I've been doing a lot of research lately on what amount of water you should actually be consuming per day and the result was a lot higher than I originally though; I figure I'll share what I've worked out to be a pretty good formula.
- Body Weight * 0.50 = Base number of ounces to drink daily
- Add 10oz per 20 minutes of exercise
- Add 10oz per 500mg sodium consumed above 1000mg
- Add 15oz if living in hot, humid climate
- Add equal amount of water to alcohol drank
I used to think drinking 2L - 3L a day was very good, but following the above, on a non-alcoholic, average day I drink around 5L - 6L now. It's true food also contains some water, but I ignore that, preferring to have a little extra buffer.
So, forget the old "8 glasses a day" (unless that's what it actually comes out to based on the above for you) and follow the above; you'll drop fat, feel better and have better blood flow (
) - you'll know you are on the right track if your urine is almost crystal clear color.