Hydration

• As you go about your normal activities, you lose water through urine and sweat, and even through your breath. In hot, humid months you lose more water than in colder, dry months. You lose more water when you exercise and perspire.
  
  Besides drinking water, you also get water from from fruits, vegetables and other foods. Don't wait to drink water until you are thirsty, because by then you are starting to become dehydrated.
  
  

How Much To Drink

• You lose about eight cups of water each day just through normal bodily functions, so take in about the same amount to stay hydrated (for our purposes we'll consider a cup or glass to be 8 ounces). Those eight glasses of water doesn't take into account your activity level or the climate, however. You will need to drink more water if you sweat heavily due to intense exercise or are in a hot and humid environment.
  
  The International Sports Medicine Institute recommends drinking a half an ounce of water per pound of body weight every day if you are not active. If you weigh 150 pounds and have an office job, you need seventy-five ounces of water during the day. Thus, you should drink a little less than 10 8-ounce glasses a day.
  
  If you are active or athletic, you will need even more water. For each pound you weigh, you should drink two-thirds of an ounce of water. So if you weigh 150 pounds and are active, you should be drinking 100 ounces a day--the same as about 12 and 1/2 8-ounce glasses of water.
  
  A good way to make sure that you are sufficiently hydrated when you exercise is to weigh yourself before and after a heavy workout. You should not see a difference of more than a couple of ounces if you drank enough water to replace the liquid you lost through sweating. However, if you see a pound or more of weight loss through sweating, you need to drink more water during and after your workout. This is especially true if you are exercising in a very humid or hot climate or environment, because you will perspire heavily even during a moderate workout.
  
  

Water is Everywhere

• If you find the idea of drinking this much water overwhelming, rest assured that you can easily fulfill your body's water requirement.
  
  Start your day with a glass of water of at least 12 ounces to flush out any toxins that may have accumulated overnight. During the day, part of your water intake can come from tea, coffee or even soups and fruits. Be sure you drink enough water by alternating juice or soda with plain water.
  
  If you tend to forget to drink water, keep a big bottle of water handy to drink from during the day. Keep track of your water consumption, and you will see it's easy to keep well-hydrated.