Are you properly hydrated?
How Much Water Do you need to Drink and When?
This is an interesting blog post for me. I still remember the first time that I shadowed a chiropractor in Buffalo NY before I attended Chiropractic college. He said to me…If you remember one thing from today…remember the importance of your future patients drinking at least 1/2 their body weight in fluid ounces a day.
To better determine how much water you need each day, divide your body weight in half. The answer is the number of water ounces you should drink daily. You should drink half of your body weight in fluid ounces. If you weight 200 pounds, you should consume around 100 ounces water (3.13 quarts, 2.98 liters or about 10-12 cups of water a day). If you weigh closer to 100 pounds you will need only about 50 ounces of water or about four 12-ounce glasses daily.
Individuals who are physically active or live in hot climates may need to drink more.
WHAT SHOULD WE DRINK? WHAT SHOULDN’T WE DRINK?
We are designed to drink pure, natural water.
Avoid sodas/soft drinks to provide your fluid needs. The high sugar content and artificial flavors in soft drinks are not good.
Tea, coffee, and soft drinks contain water, but the diuretics contained in these caffeinated beverages flush water out of your body. Don’t count on them to replenish fluid loss.
It is OK to drink them occasionally, but if you drink them constantly and don’t drink enough pure natural water, then you are severely compromising your long-term health.
Natural pure water is the best choice. If you are committed to a healthy lifestyle and long-term health, make water a habit and a priority in your life.
I personally believe you should carry around a large bottle(preferably metal to avoid toxins in plastic) so that you have access to water all day. I also believe it’s important to have some water before bed (not too much for obvious reasons) and also as soon as you wake up. I believe we need the water in our system during sleep as well as as soon as we get up and moving.