{"id":162,"date":"2025-07-14T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-14T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mysportchoices.com\/?p=162"},"modified":"2025-07-18T23:00:41","modified_gmt":"2025-07-19T07:00:41","slug":"how-much-water-should-i-drink-each-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mysportchoices.com\/index.php\/2025\/07\/14\/how-much-water-should-i-drink-each-day\/","title":{"rendered":"How Much Water Should I Drink Each Day?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Drinking water is essential to keep our bodies functioning properly. A well-hydrated body promotes joint lubrication, a good mood, more energy, increased productivity, and sometimes even weight loss. Proper hydration can also leave skin looking fresh and vibrant! So how do we develop this positive habit and find ways to incorporate this feeling into our daily lives by drinking plenty of water?<\/p>\n<p>We are constantly bombarded with information emphasizing the importance of drinking enough water. But how much is the right amount? Is it eight 8oz glasses? Is it half of your weight (in ounces)? But what if you&#8217;re pregnant, breastfeeding, exercising, enjoying a hot day outside, feeling sick, headaches, etc.? Don&#8217;t worry, we&#8217;ve got the truth.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"409\" height=\"326\" class=\"wp-image-163 size-full aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mysportchoices.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Pasted-45.png\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mysportchoices.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Pasted-45.png 409w, https:\/\/www.mysportchoices.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Pasted-45-300x239.png 300w, https:\/\/www.mysportchoices.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Pasted-45-183x146.png 183w, https:\/\/www.mysportchoices.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Pasted-45-50x40.png 50w, https:\/\/www.mysportchoices.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Pasted-45-94x75.png 94w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 409px) 100vw, 409px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>What Are the Benefits of Drinking Water?<\/h3>\n<p>Before we delve into how much water you should drink per day, let&#8217;s look at why you should make sure you stay hydrated.<\/p>\n<p>In short: water makes up 50 to 70 percent of body weight, and every cell, tissue, and organ in the body depends on water to function and survive. Some of the important work of water include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"\">Delivers nutrients and oxygen to your cells<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"\">Protects joints, organs, and tissues<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"\">Flush waste through urination, sweating, and bowel movements<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"\">Improves digestion and prevents constipation<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"\">Normalizes blood pressure and body temperature<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"\">Maintain electrolyte (sodium) balance <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Dehydration can lead to dehydration, which can deplete your energy and leave you feeling tired \u2013 which isn&#8217;t ideal for anyone, especially those with fitness goals.<\/p>\n<h3>How Much Water Should I Drink a Day?<\/h3>\n<p>The real answer is that it depends on the situation. There is no one formula that works for everyone, and everyone is unique because they have different variables to consider. However, you&#8217;ve probably heard that 8 cups a day can achieve this effect \u2013 and it doesn&#8217;t have to be just a myth. The Mayo Clinic says it&#8217;s an easy-to-remember goal that works for many people. On the other hand, Harvard Health says that a good rule of thumb is that most healthy people need about four to six glasses of water per day.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, there are more variables to consider, such as whether or not you sweat profusely \u2013 for example, through exercise. The American College of Family Physicians recommends this routine:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"\">Drink 2-3 ounces of water 17-20 hours before starting your workout<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"\">Drink 20 ounces of water 30-8 minutes before starting a workout or during a warm-up<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"\">Drink 10-20 ounces of water every 7-10 minutes during exercise<\/span><\/li>\n<li>Drink 30 ounces of water within 8 minutes of exercising<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"431\" height=\"325\" class=\"wp-image-164 size-full aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mysportchoices.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Pasted-46.png\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mysportchoices.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Pasted-46.png 431w, https:\/\/www.mysportchoices.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Pasted-46-300x226.png 300w, https:\/\/www.mysportchoices.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Pasted-46-194x146.png 194w, https:\/\/www.mysportchoices.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Pasted-46-50x38.png 50w, https:\/\/www.mysportchoices.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Pasted-46-99x75.png 99w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 431px) 100vw, 431px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>How Do I Know if I&#8217;m Drinking Enough Water in a Day?<\/h3>\n<p>Ultimately, you have to measure how much water will work for you individually. How is it? By listening to your body! Here are some signs that you should reach for your water bottle:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"\">The earliest signs of dehydration are feeling thirsty, dark urine, or smelling strong. If your urine is pale yellow, you may have been drinking enough water.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"\">If you don&#8217;t use the restroom often, it could mean that you need more water to help digest food and flush waste down your digestive tract. On the other hand, if you often feel the need to urinate, this is also a sign that you are not hydrated. <\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"\">If you&#8217;re feeling sluggish or fatigued, your body may tell you to drink plenty of fluids to increase blood volume.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"\">Difficulty concentrating, irritability, confusion, dizziness, or anxiety are all signs of severe dehydration that you should discuss with your doctor. <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>What Are the Disadvantages of Drinking Too Much Water?<\/h3>\n<p>In fact, it is possible to drink too much water, especially if you suffer from certain health problems, such as thyroid disease or kidney, liver, or heart problems. If you&#8217;re taking medications that trap water, such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), opioid pain relievers, or certain antidepressants, you should also take them in moderation. If you&#8217;re not sure how much water is right for you, talk to your doctor.<\/p>\n<p>Listen to your body, measure your water intake based on how you feel, stay hydrated to help your body perform better, feel healthier, get into top shape, and develop a routine focused on drinking water. Remember \u2013 every bite counts!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Drinking water is essential to keep our bodies functioning properly. A well-hydrated body promotes joint lubrication, a good mood, more energy, increased productivity, and sometimes even weight loss. Proper hydration can also leave skin looking fresh and vibrant! So how do we develop this positive habit and find ways to incorporate this feeling into our [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":163,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mysportchoices.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mysportchoices.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mysportchoices.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mysportchoices.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mysportchoices.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=162"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.mysportchoices.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":165,"href":"https:\/\/www.mysportchoices.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162\/revisions\/165"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mysportchoices.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/163"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mysportchoices.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=162"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mysportchoices.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=162"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mysportchoices.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=162"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}