You need to be drinking enough water to stay optimally hydrated. Generally speaking, that means replacing the water you lose through breath, sweat, urine and feces.
Drinking enough water may offer health benefits, including:
Weight loss: Drinking enough water may help you burn more calories, reducing appetite if consumed before a meal and lowering the risk of long-term weight gain.
Better physical performance: Modest dehydration may impair physical performance. Losing only 2% of your body’s water content during exercise may increase fatigue and reduce motivation.
Reduced severity of headaches: For those prone to headaches, drinking additional water may reduce the intensity and duration of episodes. In dehydrated individuals, water may help relieve headache symptoms.
Constipation relief and prevention: In people who are dehydrated, drinking enough water may help prevent and relieve constipation.
Decreased risk of kidney stones: Although more research is needed, there is some evidence that increasing water consumption may help prevent recurrence in people with a tendency to form kidney stones.
Staying hydrated may aid in weight loss, help maximize physical performance, relieve constipation and more.
Adequate intake of water is considered to be 91 ounces (2.7 liters) per day for women and 125 ounces (3.7 liters) per day for men. Note that this is the total intake of water from all sources, not just pure water.
While this may certainly be used as a guideline, there are a number of factors, both inside your body and in your environment, that influence your need for water. Body size, composition and activity level vary greatly from person to person. If you’re an athlete, live in a hot climate or are currently breastfeeding, your water requirements increase.
Drinking eight glasses of water per day may be more than enough for some people, but it may be too little for others. If you want to keep things simple, just listen to your body and let thirst be your guide.
Source: Authority Nutrition.
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