up to my marathon packing gig.  Drinking the water before and after the marathon made a huge difference in my performance and recovery.  I felt great!

As the weeks went on, I felt myself doing better and better with increasing my water in take thanks to the challenge.  I continued to see improvements in my energy.  I felt as if my skin was a little more clear and my veins weren't as prominent (a common dehydration problem).  I also noticed I felt less hungry and bloated all the time.  Most importantly, I just felt overall better, inside and out.

I am so glad I took the 24-Day Hydration Challenge and will most definitely continue my daily Eternal water drinking.  In fact, I have a bottle right next to me as I type this!

If you have not yet tried Eternal water yet, I highly recommend it.  Trust me, I now know that not all water is created equal and I can say from experience that Eternal water is proof of that!