How much water should you drink? It’s summer, and that means warmer weather, outdoor activities, and perhaps increased exercise.

According to the Mayo Clinic, every system in your body depends on water. For example, water flushes toxins out of vital organs, carries nutrients to your cells, and provides a moist environment for ear, nose and throat tissues. Lack of water can lead to dehydration, a condition that occurs when you don’t have enough water in your body to carry out normal functions. Even mild dehydration can drain your energy and make you tired. There’s plenty of medical research that indicates even mild dehydration can affect cognitive functioning and memory.

Mayo suggests that about 13 cups of liquid a day for men and 9 for women is a healthy average, depending on the body functions and activity of the individual.

As as there day’s get warmer, there’s always heat stroke to avoid!

how much water should you drinkSo how much water should you drink might be answered with more than just water.  Think of it more as fluid. The old eight glasses a day might seem like a lot, but if some of that is consumed as coffee or tea or juice, it’s not so daunting. Also, don’t think that drinking so much water will keep you in the bathroom. Water helps dilute and carry the waste products. If you’re not drinking enough, you actually may have MORE trips to the bathroom, because the concentrated urine is a bladder irritant.

How much water should you drink if you want to lose weight?

Many weight loss gurus insist that drinking water about a half hour before meals can help you eat less. Ditto having a cup of broth-based soup. One National Institute of Healthy study showed that dieters who drank 500 ml of water (a little more than two cups) before meals lost 44% more weight over a period of 12 weeks, compared to those who didn’t.

Combining a little extra water with a healthy diet seems like a easy way to lose weight.

Take a look at this graphic. If your body is 60-70% water, you can see that consuming enough fluid every day is vitally important. Dehydration is one of the causes of Charlie horses and leg cramps at night, as well. If your muscles and connective tissues are at least 60% water (and the joints even more) than it stands to reason that every cup you drink is a natural lubricant. How much water should you drink? Probably as much as you can. Start small. Make it a personal challenge to measure out 8 cups and see if you can drink it in a day. Perhaps as tea in the morning? In a smoothie? In some buillion for an afternoon snack? We’re lucky we live in a state where water in pure and abundant.  Let’s drink up!