How Much Water Do I Need to Drink

Knowing how much water I need to drink in a day is vital for the body to function at it’s very best.

As our bodies are made up of around 60% of our bodies composition it is quite clear that we need water for our bodies to survive, perform and repair.

Drinking Water benefits;

• Skin condition
• Athletic performance
• protects the bowel from bacteria and cancer
• Aids weight loss and management

I list only a few benefits but as you can see it is vital.

But the real question is, are we drinking enough water?

Are You Drinking Enough Water?

I need to point out that there is no definitive answer to how much water our bodies need each day. There are so many factors to consider.

Our diets and varying activity levels play a huge part in the consumption of water in our diet.

• Sugar
• Salt
• Caffeine
• Alcohol levels

All influence fluid balance in some way. Even food contributes somewhat to overall cellular hydration levels.

There are other additional factors that may change the levels of water needed include:

• environmental temperature
• amount of lean muscle mass
• intensity and type of exercise

All of these factors must be considered when determining the hydration needs of any individual. Several different health professionals recommend that water intake should be guided by drinking half of the body weight in pounds in fluid ounces of water e.g.

a 150lb person should drink 75 fluid ounces of water.

This system is only intended to provide a basic guideline, but at least provides a starting point.

The table below provides a summary of suggested water intakes for different body weights.