We tried Alicia Keys’ Water Regime and Here Were the (Very Mixed) Results

Alicia Keys is famous for her clear, glowing skin (and, yes, her extraordinary musical talent.) Turns out, there are two women responsible for getting Alicia Keys makeup free and au naturel: Alicia Keys and her renowned makeup artist Dotti.

Dotti is a complete beauty and wellness expert, so when she gives advice, people listen. The advice that changed her sleep, skin, and quality of life? Drink water. But drink it in this specific way: Drink two liters between waking and 2 p.m., drink one more liter between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m., and sip, as needed, until sleep.

The Gardenuity office decided to give it a go (because who doesn’t want Alicia Keys’ glow?). We followed Dotti’s water regime for two weeks, and here were the results.

CORINNE LOHNER

I tried drinking water like Alicia Keys for 2 weeks, and I’m not going to lie…I felt fabulous. I didn’t expect to feel any difference (I drink a lot of water with or without a challenge), but I was surprised at how effective the specific timing was! Drinking a few liters before lunch decreased by appetite and energized me. Although truthfully, as someone who active 3-4 hours a day, my total intake ended up being closer to 4-5 liters a day.

DONNA LETIER

I was totally into the idea of consuming most of my water prior to 2 p.m. and finishing up with my water commitment around 5. I figured any water after 5 would count towards “extra credit,” and who doesn’t love extra credit in a good competition?

Well…I failed. Or rather, half-failed. I succeeded in consuming the full amount of water each day, but I didn’t get the timing right. What I didn’t consider is my love of hot coffee—mornings have been cold, and since hot teas and coffees were an option, water fell by the wayside. The real water guzzling began around noon each day and continued to about 9 p.m.

So, I lost this challenge. But I’m anxiously awaiting the next team challenge. Maybe it will include popcorn or chocolate?

CHELSEA RABROKER

I tried the Alicia Keys water challenge and here were my results:

1. I felt fuller for longer and didn’t snack as much!
2. My face cleared up and felt much, much smoother.
3. I had to pee a lot more…just being real here.

LULA WELLER

Challenge not accepted! I’ve never been one to join a health challenge. Being conscious about healthy living without making it competitive fosters more sustainable, long-term habits. Something about adding rules makes it more of a temptation to do the opposite. How many times have you quit sweets, only to want them even more?  These past weeks, as my co-workers drank gallons of water, I felt content to have the reminder to drink water but not the pressure to complete the challenge.

Get to know your body’s needs and find a way to remind yourself to stay healthy, but don’t put too much pressure on yourself!  

JULIE EGGERS

Being a highly competitive person, one would expect that I would have done quite well on the office water challenge. But…not so much. I consistently drink 1-2 liters of water daily, because I know it helps my brain and I can feel the difference, but for some reason, I drank less during the challenge period than usual. (I bought a new water bottle right before the challenge started. My loyalty to my previous but degraded water bottle must have been the issue…)

So I dropped the ball this round, but I am still a huge advocate for 1-2 liters a day! Your brain needs it. I think it’s the single most important thing you can do for your health.

All in all, we had extremely mixed reviews. Take the water challenge, and let us know your results! @gardenuity