I tried the Instagram famous gallon water bottle—here’s what I learned

Unless you live under a rock, you’ve probably seen on your Instagram feed one or two (or plenty) of moms holding up their gallon water bottles ready to crush the day. If you do a quick search for #gallonofwater, there are thousands of photos of women posing proudly with their inspirational and colorful bottles. If like I was, you are intrigued about what this is all about, then I’m here for you.

At first, I was skeptical. I thought I already drank enough water and this was all a marketing ploy from Amazon to get us to spend even more money during this pandemic. But, after seeing mom after mom posting about their gallon water bottle, I caved in. (It was Laurel Patin, Style Director at InStyle Magazine, who did it for me. Our kids are the same age. We both left NYC because of the pandemic. We both love tie-dye. She’s far more stylish than I am and her jewelry is to die for, so yeah, she’s my mom crush).

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A post shared by mackenzie obrien (@kenzfitsta)

So what is it all about?

The new IG trend is basically a cute colorful gallon water bottle with inspirational messages to keep you drinking some H2O throughout the day.
Mine for example says:
7am GOOD MORNING
9am LET’S HYDRATE
11am DOING AMAZING
… you get it.

The point of it is to help you stay hydrated throughout the day, which as a mom of three under 3 is something I always forget to do. Like, always. I was really good at it when I was pregnant because when I didn’t drink enough water, my body would signal the alarm and I would start getting Braxton Hicks and a little dizzy. So, I made a point to carry around a water bottle wherever I went. After the twins were born I kept my water intake super high for two reasons: first to help my body flush out all the anesthesia and pain meds (my body doesn’t do well with them) and help with postpartum edema. Secondly , because I was breastfeeding and pumping two babies, I wanted to make sure that my body had all the water it needed to keep my supply going.

What did I actually learn?

First and foremost I learned that I’m a sucker for cute water bottles. Could I have done this with an empty milk gallon container? Yes. Would it be as fun? Probably not.

I also learned that if I don’t have this gallon water bottle around me, I don’t drink water until lunchtime, which is really, really bad. I usually drink one cup of coffee in the morning when I wake up, and that’s it. No wonder I have headaches and a dry mouth. So this challenge has actually really helped with those two things.

My skin is so much better since I started drinking more water. Less fine wrinkles, a little bit more brightness and overall less tired looking (despite not getting a full night of sleep since… 2018?). If this is the secret for looking younger-ish, I’m here for it. My wallet and my schedule don’t allow for anything more than this.

I need to wear clothes that are easier to remove because, wow am I going to the bathroom more often. Goodbye overalls, no one has the time for you, even though you are super cute.

I felt better overall, which is pretty great given the times we are living in. But also, if my investment was only a water bottle (since I fill it in with tap water which is free) I am here for all of this.

If you want to join the gallon water club, here are my favorite bottles:

Myth

1. Myth Water Bottle Gallon with Straw

•

$18.99

This water bottle is made with 100% BPA free eco-friendly plastic that allows you to enjoy peace of mind when drinking your water.

SHOP

Bottled Joy

2. Gallon Water Bottle With Flip Top

•

$18.90

The convenient built-in handle allows for easy water transportation, perfect for taking to football practice, baseball games and other activities on hot summer days.

SHOP

A version of this story was published February 12, 2021. It has been updated.

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