Water is one of the most important parts of a healthy lifestyle. I'm glad that water is my favorite drink, it makes it easy to have enough each day.
The rule of thumb most of us have heard for years is to drink eight 8oz glasses of water a day, but...
How much water do you need?
Every day you lose water through your breath, perspiration, urine and bowel movements. For your body to function properly, you must replenish its water supply by consuming beverages and foods that contain water.
Several approaches attempt to approximate water needs for the average, healthy adult living in a temperate climate.
Replacement approach. The average urine output for adults is about 1.5 liters (6.3 cups) a day. You lose close to an additional liter of water a day through breathing, sweating and bowel movements. Food usually accounts for 20 percent of your total fluid intake, so if you consume 2 liters of water or other beverages a day (a little more than 8 cups) along with your normal diet, you will typically replace the lost fluids.
Eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day. Another approach to water intake is the "8 x 8 rule" — drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day (about 1.9 liters). The rule could also be stated, "drink eight 8-ounce glasses of fluid a day," as all fluids count toward the daily total. Though the approach isn't supported by scientific evidence, many people use this basic rule as a guideline for how much water and other fluids to drink.
Dietary recommendations. The Institute of Medicine advises that men consume roughly 3 liters (about 13 cups) of total beverages a day and women consume 2.2 liters (about 9 cups) of total beverages a day.
Even apart from the above approaches, if you drink enough fluid so that you rarely feel thirsty and produce 1.5 liters (6.3 cups) or more of colorless or slightly yellow urine a day, your fluid intake is probably adequate.
From Mayoclinic.com - Water: How much should you drink every day?
Did you know that if you add a few slices of cucumber to your water that you get a very refreshing drink? If drinking enough water is difficult for you, this is one way to add a hint of flavor.
You can also grow fresh mint (applemint is my favorite) and add a few springs to a pitcher of water for a cool thirst-quencher.
Other ideas include a few slices of lemon and/or lime, orange, some sliced strawberries, crushed cranberries, even some gently crushed blackberries. Water doesn't have to be boring!
And if you're craving the crisp crackle of carbonation (heh, I love alliteration) try sparkling mineral water. You can use plain sparkling mineral water and add any of the above to make a delicious cool summer drink - even dress it up with one of those cute little cocktail umbrellas - or buy the fruit-flavored sparkling mineral water and enjoy. Be sure to refrigerate it, serving it ice-cold is best.
~ His Sweet Gypsy Rose
You are lucky if you don't struggle with drinking enough. For me it takes me 2-3 hours in the morning to finish a 12 oz Starbucks espresso-based drink. After that I make myself drink a glass of water, and the glasses at my work are probably 16 ozs. If work is not over by then I will either have another flavored drink, or possible more water. When I get home I fill a big coffee mug with water, and usually I can get through one of those in a night. I also have a small coffee mug of fat free milk with dinner most the time. For me that is all I naturally drink in a day unless I decided to be very focused on getting liquid down. :/
ReplyDeleteIt amazes me that some people can drink a can of soda in 5 minutes, where as those 5 minute soda people are amazed at how little I drink in a day.