Water: What You Need to Know
Glass of Water
Three main reasons why you may not be drinking enough water might include that you think you are getting enough water because you are rarely thirsty, it is inconvenient for you to drink the amount of water you need (and would like to drink), you don’t like the taste of water. There might be others and we’ll help you overcome them in a minute.
Why Do I Need to Drink Water?
The body is largely composed of water. In fact, it is estimated that 60% of your weight comes from water.1 Here is a Total Water Body Calculator you can use to determine your approximate water content. Depending on the context and the source, it is believe between 60% – 70%2 of your body is water.
Without water, you would die. In fact, water (not oxygen) is the one thing that ALL living organisms (from single-celled bacteria to the largest animal that has ever existed) require for life.
The problem, however, is that your body is constantly using and getting rid of the water! The water isn’t a part of you, rather it is a tool that your body utilizes in almost all processes because of the chemical properties of the water molecule. The body uses water to warm up cold air that is breathed in, it uses water for digesting food in the lower gi tract, it uses it to transport nutrients through the body and toxic waste out of the body (urine, feces, exhale, sweat), it uses it to moisten mucus layer on epithelial cells, and on and on. The uses of water in the body are ENDLESS. It is essential that you stay well hydrated.
How Much Water Should I Drink?
This is a VERY complicated question. Well, the question itself is straight forward the answer is what is not so straight forward. Knowing that most people want straightforward and easy to manage answers and suggestions, many experts recommend 2 liters (eight 8oz glasses per day, throughout the day) for an adult. But it just isn’t that simple. Do you think a woman who weighs 115 pounds (~52.3kg) needs the same 2 liters that a man who weighs 200 pounds (~91kg) needs? Of course not! It’s ridiculous to think this way, right? What if you are pregnant? What if you do regular exercise? And so on…
Where did the recommendation for 2 liters come from?
Simple. Liquid constantly circulates through the kidney. The liquid is mainly composed of water and ions (like sodium and potassium). Most of this liquid is reabsorbed back into the blood. It is believed that IN A PROPERLY HYDRATED PERSON, about 2 liters of water is lost through urine because it was not reabsorbed. The easiest thing to tell the public is to replace these two liters.
What about the other ways that your body gets rid of water? We mentioned some of them earlier: feces, exhale, sweat. It is believed that up to a liter of water can be exhaled in a non active person.3 That’s up to three liters of water lost per day by normal physiology (urine and breathing)!
This is precisely why the Institute of Medicine in the United States recommends that men drink about 3 liters of water while women drink 2.2 liters of water per day.1 Certain weightlifting sites recommend upwards of a gallon (4 liters) of water per day when you lift regularly because water is essential for repairing and building (synthesizing) muscle. Please remember that everyone has a different requirement.
To help decipher the message, sites like About.com have created calculators which determine how much water you need. The hydration calculator on About.com calculates the amount of water you need by asking you 9 simple questions: How much do you weigh? How many minutes of exercise? Are you pregnant? Are you breastfeeding? Are you at a high altitude? Are you in a dry climate? How many alcoholic drinks will you drink? Is the weather extremely hot or extremely cold? Do you have a fever or diarrhea?
These are excellent questions for determining the amount of water you should drink. Here is a our recommendation for determining how much water you should drink:
- Weigh yourself in kilograms (1kg = 2.2 pounds) and drink that many ounces per day. If you weigh yourself in pounds, divide the measure by 2.2. Sip the water throughout the day. What follow is in addition to this.
- Drink a liter of water for every hour of exercise that you do. Count exercise as any non-interrupted session of at least 20 minutes. It is important to sip the liter throughout the workout. If you walk for half hour per day, drink half a liter per day extra.
- Drink a liter of water for every serving of coffee. Caffeine is a very powerful diuretic. It prevents re-absorption of sodium and water back into the blood. If you are properly hydrated, you can lose up to a liter of water per cup of coffee. Careful: caffeine also present in sodas and most teas. It is important that this water is replaced.
If you follow the above suggestions and urinate at least 2 liters of of clear urine (if it’s yellow consistently, you need to increase the amount of water you drink) per day and you do not feel thirsty at any time during the day, you are probably well hydrated.
Waiting until you are thirsty to drink water is too late. By that time your body is already dehydrated. Many times, the first sign that your body needs water is a slight sense of hunger. Water is present in most of our foods so the body asks for it as it does any other nutrients. Your body is constantly getting rid of water. Take small sips (like taking bites from a meal) all throughout the day to replenish the water being lost.
How can I Drink that Much Water?
If you are not used to drinking the amount of water you are supposed to drink according to our recommendation, the amount recommend by About.com’s calculator, or the 2 – 3 liters recommended by other experts, it might seem impossible to drink this much water. It’s not. It just takes a little getting used to the routine.
Here’s what we suggest:
- Start early. Get a tall glass of water sip through it before jumping into the shower. Many people dislike the taste of water in the morning… Add a lemon.
- Buy a refillable plastic bottle with a filer (or one without) or a box of disposable water bottles and take them with you. You should avoid drinking unfiltered tap water at all costs.
Keep a gallon of water at your desk. - Continuously sip throughout the day, except 20 minutes before a meal and two hours after a meal. Drinking water during meals will dilute stomach acids.
Important Things to Consider (Warnings)
Talk to your doctor if you are currently taking a prescribed diuretic or have any form of kidney or urinary disease before changing the amount of water you drink. While most people could benefit from drinking more water, it may aggravate some medical conditions.
It is important to maintain a good electrolyte balance in your blood. This will make sure that water stays in the places it is supposed to and you do not suffer from thin blood or swelling of the brain. You have to drink a lot of water in a very short period of time for this to occur, but it’s best to be safe. Eat a balanced diet that is high in fiber and essential minerals. A multimineral supplement can help maintain optimal electrolyte (minerals such as sodium and potassium) levels.
Many people stop drinking water because of water retention. Continue to drink water and reduce the amount of salt in your diet. Water accumulation occurs when the body is dehydrated and it believes that it needs to store water in a safe place. So it extract as much water as possible from organs like the intestine and puts it in near organs that need it, like the skin.
Further Recommendations
All water should be at room temperature or warmer. A cold environment will decrease the function of many processes. The body will have to spend a lot of energy on warming the water up so it is at normal body temperature.
Contact us for information about an electrolyte drink mix that was clinically proven (double-blind placebo) to help hydration and endurance during exercise.
Eat more fruits and vegetables. Although we do not recommend that you consider these are water intake, fruits and vegetables are mostly composed of water and can offer hydration benefits when you are unable to drink enough water at times.
You can purchase a water bottle with a filter
References:
[1] Mayo Clinic Staff. “Water: How much should you drink every day?”. Nutrition and Healthy Eating. Last accessed April 09, 2010: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/water/NU00283
[2] Shereen Jegtvig. “Drinking Water to Maintain Good Health”. About.com:Nutrition. Las accessed April 09, 2010: http://nutrition.about.com/od/hydrationwater/a/waterarticle.htm
[3] Gray Pilgrim. “Respiratory System Facts”. Buzzle.com. Last accessed April 09, 2010: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/respiratory-system-facts.html
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