Alright, so you are convinced now that water is a miracle potion, and people
absolutely must get enough. Unfortunately, it’s very hard to determine how much
water you should be getting.
If you truly lead a sedentary lifestyle (you’re bedridden or have severely
impaired movement), your body probably doesn’t need 8 glasses a day, 6 could do
it. But if you move at any point throughout the day, you need 8 eight-ounce
glasses or more. That’s right, more.
You lose water constantly all day long, and the human body does not possess
the ability to produce its own water supply. Therefore, you must replace the
water. You lose water sweating (you may not notice this), exhaling, urinating,
and bowel movements. It isn’t enough to simply drink when you are thirsty; by the
time you feel the sensation of thirst, you are already dehydrated. 8
eight-ounce glasses a day is a good baseline for women, 9 eight-ounce glasses
for men.
Other factors also determine your water needs: temperature of environment
(the warmer it is, the more fluid you need), activity level, illness, and
pregnancy are just a few. If you are overweight, you need an extra glass per
extra 25 pounds of weight. Bigger people (men, some women) need more water than
a smaller people (women, children, some men).
If you exercise, you need to increase your water intake. A good way to
figure out how much to consume is to weight yourself before and after your
workout. If you weigh less at the end of your workout than you did at the
beginning, you’ve lost water weight. Drink enough extra water during the
workout so that your weight remains stable.
You could also use an online hydration calculator like the one at the end of
this article