The body requires the amount of water necessary varies by weight, age, and other factors. How much water do you need to stay healthy? While your size plays an important role, your activity level also affects your intake. If you’re out in the hot sun, you’ll need more water than if you’re sitting in an air-conditioned room. How do you decide how much you need? You have to start with a baseline.
Establish your baseline first.
You’ve probably heard that drinking eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day is enough. That’s an oversimplification. Sex, weight, and age determine how much you need. Men should drink more fluid per day than women. That fluid can come from any type of drink or food, such as watermelon. Men need as much as 15.5 cups a day, while women need approximately 11.5 cups. Most people get 20% of their water from food, which in the case of the average man, would be about 4.5 cups. Weight also plays a role.
Take half to 2/3 of your weight in pounds to find out how much water you need.
Just convert the number of pounds to ounces per day of water. If you weigh 150 pounds and are female, you’d need 75 ounces of water daily if you’re inactive. If you’re more active or older you need more fluid, so use 2/3 of your body weight, or 100 ounces. Add more fluid when you perspire more, whether it’s caused by the heat or sweating from exercise. If you live at a higher elevation, your body also requires more fluid.
Your body is mostly water.
Newborns’ bodies are almost 75% water. As you age, the body’s percentage of water diminishes. The more fatty tissues you have, the less fluid you have, since fatty tissues contain less fluid than lean muscle mass. Older people have less fluid and also dehydrate quicker. Since the brain is 70% fluid, dehydration is often mistaken for dementia in older people. No matter what your age, even mild dehydration can make you sleepy and mentally ineffective. Drink a glass of water if you want a mental lift that picks you up without making you jittery.
- You can drink too much water at one time causes hyponatremia. It’s based on the amount consumed in an hour. The amount varies, but it’s upward of more than four to five cups an hour.
- The easiest way to determine if you need more fluid is by checking your urine. The darker it is, the more dehydrated you are. If it’s clear, you’ve consumed too much water.
- Vomiting, fever, or diarrhea increases the amount of water you need. Pregnant and lactating women also require more water daily. Exposure to heat also increases the need for more fluid.
- Drinking a glass of water before a meal can help you lose weight. It can make you feel full quicker, so you eat less. Drinking more water can help prevent kidney stones and help lubricate aching joints.
For more information, contact us today at Next Level Fitness