Hi,

Just how much water should you drink every day?

I know everyone says you should drink at least 8 glasses of water a day.  Is it really true?

To the best of my knowledge there is no research that shows that everyone should drink at least 8 glasses of water a day. 

There are no specific health benefits associated with 8 glasses of water.

And what about differences in body size?  Does it make sense for my wife who is 5’1″ and weighs +/- 101 pounds to need to drink as much water as me (6′ and +/- 180 pounds)?

Doesn’t make sense to me. 

And what about somebody that is 6’5″ and weighs closer to 300 pounds?  The same 8 glasses is needed for them as it is for my wife?

That doesn’t even take into consideration how active each person is or their body composition.  Does someone with more muscle need more water then someone who has more body fat? 

Seems no one really knows. 

However, it does appear that if you are drinking less that a few glasses of water a day that increasing the amount of glasses you drink can help you lose weight.

A study done in 2008 took 173 overweight women who drank less than 4 glasses of water a day. 

They increased their water consumption by 3 glasses a day.  After one year – and no other changes in their diet – the vast majority of them had lost weight and body fat. 

Now, I do have a problem with this study.  The main problem is that there were no controls in place.

There were no controls over how much water was consumed.  There were no controls over how any changes in their diets.
There were no controls over any exercise changes.

All the study did was ask the participants to drink 3 more glasses of water a day. 

I would recommend that if you are not drinking very much water, juices or other healthy beverages and eating plenty of fruit that you do up your water intake. 

I drink a glass of cold water every morning before I go to the gym or to work.  I drink another while I am working out.  I also drink a glass before I go to bed. 

I also drink plenty all day long.  Does it always add up to at least 8 glasses a day?  No.  I drink a lot more in the summertime than in the wintertime. 

So drink when you are thirsty.  Drink before and when you workout. 

Here is a simple trick to tell if your body is getting enough fluids.  If your urine is pretty clear or light yellow you are okay. 

If it is dark yellow then try drinking more. 

Combine drinking more water with your healthy eating program and exercise program and see if it helps you.

Thanks,

Mike Val

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