Ever wonder how much water your body actually needs to stay hydrated?
I have been doing some research to find an answer to that question.
Here's what I found...
You need half of your body weight, in ounces, of water per day.
Sounds simple, right? Unfortunately, it gets a little more complicated than that. Every time you drink caffeine, sweat, take a hot shower, exercise, or drink alcohol you are taking water out of your body. If you participate in any of these activities, you will need to increase your water intake for that day.
Every 8oz of coffee you drink, 80oz of water is being pulled out of your body.
Depending on the intensity of your sweat generating activity, 50-80oz of water can be lost per hour.
Example:
Weight - 150lbs
Water needs per day - 75oz
8oz of coffee consumed - negative 80oz
1 hour of exercise - negative 60oz
2 hours in the heat- negative 80oz
Actual water needs per day for 150lbs person = 295 ounces = 36.9 cups = 8.7 liters = 2.3 gallons
That's a lot of water! I find it's much easier to stay hydrated when I carry a water bottle that holds at least 1 liter.
