Do you get enough?

Water... we all need it, but how much do you really need?  When I was younger I was told you are supposed to drink 8-10 (8 ounce) glasses per day.  Then I heard you are supposed to drink half your body weight in water.  So which is it?  I googled it and here's what I found.

On this site you answer several different questions to determine your body type, your environment and your exercise routine. Then it gives you a number of ounces you should be drinking dependent upon your answers.  According to this one I should be drinking 143 ounces of water per day!  Holy crap that's 17.8 (8 ounce) glasses of water a day!  I have a hard enough time drinking 20 ounces of water per day!  I am just not a water drinker - although it is improving!

Amazing I tried this site and it gave me the same results!  It doesn't go as in depth with the questions, but never the less the end result was the same.

Then I googled "water consumption for weight loss" and this site gives you the percentage to figure out your required ounces per day.  Not only that but it gives you some great tips to help you get in all that water in the day.  By far this has been my favorite site.

One tip I heard years ago is any time you want something to drink other than water - drink a glass of water first.  It's easy to make rules for yourself, but much harder to follow them.  You have to be strong!  You CAN do it!!!  

Benefits to drinking water:

• Weight loss - drinking water before a meal helps to control the calories you are consuming by helping you feel fuller.  
• Youthful skin - staying hydrated helps keep those fine lines & wrinkles at bay.
• Functioning muscles - your muscles need fluids to perform properly.  Drink at least 2 glasses before a work out and plenty during your workout.
• Brain power - water keeps your brain functioning as it should & is also a mood elevator.
• Headache reducer - notice when you have a headache many times it's because you are dehydrated.  Your body is telling you to drink more water.
• Constipation relief - when your body is fully hydrated you're less likely to become constipated.

If you need help getting your daily quota in you can add some fresh lemon, lime or cucumbers to give it a new flavor.  Don't forget to eat your fruit and veggies - about 20% of our daily water consumption comes from the foods that we are eating!  Now there's food for thought.  ;)

According to this blog watermelon has the most water content.  The folks over at health.com have this list of the 15 foods that help you stay hydrated.  With cucumbers being #1 with 96.7% water.  I love some sliced cucumbers just to munch on!

This Cucumber Caprese Salad would make a delicious light lunch!!

H2O to ya!

~K