Drink, to Your Health

How much water do I need to be healthy?

Last New Years I made a resolution to drink more water based on a formula for my weight and daily physical activities. Initially it felt like I couldn't fit in all the water calculated for my body in a 24 hour cycle.  

However, every day for the past 10 months I have done my best, and I have noticed some definable differences: I have more energy, both throughout my day and in my workouts. My mind feels clearer. I noticed that the fine lines on my face have lessened, and seasonal dry patches are minor to nonexistent now.

It makes sense since your body is 70% water and all the systems of the body depend on water to function at their highest capacity. Lots of people don't realize the true importance of drinking enough water everyday and how chronic dehydration can impact your overall health and energy levels.

We Need Water To...
+ keep a healthy level of fluid in our tissues, spinal chord, and joints
+ aid the digestive process & help your body remove waste
+ keep the endocrine & circulatory system functioning
+ energize muscles
+ help the liver and kidneys with their work of processing toxins
+ assist in getting rid of headaches

Drinking the right amount of water daily can help to speed up your metabolic rate and curb overeating when your body might be confusing hunger and thirst. But how much water is enough?

Here is How to Calculate
The first step to knowing how much water to drink is to know your weight. The amount of water a person should drink varies on their weight, which makes sense because the more someone weighs the more water they need to drink. A two hundred pound person and 100 pound person require different amounts of water every day.

Next you want to multiple your weight by 2/3 or 67% to determine how much water to drink daily. For example, if you weigh 175 pounds you would multiple that by 2/3 to know you should drink about 117 ounces of water every day.

Finally adjust that number based on how often you work out, since you expel water when you sweat. Add 12 ounces of water to your daily total for every 30 minutes you work out. For example, if you work out for 45 minutes, you would add 18 ounces of water to your daily intake.

Here is a chart with recommended amounts of water for a range of weights.

Weight  -  Ounces of Water Daily

100 pounds  -  67 ounces

110 pounds  -  74 ounces

120 pounds  -  80 ounces

130 pounds  -  87 ounces

140 pounds  -  94 ounces

150 pounds  -  100 ounces

160 pounds  -  107 ounces

170 pounds  -  114 ounces

180 pounds  -  121 ounces

190 pounds  -  127 ounces

200 pounds  -  134 ounces

210 pounds  -  141 ounces

220 pounds  -  148 ounces

230 pounds  -  154 ounces

240 pounds  - 161 ounces

250 pounds  -  168 ounces

*Remember to adjust these numbers based on your daily activity level.

Tips to Help You Drink More Water

• Morning: Wake up and drink 1-2 glasses of water
• Evening: Don't go to bed thirsty, drink a glass of water before bed
• In Between Meals: sip on water between meals, start an hour after your meal and stop 30 (ish) minutes before your next meal
• Keep Track With Your Container: Have a special container for your water, and set a goal of how many times to fill and finish the container. For example, if you buy a 16 oz container and need to drink 80 ounces of water a day, your goal would be to drink 5 of those daily.
• Infuse Your Water With Flavor: Try adding cucumber, strawberries, lemons, limes, oranges, fresh mint, or dried edible roses to create flavorful water.
• Drink While Driving: Not anything more than water! But fill your container before you get in the car, and sip it as you manage your daily commute.
• Keep a Bottle on Your Desk or the Kitchen Counter: If you work in an office this is a great trick that also works in the kitchen while meal prepping. Always have your water on hand to sip while you work.

Importance of Clean Water
Stop drinking chlorinated water. If you do not have a water purifying system for your home, buy water bottled in glass or large hard clear plastic containers that you can refill. Avoid drinking from soft translucent disposable water bottles as this type plastic degrades quite quickly and leaves tiny particles of plastic in your water that can damage your endocrine system and effect your hormones. Distilling and reverse osmosis systems for your home, are the best. And if you can not have this in your house purchase your water from a place that does this for you. You will find that most towns have a market or a water store that does this, if you do a little research.

Cheers! :)