How Much Water Should I Be Drinking?
If you follow all the advice out there on how much water we should be drinking then we should probably be walking round with buckets of water on poles giving us water intravenously until it comes out of our ears! (while some people may prefer that to drinking it please don’t try that folks). Yet there is also a lot of conflicting advice too, so let’s look at how much water you should be drinking.
Water is used by our bodies to carry nutrients round and get rid of waste and toxins (blood is mainly water and so is lymphatic fluid which detoxes your body), it also helps keep your joints operating smoothly and carry digestive juices around your digestive system, it provides moisture for areas like your nostrils and mouth and it helps you to regulate your body temperature. We lose water through urination, respiration and perspiration constantly throughout the day, which is why we need to constantly keep topped up.
For the average adult then they urinate 1.5 litres per day and another litre is lost through respiration, perspiration and bowel movements, that means you need around 2.5 litres per day to replace what you use. What most people don’t realise is that food often contains water, so that can contribute up to 20% of your daily water intake, although with the amount of heavily processed food some people eat that number may be far less for some people.
The typical advice is to drink 8 glasses at 8 ounces each, making 64 ounces, 4 pints or just under 2 litres, combine that with the water from your food and for most people that should be just right. Don’t forget those are just averages though, if you live in a hot climate and/or you exercise then you will need more.
To tell if you are drinking enough water then your urine should be clear or slightly yellow, and you shouldn’t really feel thirsty at any time or you have not had enough fluids up to that point. If you find you have pain in your joints, lower back pain, headaches, lethargy or inability to concentrate then that could be a sign of mild dehydration so grab some water before you start popping any pills!
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