How Many Ounces of Water Should You Drink a Day?
Water: you know it’s good for you! For many people, that is where their knowledge ends. And while it is great to understand the importance of water, not knowing how much you need is a problem you should fix! Thankfully, there are plenty of guidelines you can easily follow based on important factors like your age, weight, and level of activity.
Looking to learn more about the importance of water and how many ounces you need to be drinking daily? Let’s dive in (pun intended!) to the facts.
The Importance of Water
Before we discuss how much water you need to be drinking each day, let’s first briefly talk about what makes water so great. Of course, water keeps you hydrated and you need it to well, survive (which is pretty important!) but did you know there are actually numerous benefits to staying properly hydrated? If learning these benefits don’t encourage you to drink the right amount of water each day, we don’t know what will!
If you need some motivation to stay hydrated, keep reading!
Provides Energy
Do you have an over-reliance on caffeine? Okay, we can admit, so do we. It seems everyone does these days! Whether your go-to boost comes from energy drinks, tea, or classic coffee, there is nothing wrong with having some caffeine daily (although you may want to look out for other potentially harmful ingredients in your drink of choice!)
Did you know, however, that you can get energy from drinking water? That’s right! And no, we don’t mean drinking water that has been brewed to make coffee! Just water! Keeping your body hydrated is proven to help keep you feeling alert and energized. Dehydration makes your body weaker and can have you feeling sluggish. In fact, many people swear that drinking a big glass of water in the morning right when they wake up makes them feel more awake than after drinking a cup of coffee!
Even if you don’t give up your morning fix of caffeine, add more water into your daily routine and see if you notice a difference in your energy levels.
Improves your Skin
Suffer from acne? Fine lines and wrinkles? Are you always on the hunt for the next best product that will solve all your skincare woes? Try water- seriously! Keeping properly hydrated helps to flush out toxins from your body that can cause acne and breakouts. Drinking water also keeps your skin hydrated and plump, which can help to reduce the look of fine lines and wrinkles. That also goes for your lips- say goodbye to chapped lips! In a world of expensive beauty products and tips and tricks, this is a classic that is also free. What could be better than that?
Helps Prevent Headaches
While there are many things that could be causing you to have a headache (lack of sleep, stress, lack of caffeine, etc.) dehydration is another common cause! Did you know that? In fact, dehydration tends to be a common cause of headaches and even migraines. Staying hydrated can help you either avoid these headaches altogether or at least help to lessen their severity. We don’t know about you, but we are all for trying anything that can help with that.
Lessens Muscle Cramps
If you have ever experienced a muscle cramp, you understand how awful they are and the intense desire to ensure they never happen again. This is especially true and also a common occurrence during warmer months. Your muscles need water to stay hydrated and keep loose! Keep in mind that while you are exercising your body is losing water as you sweat, so you need to drink even more in order to stay properly hydrated (and more on that below!)
Either way, drinking the proper amount of water will help ensure leg cramps are a thing of the past. And combined with the increased energy you’ll have, you’ll be a workout machine!
Goodbye Hangovers
We’ve all been in the position where you regret having that final drink. The next morning hits you like a ton of bricks and brunch is definitely canceled! Without staying hydrated a hangover is practically inevitable if you have more than a drink or two. Thankfully, water again comes to the rescue!
Hangovers feel much worse if you are also suffering from dehydration. However, by staying properly hydrated, you are sure to feel much better the next morning. In fact, for many people, you may have no hangover at all! If you are planning to go out for drinks, make sure you properly prepare by drinking plenty of water all day long. Once you are drinking, it is in your best interest to switch between alcohol and water. Drink one glass of water for each alcoholic drink you have and you will be in much better shape.
Increase Weight Loss
Finally, are you looking to lose some weight? If so, drinking the right amount of water can help you reach your weight loss goals! There are several reasons by drinking water can help with weight loss, one of which is appetite suppression. If you struggle with portion control and overeating, try drinking a full glass of water before a meal. You will feel much more full and therefore eat less! Water also tends to speed up your metabolism, which is the main cause of why people gain weight in the first place. That’s a win-win!
How Many Ounces Per Day is Right for Me?
So, now that you are motivated to drink plenty of water, how much is right for you? As we hinted at earlier, it depends! If you grew up being told you should drink 8 glasses of water with 8 ounces in each glass (for a total of 64 ounces), you aren’t alone. However, in truth, you should likely be drinking more than that.
For women, you should try to shoot for drinking around 72 ounces of water per day. For men, that number goes up to around 104 ounces. However, there are other factors you need to keep in mind. If you live in a warmer climate (or during warmer summer months) you need to drink more water in order to stay properly hydrated, especially if you are working out a lot. Depending on how hard you work out (and how much you sweat) will help determine how much more water you should be drinking (more sweating=more water!)
Finally, if you are pregnant, you need to drink more water, you are hydrating for two! Try to drink at least 80 ounces of water while pregnant, and if you choose to breastfeed, shoot for around 100 ounces of water while breastfeeding.
What are you waiting for- go grab a glass of water now!
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