How Much Water Do I Need?
I am frequently asked the question "How much water do I need to drink each day?". The average daily water intake reported by most of my patients/clients over the years generally falls between 0 and 8 ounces a day. They may drink other beverages such as coffee, tea, soda, etc. but very, very little water. Most people that report drinking "a lot... or plenty" of water a day are usually only drinking about 12-16 ounces a day, or the equivalent of one bottled water each day.
The power of water in our bodies is highly underestimated!! You might remember being told in a high school biology class that the body is 70% water. The actual percentage of water in each person varies depending on muscle mass (higher muscle mass creates a higher body water percentage) and body fat percentage but the average adult is roughly 55-70% water. The brain is 75% water!!
Last week was particularly chaotic and busy (I'm sure many of you can relate to that feeling :-). In all the chaos I forgot to water my plants. Most of them are fairly hardy and did not suffer any ill effects but the Gerber Daisy seen below was much more fragile. This poor little plant was near death after 4 days with no water!
Many of us go through life just like this poor little plant. Our bodies are struggling to simply survive because they don't have enough of this precious resource to function optimally.
Just a few hours after receiving a good drink of H2O you can see how ALIVE and ENERGETIC this plant looked!
We are no different! Without enough water we will wilt and eventually die....and many of us are living "wilted" for no good reason.
Taking in less water than is optimal for your body processes over a long period of time, a.k.a. chronic dehydration, has numerous negative effects on your health. Do you suffer from any of these symptoms?
Symptoms of chronic dehydration can include:
thirst (bet you never guessed that one ;-)
hunger (cravings)
fatigue
dry skin
headache
muscle cramps
extended workout recovery (muscle soreness)
decreased workout endurance and stamina
Constipation
emotional irritability, anger
brain fog /difficulty concentrating /decreased memory recall
Insomnia
increased heart rate and palpitations
Dizziness
Decreased or darker colored urine
Chronic dehydration has also been linked to chronic kidney disease which means that this long term dehydration actually damages the kidneys over time!
So how much do you really need? As mentioned above, each person's daily water need is dependent upon their individual body, the environmental conditions (temperature) and activity levels. The easiest way to estimate your personal needs is to divide your body weight (in lbs) by two. This will give you a rough estimate of the number of ounces you need a day. Increase this for intense activity or when exposed to extreme weather conditions (hot or cold).
This method is in alignment with the standard medical recommendation of 8-12 eight ounce glasses a day which gives you 64-96 ounces a day. This covers anyone who falls between 128 and 192 pounds. To give you a visual that is roughly 2-3 liters a day (a liter is 33.8 ounces). This should not be consumed all at once but gradually throughout the day.
Why is so hard for us to drink the water our body needs? There are many places throughout the world where access to safe, clean drinking water is scarce. In the US the problem is not access, but rather the "replacement" drinks and food we consume and the many ways we subdue and ignore our body's needs.
Drinks like coffee, tea, energy drinks, and soda actually deaden your natural thirst for water. You may wake very dehydrated but having that cup of coffee in the morning will eradicate your thirst! Many people who attempt to cut coffee from their morning routine complain of a headache which they believe to be from caffeine withdrawal...the headache is often actually from dehydration rather than caffeine withdrawal. By simply increasing hydration the headache goes away altogether. The sugar and caffeine in these beverages is also very addictive to our brains so we crave them, and often prefer them, over water.
Water is our primary transport medium within the body...it's what carries our nutrients throughout the body and into the cells and also what carries toxins out of the cells to be eliminated from the body. So do yourself a favor and drink up!!
Hydrate well to...
function better throughout your day
have more strength and endurance in your workouts
decrease your recovery time
reduce your cravings
think more clearly
be more energetic
reduce your stress and help stabilize your emotions
improve bowel regularity
sleep better at night
Drinking enough water is the easiest change you can make each day to feel and function better! How much water will you drink today?
