How much water should you drink per day?

Zeina Khawam September 14, 2017 Drinks/Beverages, Health, sports, Weight Loss

How much water do I need?

The number depends on factors like age, sex, temperature, amount of sweating, physical activity, and so on. However, we have a great system put in place in our bodies to guide us. That system is called pee! Yes, our urine may be the best indicator to show us if we are drinking enough. A pale yellow colour is what you are looking as a dark yellow colour is already a sign that your need to drink some more. If it gets darker, drink some water!

Although water is the preferred source of liquid, coffee, fruits, vegetables, soups, milk, juice, and soft drinks are all hydrating. Unfortunately, alcohol is a huge dehydrator. So make sure to alternate between alcohol and water if out drinking.

Signs of dehydration

Many of us don’t realize that some symptoms are a result of mild dehydration. These include: thirst, dry lips and mouth, tiredness, headaches, and irritability. In more extreme situations severe symptoms can be felt: rapid breathing, confusion, and unconsciousness.

4 tips for staying hydrated

Drinking water will become a habit, but until then here are 4 ways to increase your water intake:

1. Keep a water bottle handy at all times. Find one that keeps liquids cold or hot all day long. Doing so will remind you to drink up!
2. Drink a glass of water with every meal and snack.
3. If necessary, program an alarm or reminder on your phone to drink a few sips every hour.
4. Find liquids you enjoy. If we don’t like plain water, infuse it with fruits, herbs or citrus. Here are 5 delicious ideas:

• Raspberry, orange
• Apple, cinnamon stick
• Cucumber, lemon
• Strawberry, kiwi, basil
• Pineapple, mint, ginger

I hope you understand why staying hydrated is so important now and see how easy it can be to increase our fluid intake.

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Author

Zeina Khawam

Zeina is registered dietitian member of OPDQ and Dietitians of Canada. She consults a clientele that desires to change their lifestyle habits, whether it is to lose weight, increase muscle mass, increase energy levels, improve performance or simply live healthier.