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So you know that you should be drinking more water, but you don’t always follow through with getting it all in each day. Am I right?

Whether it’s because you don’t know how much to drink, don’t always remember to drink enough, or aren’t aware of WHY you need to stay properly hydrated – I’ve got you covered in this 5-part series on the Importance of Hydration.

How much water do you REALLY need each day?

We’re continuously losing water throughout the day, whether it’s through urination, sweat, or even through the process of breathing we lose a small amount, but we need to replace this regularly each day.

A general rule of thumb that I try to follow is that you take your body weight in lbs divide that in half, and that‘s how many ounces you need per day. So for someone who weighs 200lbs, their baseline will be to drink 100 ounces of water each day.

Source: icliniq on http://visual.ly/how-much-water-should-we-drink-every-day

You’re probably used to hearing the advice to drink “eight glasses of water a day.” This “rule” tends to be repeated because it’s easy to remember. But it’s more of a baseline. because the amount of water each person needs varies and depends on a number of other factors as well.

Things like climate conditions, clothing you’re wearing, intensity and duration of any exercises you’re doing.  If it’s hot out or you are doing an intense physical activity, you will need to increase your water intake to replace any water you lost due to sweat. Likewise, anyone who perspires heavily, in general, should drink more than someone who doesn’t.

Certain medical conditions, such as diabetes or heart disease, may also mean you need to drink more water. People with high concentrations of sodium in their sweat need to be careful to avoid dehydration. And some medications can act as diuretics, causing the body to lose more fluid. PLEASE consult your doctor if you take any medications or have any medical conditions regarding water intake.

Is it possible to drink too much water?

Believe it or not, it is possible to drink too much water. You really have to go above and beyond the recommended amounts, but if you follow the guidelines listed below, you shouldn’t even come close to any danger.

Source: icliniq on http://visual.ly/how-much-water-should-we-drink-every-day

How to Start Increasing Your Water Intake

If you find that you’ve gotten off track or haven’t been drinking very much water, what I recommend is that you start gradually and aim for ½ that amount to begin and then increase as you can. You’ll also notice that you’ll have to rush off to the bathroom more frequently. Don’t worry, that’s actually a good thing and the good news is that it’s a phase, which I’ll get into later in this series. So hang in there!

So now that you know how much water you should be aiming for each day, we’ll move on to learning about the benefits of drinking water and why you’ll want to stay hydrated in Part 2 of this series.

And in case you missed the rest of the series, you can find it below:
Part 2 – Reasons and benefits you get from staying hydrated.
Part 3 – Signs of dehydration.
Part 4 – 5 Ways to Drink More Water
Part 5 -15 Hydrating Recipes (for when you just don’t want to drink water)