The amount of water that you need depends on your age, gender, general health, climatic conditions, clothing worn and exercise intensity and duration.
If you are an individual who perspires heavily, you will need to drink more than someone who hardly perspires at all. Some people break out a sweat just sitting around in a warm day while others never sweat a drop even when exercising. If you are not sweating during vigorous physical activity though, it could be a sign that you are totally dehydrated and nearing heat exhaustion, which can be very dangerous.
If you have a medical condition such as diabetes or a heart disease, you definitely need to drink more water, as do individuals suffering from cystic fibrosis, as they have high concentrations of sodium in their sweat so have to be very cautious of becoming dehydrated. Some medications can also act as diuretics, which means that they cause the body to lose more fluids.
While thirst is the first indication of dehydration for most people, it is not good to wait until you are thirsty or your mouth is dry before drinking water, as by that time you are already between 2-3% dehydrated and it is already affecting various bodily functions. Rather try to drink water regularly throughout the day, even if you are drinking other liquids.
The best way to tell if you are fully hydrated or not is to check the colour of your urine; a light kind of straw-coloured urine is perfect – the darker your urine is the more dehydrated you are and the quicker you need to rehydrate by drinking more water.
The best way to stay hydrated is to invest in a water cooler so that you have 24/7 access to pure filtered drinking water and therefore no excuse not to drink what your body requires for good health.
You can also ensure that you get liquids in other ways, such as by eating fruit and vegetables that have a high water-content, like iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, oranges, berries, cucumbers, watermelons, and the like.
Hire water coolers and buy water dispensers online from Living-Water. Get bottled water coolers and mains fed water coolers in London.
