It's YOUR Body

How Much Water Is Enough?

The standard advice we read everywhere says 8 glasses (64oz) of water every day. 

That's the best advice anyone can give you to start with.  How much YOUR body needs may be different.

It's up to YOU to pay attention to YOUR body and do some analysis to see if you need more, or even less.

In fact, how much YOUR body needs is probably different from one day to the next, and even from one period of the day to another. The difference might be as easy as adding or subtracting a few ounces, but paying attention can have big benefits.

Too little water makes you dehydrated, often causing weakness, dizzyness, and fatigue.

Exercise and hot climate both require more fluids. So does eating something salty or dry. We need the fluids to help regulate body temperature, and to flush away waste and excess. Without an adequate amount, we suffer.

Too much water can cause an upset in the balance of electrolytes, and bring muscle spasms among other things. Most people don't drink enough water to cause this condition, but it does happen.

When a certain fad diet was popular thirty years ago, one suggestion was to drink 8-oz of water ten minutes before every meal in order to make the stomach "feel full" and reduce the desire to eat. That advice landed my mom and a few others in the doctor's office with a multitude of uncomfortable symptoms.

So how can you determine the right quantiy for YOUR body?

Your first and most significant signal is the color of your urine. This assumes your kidneys are functioning properly and there is no infection, in which case you should see your doctor.

The first urine after sleeping is concentrated and more yellow. That's normal.

But throughout the rest of your day, the urine should be mostly colorless and odorless. If it resembles the color of lemonade, you're probably doing fine. If it resembles the color of apple juice, you likely need more water. If you're going to exercise, or be out in the heat, be sure to take water with you and take sips at reasonable intervals to replace what you're losing.

If you don't pay attention to urine color, the next signal might be a sensation of thirst. Please note: by the time you "feel" thirsty, your body is already in a state of dehydration. The goal is to take in enough water, spaced over time, so you don't get to that point.

Do you keep track?   For most of us, it's a challenge to get "enough", day after day.   And sometimes it's just hard to keep track. 

I bought an inexpensive gallon-size plastic pitcher to use as my "tool".  Every morning when I get up, I fill the pitcher for that day.  The goal is for it to be empty by the time I'm ready for bed, and then I wash it out with soap and hot water to make sure no algae or bacteria are growing inside when I refill it the next morning.

Cold or not?   Some days I leave it on the counter because I drink more when I see it.  Instead of a few sips, I'll drink half a glass at room temperature as I pass by. But no more than that, because I've learned that more than 4oz at once makes me feel sloshy. That's MY limit. It's YOUR job to figure out the limit for YOUR body.

Some days the room temperature drink just doesn't taste good.  When I can, I add ice.  Otherwise I put the pitcher in the refrigerator, and then have to be careful not to forget what it's for. 

Out of sight, out of mind.  When I put the pitcher in the refrigerator, I set a little bell timer to ring and get my attention at least once an hour.

To Flavor or not? Two of our members report they add a non-fat, no-calorie, powdered mix of their favorite flavor into a bottle of water because they drink more water that way.

The idea is good, but if you're on a "low sodium" diet please make sure you count the sodium being added. The same is true for the bottled water drinks that come in many enticing flavors. Check to see if they're adding sodium to your day.

And there are other ways to add flavor and break up the monotony, too. Try a slice of fresh lemon in your glass. That adds vitamin C as well as a bit of thirst-quenching flavor.

Another favorite is to add a an ounce of Diet Cranberry Juice before you fill an 8oz glass of water. Ocean Spray bottles a variety that contains only 2 grams of Carbs in a 10oz bottle. They also make a variety called Light Cranberry Juice, which contains 12 grams carb per 10oz bottle, but also contains 80mg Potassium.

(continue here -- How Much Exercise Is Too Much?)

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