Honest question. How much water do you drink each day? Be honest with yourself and answer this question. I know personally, I used to go through phases. Some weeks I’ll be great about it and really get a good amount of water in daily, then other weeks go by and I can’t remember the last time I drank water. I wasn’t happy with this back and forth, and I knew the importance of getting my daily water intake, so I came up with a system to help me hit my water goals each day (I’ll share this after I explain some stuff).
So, why is water so necessary?
Water actually makes up around 60% of our body weight and has many jobs when it comes to taking care of our body. It helps regulate our body temp, it assists with the kidney and liver, it carries out oxygen (yeah H2O) and nutrients to cells, it lubricates joints (the body’s WD40…perfect for us older peeps), and it’s the protector of our organs and tissues. This is just a start of the list of job responsibilities that water has. So to answer the question….YES, water is necessary and important.
What happens when we don’t drink enough water?
Well, this is when dehydration starts to occur. Most people are dehydrated on a daily basis and don’t even know that they are. A slightly dehydrated body can have a significant impact on your cognitive function, which also leads to decreased athletic performance. Research shows that even a 2% water loss can have major impacts on your performance, organ function, and overall health.
When should I be drinking water?
Short answer…all the time! Most people think they should just replenish lost water during and after a workout, but hydrating throughout the day is probably the most beneficial. Having a water jug or bottle in sight can really be helpful in keeping you aware of your water intake.
BIG QUESTION…How much water should I drink each day?
Warning: If you’re not a math person, just shoot us a message and we’ll help you out ;)
You should drink your bodyweight (lbs) / 2 = total fluid ounces per day.
**This is the minimum amount of water you should drink daily. If you are active throughout the day and working out, you should probably add about 50% to that total. Here is an example:
Quint weighs 180 lbs so, I would take 180/2= 90 fluid ounces
He is also very active doing Crossfit daily and chasing a toddler the rest of the day, so we want to add 50% of that to the total, so: 50% of 90 = 45, so we take the total minimum ounces needed daily plus our additional 50% and we get (90 ounces + 45 ounces=135 fluid ounces daily).
Tips:
#1:
I have trouble spreading out my water intake throughout the day, so I started using this little trick. I get a gallon jug and label the outside with a sharpie showing the times of the day. This allows me to see where I should be throughout the day. It makes it a little competition with myself and I love competition. (See Picture)
#2:
If you prefer using a water bottle, decide how many bottles you need to drink throughout the day. Set an alarm on your phone to go off letting you know that your current water bottle should be finished. This is a fool proof plan to help you stay on track throughout the day.
#3:
Only allow yourself water as a beverage throughout the day and treat yourself with your preferred beverage at meals. This will keep you from filling up on empty calories.
Article by: Q. Murr
