It's summertime and extremely hot in North Central Nebraska. We all know water is especially important in the heat! But do we drink enough water?
I've read studies where you should drink water based on your weight. I've seen articles where you should count the water contained in the foods you eat not just what you drink. I've also used calculators to estimate what your daily intake should be related to how active you are throughout the day.
To me, this is confusing! Where do you start?! The best things I've found to do are keep track of what you drink and listen to how your body responds.
When I first started keeping track of my water intake, I used a piece of paper and marked every time I drank an eight-ounce glass of water. I realized when I started keeping track, I only drank two glasses of water a day!! No wonder I was feeling in a slump. I made my first goal to drink 64 ounces of water per day (or 8 glasses) because it seemed scientific. Over the course of my journey, goals have ranged from 64 ounces to 96 ounces to 120 ounces. As I was listening to my body and how it responds best, I found my sweet spot. A bloated feeling occurs at 120 ounces and muscles don't seem to want to move. Hunger and cravings are more likely to occur at 64 ounces (hello, sugary foods like donuts and cookies!). For me, 80 ounces is where I perform my best - there are fewer hunger signals between meals and my brain and muscles can move freely. Overall, your body works better with plenty of water because more than half of it (60%) is made of water!
From two glasses a day to ten. What a difference! I use this blue water bottle every day. It holds 40 ounces and I take it with me constantly refilling it once a day. Now I don't need to keep track and my water intake is where I feel best.
