How much water should you drink a day?
People often hear that they should drink at least eight glasses of water a day. However, this is not true, the amount of water you should drink can vary depending on your age, activity level, time of the year and more.
There are a lot of formulas online on how much water you need. But no single formula fits everyone. Knowing your body's need for fluids will help you estimate how much water to drink daily.
The body constantly loses water throughout the day, mostly through urine and sweat but also from regular body functions like breathing. To prevent dehydration, you need to get plenty of water. Now notice I say water, not liquids, but water. A lot of people think they can live on orange juice, diet coke, tea, coffee, etc. But when we feel thirsty, our bodies are thirsty for WATER! Not for diet coke, not for cappuccino but WATER! That’s the best drink for your body. Period.
How much water you need also depends on these factors:
The temperature or season. You will need more water in hot, humid, or dry days. And a little bit less in the winter months. You’ll also need more water if you live in the mountains or at a high altitude.
Your diet. If you drink a lot of coffee and other caffeinated drinks, you might lose more water because you pee more often. You will likely also need to drink more water if your diet is high in salty, spicy, or sugary foods.
How active you are. If you are active during the day and you walk or move a lot, you’ll need more water than someone who’s sitting at a desk. If you exercise or do any intense activity, you will need to drink more to cover water loss.
Many studies support the fact that not drinking enough water affects your energy levels. You start to feel sluggish, and brain function starts to suffer.
Drinking enough water also helps you control your weight because it’s easy for the body to confuse thirst for hunger.
So how do you know how much water you should drink? Relying on the feeling of thirst is not enough. Since at times when we are busy, we can neglect that feeling and not drink water for hours. Using your urine colour as your guide is more helpful in knowing if you’re drinking enough water.
Aim for very light yellow, not completely pale, clear urine. If your urine is dark orange you definitely need to drink more water. But bear in mind that there are supplements that will make your urine darker colour!
To prevent dehydration and make sure your body has the water it needs, be sure that water is your drink of choice. It's a good idea to drink a glass of water:
30 min before meal and 2-3 glasses between meals
Before, during and after exercise
If you feel thirsty