How much water should you drink?

Our body is made up of about 60% water and although we can’t claim water is the elixir of life, drinking plenty of it is certainly a pathway to good health and well-being.

A few reasons why water is so good for you

Water helps you maintain a balance of body fluids which are important for you to function including transporting nutrients to all our cells especially the muscles, postponing muscle fatigue.

Water aids digestion, helps regulate our body temperature and is good for our skin.

Water helps us lubricate our joints and maintain their shock absorbing ability.

Water helps with weight loss. It is 100% calorie free, boosts your metabolism and helps you burn more calories as well as suppress appetite if you consume before meals.

However, you can’t just simply drink water to lose weight, you need to eat healthy and burn fat by exercising.

All these good reasons for drinking water but many of our us forget to drink enough every day.

So how much water should I be drinking?

You should aim to drink 2 Litres of water a day. That is the equivalent to roughly 4 pints of water or 4 water bottles (note varies a bit depending on your own water bottle but usually around 500ml each)

Your tea and coffee intake does count towards this but I would not count it since it is likely to be caffeinated and have a dehydrating effect on the body.

Smoothies and fruit juice count towards your water intake but because they contain free sugars you should limit to one very small glass a day (150ml, milk counts as well as some of the food you eat such as melon, cucumber and soup but I would still target 2 litres of pure water.

How to get this into your daily routine?

If you are not a big drinker or lover of water you may need to make a conscious effort to get this into your daily routine.

Try starting the day with a large glass of water rather than a coffee or a cup of tea. If you can’t manage that then substitute your second cup of the day for water.

Take a refillable water bottle to work, keep it visible, sit it on your desk. Make sure you finish it all before lunch, refill it and drink a second bottle before you go home.

Have a glass before dinner, particularly if you are trying to eat less as it will fill you up as well as keep you hydrated.

Drink water before, during and after exercise. (You should try and calculate how much fluid replacement you need after exercise. There are various ways to do this depending on the intensity of your exercise, some methods include weighing yourself before and after exercise.)

The best news of all. Water from the tap is free. So no excuses, get those refillable bottles out and start properly hydrating today!