This is a question I get asked all. the. time.
Our bodies and brains are mostly water. It’s used in all processes throughout the body.
Water is needed to:
- Transform our food into usable components for absorption
- Regulate temperature
- For cell growth, repair, and reproduction
- Lubricates joints
- keeps mucose membranes moist and forms salvia
- Flushes our body of waste
- Keeps you regular
- Keeps metabolic functions revved up
- Maintains memory and the brain’s efficiency (the brain is mostly water!)
We must know what it feels like to be dehydrated or even underhydrated. Do you wake up in the morning feeling sluggish, make your body stiff, have a slight headache, or feel a little foggy? Maybe you are a little dehydrated? Let’s fix that!
But how much water is enough water? As with most things in health and nutrition, when we talk about how much, there is the amount that is adequate to survive, and there is the amount that helps us feel good and thrive. 2 cups -1 L/day are needed to keep a person alive.
But remember, we want don’t want to survive. We want to thrive!
There are lots of recommendations floating around on the interwebs, so I went to Pubmed, a hub for research articles, and didn’t find anything that helpful (unless you are wondering how to Control of thirst and salt appetite in rats: early inhibition of water and NaCl ingestion, in which case, Pubmed will be your jam)
Fluid needs vary based on
- Male/Female – (men need slightly more because they, on average, have more muscle mass)
- Body Composition – Muscle contains more water than fat, so more muscle = higher fluid needs
- Activity level
- Climate
- Age
There are calculators and equations you can use:
Here are two of formulas you can use say you are 150lbs.
67% of your weight or multiply 0.67 x lbs- 100.5 oz (2.9 l)
0.5-1oz/ lb – 75oz – 150oz (2.2-4L)
So use those numbers to figure out your number, but if you want me to things easy, I can give you a reasonable recommendation for most people to follow:
Women – 2-3L (~67-100oz) fluid per day
Men – 3-4L (~100-135oz) fluid per day
*any liquid counts tea, coffee, sparkling water, soda, or juice.
**If the fluid has caffeine, you will pee more, therfore losing more water…so be mindful of that.
***Alcholol doesn’t count in this number because the metabolism and detox of the booze depletes you of water
You should add 12 ounces of water to your daily total for every 30 minutes you work out. – Even. more if you
Many sources I read said you could count on eating high-water fruits and vegetables as part of your fluid intake. Ummm, I don’t really agree. It’s hard to quantify the amount of water in a fruit or vegetable, and yes, it all counts, but as part of an overall wellness strategy, it is an excellent practice to get into the habit of intentionally drinking clean filtered water throughout your day. So I’m going to say, no. Let’s only count the fluid you drink and the extra water from fruits and veggies is bonus.
So now for the hows…
5 Helpful Tips to increase you water intake
- Be Prepared – Keep a reusable water bottle with you! You will only drink if its easy. Know how many times you need to fill up your bottle to meet your goal.
- Plan – I know how many times I need to fill up my water, so if I am not through 1 by noon, I start being more intentional about drinking. My water bottle is 40oz, so I need to fill it up 3 times to reach ~100oz of water/per day.
- Drink 1st thing in the morning – a practice I am working to adopt is drinking a glass of water first thing in the morning. This is 12oz right off the bat to set myself up for success for the rest of the day
- Add some Zest – Zest meaning flavor. Maybe you don’t love the “taste” of water or need a little flavor in your life. Add some flavor to the water to zest it up! I like lemon, lime, cucumber, or a splash of pomegranate juice, or add some berries or sliced apple to add a delicious infusion of natural flavor!
