We’ve all heard that we’re supposed to drink 8 cups of water per day. This guideline lacks context and specificity to account for many different factors such as your body composition, your activity level, the time of year, what you eat, and how much you sweat.
How much water you should be drinking?
At Body + Soul Fitness we take a custom approach to your health. Our first step is to figure out how much water you should be drinking. As a general guideline you want to drink at least half an ounce of water per pound of body weight each day. For example, if you weigh 200 pounds you should drink at least 100 ounces of water each day…Or about 3 litres.
If you use the generic 8 cup guideline, you will have only consumed 2 litres of water, and would therefore be short 1 litre of water each day.
Keep in mind this is the minimum we’d like to see you drink and you may need more based on your level of activity for the day. For example on a day that you exercise and sweat a lot, you will need more water compared to a day that you don’t exercise.
A hot day in the summer, or a dry day in the winter will also change your hydration needs.
You can see how your water consumption will vary based on many factors.
Drinking this amount will be a big jump for a lot of you. I have worked with many clients that drink very little water and get shocked when they see how much they should actually be drinking.
Common concerns I hear about consuming this much water are “I’ll be in the bathroom all day, no way I can drink that much, and that I will float away”. The truth is going from half a litre to 2 or 3 litres is a big jump.
Gradually Increase your water intake
What I recommend is to increase your water intake gradually over 1-2 weeks, depending how far off you are. Look to increase your consumption by 1 cup every other day. This gradual change will make it easier for proper hydration to be a part of your healthy lifestyle.
If it takes a little longer, no problem, as long as you are progressing and working towards your hydration goal.
Another common question I get is whether other fluids count toward your hydration goal. This a great question, but I take a fairly hard line with this to keep you on track. Your water goal relates to water, not juice, not tea, not coffee, and not anything else. Yes, some of those things can help hydrate you, but the focus needs to be on water.
Some of these drinks can actually dehydrate you. A lot people start their day with coffee. It’s not that coffee is bad, however you’re just losing out on the opportunity to drink water which does a better job of hydrating you.
Later, we’ll talk about what you can add to your water to make it taste better and hydrate you more effectively.
What I’d like you to do now is calculate how much water you should consume every day. Use the hydration calculator we have provided for you on this page to determine your daily water requiremen
Chris Munro
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Join personal trainer Chris Munro in this 8-part hydration series where he discusses all things H20. From goal setting, hydration tips and tricks to myth busting, Chris deep dives into the importance of staying hydrated and how it will positively affect your health and fitness journey.
Chris busts the 8 cups of water per day guideline and explores how much water you should be drinking on a daily basis.
Explore the importance of drinking steadily throughout your day to avoid chugging water. Chris will give you tips and tricks to drink water on a consistent basis to reach your daily water goals.
Does drinking filtered water really make much of a difference? Chris details some of the unwanted contaminants that exist in tap water and why filtered water is better for your digestion and health.
What are electrolytes and why are they important? Chris discusses how having proper electrolyte levels is critical to hydration. He also explores, among other things, how to add the optimal level of salt into your everyday diet.
Don’t like the taste of water? Discover a variety of ways to improve the taste of your water without sacrificing the health benefits of H2O.
Chris explores how exercise affects hydration, and vice versa. He explains the importance of staying hydrated while exercising, and various tips to follow to ensure your body retains enough water before, after and during a workout.
The final video in the hydration series. Chris concludes with a few motivating thoughts and tips to continue to progress your hydration journey!