How much water do you drink?

[Tricia]

We all know hydration is key to good health, and we specifically preach it to those who are skiing at elevation.
I try to hydrate, but I don't measure how much water I drink. These days I'm trying to drink at lease 2 of these a day, which is a 20 oz glass.

That is 40 oz, but the recommended is 6-8 oz glasses a day so I need to amp it up.
That being said, when I asked this question in another health and fitness area, they suggested drinking 1/2 you body weight. which would be about 70 oz a day.

 

[Pat AKA mustski]

I count glasses - my glasses are 12 ounces and I drink abut 5 a day. If I am out and about, I drink less because my water bottle only holds 16 oz because I want it to fit in my purse. Consumption depends on acceptable refill situations. For some reason, I am phobic about re-filling at a tap in a restroom. There needs to be a water fountain.

 

[cantunamunch]

That being said, when I asked this question in another health and fitness area, they suggested drinking 1/2 you body weight. which would be about 70 oz a day.

Don't forget that carbs increase absorption and make you thirstier both - which means that if you're not eating them you are more prone to dehydration without knowing it. And you'll be slower to recover from it.

 

[Eleeski]

3 gallons per person per day. That is our no air conditioning standard for the extreme heat of the desert. Patton trained near us in the summer and published that standard. That's a liter per waking hour. When it's hot, that isn't nearly as much as it seems.

The real measure is to pee clear. It only takes an hour to go from peeing clear to feeling dehydrated so keep drinking.

This is pretty extreme. Temperature over 110f 45c, no air conditioning and physical labor outside. But I hardly notice the heat if I'm drinking that much.

Sodas and alcohol don't count. Actually add to the water need.

Eric

 

[Coach13]

What I don’t understand is I struggle to drink 6 12 ounce glasses of water a day but 12 beers and 2 shots go down no problem!

 

[surfsnowgirl]

I drink anywhere from 16-48 oz a day. I don't always succeed in the higher range but I always try.

 

[Winks]

Not enough.

 

[Tricia]

What I don’t understand is I struggle to drink 6 12 ounce glasses of water a day but 12 beers and 2 shots go down no problem!

Exactly!

@Philpug and I just went for a hike, to get @Andy Mink 's dogs for the day and hiked back. There is some rugged high desert between our houses, which made for a good workout.
Just a little over 3 miles in 1 hr 11min.
I took a HydraPak with me and drank 500ml on the walk and an chugging another 20 oz right now, adding to the 20 I drank before the hike.

*Dang that pitch felt steeper than it looks.

 

[raytseng]

Drink when or before thirsty, keep water nearby so it is easily accessible. The properly functioning body is flexible enough that the exact amount is going to have a wide range based on so many factors and should give you signals. If you need a number, the "easy" gym instructor mantra is half your weight(lbs) in fluid oz, but there really is no single target..

From what I heard on podcasts and posted in the other hydration thread, there is no epidemic of Americans being underhydrated, the promotion to drinking more water for health is to use a positive (instead of negative) framework to displace caloric or empty calorie drinks for nutrition and obesity issues (which IS an epidemic)

 

[graham418]

For what its worth, I have read that for every litre of water you lose, your muscle strength is reduced by 50%. Also, that your brain power is reduced by 50% as well.

 

[Pat AKA mustski]

I had low BP as a young woman and then it rose to normal for most of my life. As I have matured, it has gone back to low. The problem is that if I don't drink enough water, it can go dangerously low. At the Doctor's office, I measured dangerously low. They had me guzzle just 8 oz of water and, 10 minutes later, it was back to it's "normal'' low measurement. I don't even feel different when it goes dangerously low. Since I used to faint a lot when I was young, I have a habit of guzzling a big glass before driving anywhere. Same deal with skiing.

 

[surfsnowgirl]

I try to maximize my water drinking because it not only hydrates me but helps me feel full and thus I eat less so it's a double win.

