You know that question has been kicked around a lot. Books and advertising has pushed 8 ounces of water 8 times a day as the ‘right’ amount to drink. But this does not take into account the size of the person or their activity level. More importantly it does not take into account the individual’s sweat rate. It’s all about balance – at the cellular level. Your blood is 83% water, muscles are 75% water, your brain is 74% water, and your bone are 22% water. Also 2/3 of our body weight is water. All of this water is needed by our bodies, and a 1% loss of our body weight due to fluid loss can cause dehydration which can lead to serious medical complications. As a general rule of thumb (some say), your body will let you know when it’s thirsty. However, in my opinion once you get the urge to drink then you may already be into slight dehydration. Do not wait until you feel thirsty, just sip on water as needed throughout the day. Divide your bodyweight (lbs) by 2, and that will give you the minimum amount of (pure water only) ounces you need to drink each day.
