Trying to figure out how much water you should be drinking daily can be a bit confusing. We all hold onto the figure of 64 ounces of water a day as the optimal amount, but this is really just a generic figure [1] that has gained mythical status. Here is a little weight based formula [2] to help you to figure out how much water you should be drinking daily.
- Take your current weight and divide by two.
- Take that number and drink that many ounces of water a day.
- So if you weigh 130 pounds you should drink 65 ounces of water a day. Pretty close to the mythical figure of 64 ounces, huh?
If you exercise for under an hour an extra glass or two of water should do the trick of replenishing fluids lost though sweating, but if you are exercising for over 60 minutes you will need more. Plus if you are pregnant or breastfeeding you need more water as well. Pregnant women should drink at least 10 eight-ounce glasses of water daily, and breastfeeding moms need between 12 and 13 eight-ounce glasses of water a day.
Fit's Tip: An easy way to make sure you are drinking enough water is the color of your urine [3]. Your pee should be very pale yellow, if not you need to increase your consumption of water.
Source [4]