Perfect Hydration Guide
How Much Water To Drink:
- Drink about half of your body weight (ounces of water/in pounds) For example, if your body weight is 150 pounds, then you need to drink around 75 ounces of water a day. Sipped slowly through the day (2.5L or just about)
- WARNING: if you suffer from heartburn or acid reflux, drink up to 20 minutes before a meal and 1hr after a meal – never drink anything during meals.
- IMPORTANT: you need to sip the water slowly throughout the day – no gulping down!
- The water needs to be filtered, still, room temperature.
- MEASURE: no guess-work! Get a stainless steel bottle and measure how many you need to drink in a day.
The Amount Of Water You’ll Drink Depends On:
- How much water you were drinking before you began this program:
If you didn’t drink much before, start by adding one glass at a time every day until you reach your goal in about 8 days. v Your level of activity (how much you sweat). Drink the higher amount if you do sweat a lot. You can also weigh yourself before and after exercising and you’ll see how much water you’ve eliminated in that session and needs to be replenished.
- How much alcohol you drink – when drinking alcohol, drink extra water that day
- Hot drinks: Hot water is diuretic so it makes you go to the loo and lose hydration. Caffeine in coffee, tea and green tea is also dehydrating, so reduce hot drinks to 2 a day at most. v The temperature where you live
- Super-hot summers require more water
You Can Tell That You’re Drinking Enough Water When:
- Urine is on the light side
>> If the urine is dark and there’s not much of it, then you’re likely not drinking enough water.
- Urine is abundant – You have to empty your bladder about every two or three hours
How to drink water when you don’t like the taste of water:
- Add slices of lemon, lime, cucumber or orange to water
- Add mint leaves to water
- Use a fabulous drinking glass or bottle (glass or stainless steel are best!) No squash or juices
What to expect if you haven’t been drinking much before
- You might find you urinate more often. This will reduce eventually (might take a week or more) as your bladder is a muscle and will expand in order to take in the increased volume of water. If it persists:
** You could be drinking too much water or drinking too fast – SLOW DOWN and sip through the day. Stick to your calculations. Over-drinking may lead to depletion of essential electrolytes (magnesium, calcium, potassium, sodium) which may give you cramps, depletion in various bodily systems and can be dangerous)
- You might get a feeling of bloat or fullness from just water: Make sure to sip all day, rather than gulping large amounts o Avoid drinking at mealtimes.
Additional Tips To Ease Your Drinking:
- Morning water: Sip 1-2 large glasses (pint-size) of water first thing in the morning. You’ve been asleep for 6 to 10 hours, so it’s time to hydrate!
This can even replace morning coffee, as rehydrating the body and your brain will lead to clearer thinking and better energy. 2 pints is likely to be close to half your daily requirement.
- Add electrolytes: Every glass you drink: add a FLAKE/tiny piece of Sea Salt (Celtic or Guerande are best, – unrefined ‘grey – not Himalayan/pink) or Green Powder (spirulina or chlorella) to water to increase nutrient content and improve the pH of your body. Talk to your GP if you’re on blood pressure medication before adding salt.
- Keep a pitcher of filtered water on your counter at home or near your workspace with the amount of water you want to drink each day. This makes it easy to remember to drink water and to track your intake
- Drink 250ml of water before exercise (sip – don’t gulp in one!)
- Sip water during exercise
- Bottles, bottles everywhere! Keep glass or stainless steel bottles of water in your car, at the office, or around your work areas
- No filter? If you can’t access a filter for your water, then let drinking water stand at room temp. for an hour or more. This reduces the amount of chlorine in drinking water, as the chlorine will evaporate
- Bloat/acid reflux? If you have digestive challenges, drink most of your water between meals.