:: Health ::
Water, Health and Hydration

The right amount of water is essential for keeping your body functioning.  The average person only consumes six 8-ounce servings of water a day.  This is well below the recommended eight servings.  How much you really need to drink depends on your body size, activity level and the air temperature.  To determine your ideal daily water intake, experts at the Mayo Clinic suggest dividing your weight in half and using this number as the ounces of water you should consume.

Going off of this formula, a 125-pound person should indeed consume the recommended eight servings of water each day; however, someone who weighs 175 pounds should aim for eleven servings.  If you are physically active, the American Dietetic Association recommends adding one to three cups of water to your daily diet for each hour of physical activity.

In addition, expectant mothers, babies, school-age children and seniors are more vulnerable to the effects of dehydration.

Here are a number of suggestions that will help you:
• Pour the water into an attractive glass or easy-to-use water bottle.
• Add ice, and a slice of lemon or lime.
• Chill the water.
• Drink moderate-size portions spread over the course of a day.
• Keep a bottle of water on your kitchen counter.
• Visit the office water cooler, and take a water break instead of a coffee break.
• Make drinking water a habit.