Health: Recommended Daily Water Intake

The recommended amount of water you should drink daily is a topic at the center of many heated debates. Many people claim there is an one-size-fits-all prescription to how much water you should drink every day. The most common water prescription says that you should drink 8 glasses per day. However, this statement is entirely false.

The optimal daily water intake is highly individualized and is different for each person. Why? Because various internal and external factors play a role in determining the amount of water you should drink.

7 Factors That Determine Your Daily Water Intake

• Climate
• Altitude
• If you are a woman and are nursing
• If you are sick, have the flu, or healing from any other illness
• How active you are during the day
• Your body-fat percentage
• Your weight

A Better Daily Water Intake Prescription

“Half your body weight in ounces of water” is a good baseline prescription for the amount of water you should drink daily. For example, for a person who weighs 200 pounds, he or she would divide by two. This equals 100. Therefore, for a 200-pound person, the starting point or baseline prescription for water is 100 ounces per day. 

However, please keep in mind this is just a starting point, as you must add in other factors. For example, if you are a bicyclist or avid runner, then you should drink more water. So, start with the baseline prescription. Then listen to your body and increase your daily intake based on what you are feeling. This is the most solid prescription that you can get without going to see a hydration specialist.

Important Health Reasons for Proper Hydration

It is important to maintain an exceptional hydration status for many reasons, including, but certainly not limited to:

• Toxin Removal
• Increased Energy Levels
• Mood Improvement

Other liquids such as tea, coffee, juices and the like do not factor into your hydration status. Only water by itself factors into your hydration status.

Achieving Good Hydration

Do not beat yourself up if you fail to drink 100 ounces of water every day. Just try your hardest. And do your best while remaining aware that what one person may need to stay healthy may be entirely different than what you need. Start at the baseline prescription of drinking half your body weight in ounces. And then listen to your body from there. It will always tell you what you need. 

Article shared from morellifit.com