Are you drinking enough water?

Water is so essential to your health that not drinking enough can mean not achieving your fitness goals. Learn how much water you should be drinking to get and stay fit.

By Ensure Fitness staff

We all know that drinking water is an important part of a healthy lifestyle but for many years there has been conflicting reports of how much water you should drink per day. Studies have shown various quantities of water per day to be the optimal amounts. Truthfully, the amount of water you should drink per day depends on several key factors such as your current health status, your activity level, and even where you live.

Contrary to popular belief, thirst is not the only indicator that your body is not getting enough water. Using either of the two methods described below, you can be sure that you are getting your daily recommended hydration to stay fit and healthy.

Why is water so essential to fitness?

About 70% of your body is made up of water making it the most abundant portion of your total body mass. At about eight pounds per gallon, it is also the biggest contributor to your weight. Every part and system of your body uses water in one way or another from using it to remove toxins from your body to using it to create moist tissue around your nose and ears.

Lack of water eventually leads to dehydration. Unless you hydrate regularly, the organs and body parts that rely on water to carry out their normal functions will stop working and eventually lead to death. The early stages of dehydration carry with them symptoms such as sluggishness, a lack of energy, and even decreased mental capacity.

How much water should you drink per day?

Your body loses water every day through natural processes and needs to be replaced on a regular basis. Breathing, sweating, and urinating are all ways your body loses water. Water is replaced in your body through the things you drink and eat throughout the day. There are several theories about how to replace water lost through natural body processes but there are two that work for most people.

The first is the “eight glasses per day” method of water replacement that has been around for decades. The question is, “how much water is in a glass?” A “glass” of water is really just one cup of water; the kind of cup you use while baking. One cup of water provides eight ounces of fluid so eight cups provides sixty-four ounces of water per day. That’s about one-half gallon of water per day. Remember, though, that not all sixty-four ounces need to come from drinking water. You also replenish your body’s water through all the foods and beverages you consume in a day. About 18% to 22% of your body’s hydration comes from food.

Another way to ensure proper water replenishment is the “replacement” method. The replacement method is more of an experiential approach than one that applies raw numbers like the “eight glasses per day” method. With the replacement method, you simply take in the amount of water you need to stay healthy.

The average adult produces between one and two liters of urine per day. Most adults also use about one liter of water to carry out bodily processes. If you produce a regular amount of clear to nearly-clear urine per day, you are likely drinking enough water. Of course, certain medical conditions such as diabetes can alter what is a healthy amount of water to drink per day so consult your doctor about any special hydration needs you may have.

What factors affect how much water is healthy?

Several factors affect how much water you should be drinking but the most important are your health status, activity level, and location. Many health conditions can alter the amount of water you should consume per day. Again, consult with your doctor concerning your specific daily water needs.

Activity level is an important factor in determining your healthy water intake. As stated above, breathing and sweating are two of the major ways you lose water throughout your day. If you engage in moderate to heavy activity levels because of your job or an exercise program, your water needs are higher than if you engage in light activity levels throughout your day.

Your environment also affects how much water you should drink per day. If you live in an area that routinely gets very hot or very dry for significant periods of time, you should be drinking more water to compensate for the extra loss of water. Also, if you work for long periods of time in either of these environments such as in a factory or in a kitchen, you may need more water to stay healthy.

How to drink enough water per day

Gulping down your daily water needs at one time is not a healthy way to get your recommended daily hydration. Your water consumption should start when you wake up in the morning and continue in small quantities throughout the day. If you exercise regularly, try to drink several cups of water about one to two hours before your workout and continue to sip room-temperature water throughout your exercise time. This way you are replenishing your body with water slowly and naturally giving your body enough time to process the water you are taking in.

Water is such an important part of a healthy lifestyle that drinking the right amount can help with weight control, healthy bowel movements, and even avoidance of decreased mental capacity. Drinking enough water is one of the simplest things you can do to start and stay on the road to health living.