Water plays a crucial role in our bodies. It aids in digestion, absorption, circulation, creation of saliva, transportation of nutrients, and maintenance of body temperature. When you're low on fluids, the brain triggers the body's thirst mechanism. But it doesn't always get it right, particularly in older adults, whose sense of thirst may not be as sharp. Therefore, it's important to calculate and monitor our water intake.
There are several methods to calculate your daily water intake. One commonly recommended guideline is the "8x8 rule," which suggests drinking eight 8-ounce glasses of water per day, which roughly equals about 2 liters, or half a gallon. This is easy to remember and serves as a minimum target for most people.
Another way to calculate is based on your body weight. A common recommendation is to drink at least half of your body weight (in pounds) in ounces of water. For example, if you weigh 150 pounds, you should drink at least 75 ounces of water per day.
Finally, you can calculate your water intake based on your activity level. This is because sweating from physical activity results in additional body water loss, so you need to drink extra water to compensate. A general guideline is to add 12 ounces of water to your daily total for every 30 minutes that you work out.
Let's look at a few examples to illustrate these methods:
As we've seen, there are several ways to calculate your water intake. The method you choose can depend on your lifestyle, activity level, and personal preferences. Here is a summary: