How Much Water Are You Drinking?

A lot of clients I work with don't know how much water they should be drinking in a day. Many people go by the 64 ounces a day method. That would be 8, 8-ounce glasses. Is this enough? Are you even drinking that much water? I challenge you over the next day or two to measure out how much water you are drinking and add it up throughout the day. You may be surprised by what you find. I'd love it if you would comment below or on facebook and let me know how much you are drinking.

What counts as water in this challenge? Water. That's it. Not soda, tea, coffee, lemonade, fruit juice, milk or energy drinks. Yes, your body may be obtaining water from those drinks, however with my clients, I like to focus on getting at least the amount of water needed from water itself. Other drinks are packed with extra sugar, chemicals, or caffeine - all of which can have dehydrating effects on your body and may cancel out any amount of water you may obtain from them.  

So is 64 ounces enough? One general rule of thumb is to take your current weight and divide it by 2. So if you weigh 130 pounds, 64 ounces is about right. If you weigh 150 pounds then 75 ounces is how much you need. If you weigh 220, you need about 110 ounces. This may be overwhelming at first, and if you are like me and need to visit the ladies room at least once during the night, you may want to try and drink more of your water in the morning and early afternoon rather than late at night. 

If you have kidney disease - this advice is general and not for your specific condition, check with your physician or a registered dietitian who knows about your current level of kidney function for recommendations on fluid intake.

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