While most of us know that we need to drink water regularly in order to keep our bodies hydrated and functioning optimally, very few people actually know exactly how much water they should be drinking on a daily basis.
For many years all we heard about was the 8×8 rule, which was “you need to drink 8 x ounce glasses of water every day. This theory was disproved when it was discovered that the doctor who wrote that was actually misunderstood.
So how much water should you be drinking daily? Well, this really depends on your own particular circumstances such as your age, gender, general state of health, amount of physicality, and even where you live.
It is important that you drink more water when it is hot or when you are undertaking anything physical, such as sports, physical labour, going on a long hike, or even just playing around or spending time in the sun around the pool or at the beach.
Make sure that when you go out for a run or a picnic, or even a day at the beach, you drink water before you leave and also take sufficient fresh drinking water with. If you are partying, remember that alcohol is a diuretic, which means that it increases the flow of urine, which causes the body to get rid of more water, thereby dehydrating you.
In addition to drinking a few large glasses of water per day, you can also get some of your daily water requirement via fruits and vegetables such as melons, berries, lettuce, cucumber, spinach, celery, apples and oranges; some of which are in excess of 80% water by weight.
Other foods that contain a lot of water include reduced-fat dairy products, such as yogurt and cottage cheese, soups, skinless chicken and turkey breast, fish, shellfish, lean beef and tofu.
Remember though that you should only get around 20% of your daily water intake from these sources; the majority should come from drinking water, preferably pure, toxin-free water from a water cooler fitted with a good filter.