 

[coskigirl]

Days I'm at work I usually end up around 100ozs or more. I allow myself to drink coffee until noon (usually a few cups but not counted toward water intake) and then I have a 24oz water bottle that I refill multiple times through the afternoon. After work I often am working out so usually another 20-40ozs during those times. I slack on weekends but since I'm generally slightly over hydrated it doesn't bother me too much.

 

[crgildart]

Too much water can cause headaches... there is such a thing as too much water. Out in the hot sun while active it's hard to drink too much water. Other times though, everything in moderation including water. If you're not peeing at all drink more water. If you're peeing every 45 minutes stop..

 

[Tricia]

For what its worth, I have read that for every litre of water you lose, your muscle strength is reduced by 50%. Also, that your brain power is reduced by 50% as well.

That is in interesting did bit that is worth looking up.
This link doesn't have a the exact answer but its a really good article
About half way down the page is this section
<snip from article>
Why It’s Important to Stay Hydrated When You Want to Gain Muscle Mass

Research studies have shown that when cells lose water (and thus volume), protein production can slow down and protein breakdown speeds up. However, it’s worth noting that these studies are done in-vitro (isolated in test tubes rather than an animal or human) and further research is required on the relationship of hydration and its impact on muscle mass breakdown.

What might this mean for the average person? Forgetting your water bottle at home before leaving for the weight room could mean leaving muscle gains on the table due to poor performance.

For instance, when you’re moderately dehydrated (approximately 3% of body weight), exercise performance may be impaired, particularly with repeated bouts of anaerobic exercises (e.g. weight lifting, sprinting). As a result, it increases demand for aerobic metabolism. This is further supported by another study concluding that blood flow to the exercising muscles (in prolonged exercise) declines significantly with dehydration.

 

[James]

there is such a thing as too much water.

Amazing it can show up in a marathon.

The Boston Marathon and Drinking Too Much Water
By JAMES DOWNIE
April 18, 2011
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...in the 2002 Boston Marathon, when a 28-year-old runner collapsed during the race and died two days afterwards from hyponatremia...

Three years later, doctors from Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health reported in the New England Journal of Medicine on an analysis of runners in the same marathon.

After the race, [about 500 of the 766 participants] provided a blood sample and completed a questionnaire detailing their fluid consumption and urine output during the race." Disturbingly, "thirteen percent had hyponatremia (a serum sodium concentration of 135 mmol per liter or less); 0.6 percent had critical hyponatremia (120 mmol per liter or less)...
[T]he strongest single predictor of hyponatremia was considerable weight gain during the race, which correlated with excessive fluid intake."

The authors concluded, "hyponatremia occurs in a substantial fraction of nonelite marathon runners and can be severe."
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https://newrepublic.com/article/86985/the-boston-marathon-and-drinking-too-much-water


Marathon Runners: Beware Of Drinking Too Much Water
January 11, 2008
Source: Methodist Hospital, Houston

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“During the marathon a good rule of thumb is to drink about one cup of fluid every 20 minutes,” Muntz said. “Drinking any more than that over the course of the race can get you into trouble.”

A recent study of runners in the 2002 Boston Marathon found that 13 percent of those who finished the race developed hyponatremia. The majority of these runners reported feeling “fine” after the race. However, if someone who feels “fine” continues to drink water because they believe the nausea and weakness they are feeling is due to dehydration, they could easily end up having a seizure and falling into a coma. [same study as above]
-------------------------
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080109195002.htm

 

[Tricia]

Too much water can cause headaches... there is such a thing as too much water.

Obviously there is such a thing as too much water, but the hard reality is that most of us don't drink enough water. There are far more people who need the urging to drink more water than those who are drinking too much.

 

[Fishbowl]

None.

 

[scott43]

I dunno..I crush 32 oz of beer and 32 oz of coffee before lunch...I think i'm good!

 

[newfydog]

None.

Fishbowl knows what fish do in water.