Hydrating your body is the most important thing you can do when the weather heats up.
Most people undervalue the importance water plays in their overall health. From clearing skin to alleviating headaches, helping with weight loss and aiding in digestion, just increasing your water consumption can save you money on a lot of other medical bills down the road.
If your pee is light enough you can barely notice it in the bowl, you’re doing a good job. But if you’re leaving behind a bowl full of what could be described as Chernobyl yellow, you might want to make adjustments.
So how much water is enough?
Just like calorie intake, that answer depends on the individual.
The old adage said you should drink 8 glasses of water every day, but experts are beginning to cater their advice more to the individual.
The Mayo Clinic says men should drink about 13 cups (3 liters) of water per day, while women should shoot for about 9 (2.2 liters). To get a little more specific though, consider your body weight.
Here’s how in two easy steps:
STEP 1: Take your body weight (in pounds) and divide that by 2.
STEP 2: This number is how many ounces of water you should drink in a day. (Take that number and divide by 8 to see how many cups of water you should be drinking.)
For example, if you weigh 140 pounds, you should drink 70 ounces of water every day, or about 8.75 cups of water.
Special consideration
Of course, if you’re working out regularly, you will require more water than someone more sedentary. The American College of Sports Medicine suggests adding 12 ounces (1.5 cups) of water to your total intake for every half hour you’re exerting yourself at the gym.
Diet also plays a roll. If you’re eating lots of soups or foods high in sodium, you’ll want to add more water to your diet. But overall, try to stay away from too many of these types of days. Water can’t simply wash away the excess sodium, and you could be stuck with high blood pressure or other cardiovascular problems related to high sodium diets.
(h/t Dr. Oz)
