I've been researching a little bit about how much water we should drink. Recently they had something posted at Curves and I wanted to see what other people had to say about it. I found this article that a nutritionist had written, and it says exactly what they had posted at Curves. I wanted to make sure that I wasn't drinking too much, so this helped put me at ease. For my weight, I should be drinking 13 1/2 to 15 1/2 cups a day, depending on if I've worked out, and also my caffeine intake.
How Much Water do we Need to Drink?
A good estimate is to take your body weight in pounds and divide that number in half. That gives you the number of ounces of water per day that you need to drink. For example, if you weigh 160 pounds, you should drink at least 80 ounces of water per day. If you exercise you should drink another 8 ounce glass of water for every 20 minutes you are active. If you drink coffee or alcohol, you should drink at least an equal amount of water. When you are traveling on an airplane, it is good to drink 8 ounces of water for every hour you are on board the plane. If you live in an arid climate, you should add another 2 servings per day. As you can see, your daily need for water can add up to quite a lot. The best source of water is plain, pure drinking water. Sodas have a lot of sugar in them and aren't a good source, so if you drink them, they don't count towards your daily amount. Herbal teas that aren't diuretic are fine. Sports drinks contain electrolytes and may be beneficial, just look out for added sugar and calories that you don't need.
5 comments:
**groan**
I thought I was doing so GOOD with 9 glasses a day!!!Apparently I need to be drinking... what's 105 divided by 8? That many cups. (105 oz.) I currently drink 72. And I already pee all. day. long.
I also don't count anything for exercise, but I've stopped drinking soda and coffee.
I'm so impressed by your water drinking, Kristina!! HOW DO YOU DO IT without being in the bathroom all day???
If you live in a wet environment does that mean you can cut back?
You ARE doing great Paige. :) Especially if you weren't a big water drinker before. That's really good that you could cut out soda and coffee. I don't think I could ever give up my coffee. Soda wasn't too tough for me though.
And, BTW, I AM in the bathroom all day. But I figured that it is worth the inconvenience if it means that I'll be healthier, and can shed the pounds a little more easily.
And Elicia, you goofy girl. The answer would be... maybe?
Elicia,
A serious response: I would think that you would need to drink just as much as if you live somewhere arid. With high humidity, your sweat doesn't evaporate which means that your body cooling mechanism isn't working at its peak efficiency. Which would lead you to sweat more to cool you further. So you would need more water.
Of course, this may only be necessary where it's hot and humid (Texas) not necessarily where its cool and humid where you lucky northeasterners live!
But I can tell you that around here in the summer, dehydration can be a HUGE problem!
That was a great and informative article Kristina! Thanks! I have heard the "half your body weight in ounces". My minimum goal is 10 glasses a day and anything else is bonus. I do find I drink more on the days I work out. I also find, that if I have goofed up and had too much sugar, thus causing me to be puffed up with water weight, I find the MORE I drink, the faster that excess water weight returns to normal. Kind of like a body "flush".
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