One year ago I started using a water tracking app because my mind was convinced that I was drinking far less than the recommended 2-3 liters per day and that I was missing out on physical and mental performance.
One year later, I’ve finished the experiment and I’ve uninstalled the app because:
- It’s nudged me to listen less to my body.
- Trying to hit my 2-3 liters daily goal has made me go to the bathroom so often it felt wrong.
- I’ve regularly bloated which drained energy and decreased mental performance.
Using an app has helped me become more mindful about how much I drink, but that’s of l felt bloated or felt like I was stressing my kidneys and wasting water
When I’ve stack to simply drinking when I was thirsty, when my urine didn’t look transparent, or when I was about to do strenuous exercise, I’ve not felt like I was wasting water, stressing my kidneys, and constantly peeing.
2-3 liters may be a good baseline but:
- I live in a cold place in the mountains and I regularly feel cold.
- I follow a vegan diet and I eat a lot of veggies which have more water than denser foods.
- I try to eat unprocessed foods, which may cause less waste, and I drink hot water, which according to Ayurveda removes waste more effectively.
- I have a slim constitution and my body seems to retain less water than people around me.
Lessons learned:
- Don’t reinvent the wheel: if it’s got to do with the body, assume nature was there first.
- Set tighter deadlines for experiments: Remember opportunity cost and The Lean Startup.
- Don’t outsource what you value: body awareness, prioritization, or thinking.
If you want to experiment with a water tracking app yourself I recommend the one I used, WaterLlama: best UX and feature set.