Drink water....but not too much

Ok, so I just want to touch on something that we all know is important for our bodies. Water.

We know that keeping properly hydrated is good for us. It helps us function better, gives us glowing skin, etc. But, like anything else in life, too much of a good thing can be bad.

Let me remind you that I can only advise you based on what I've read and my own experiences. But here is what I have found on the subject.

Water for weight loss

Water has no calories and fills up the stomach. Drinking a glass before eating makes you feel fuller, so you eat less food.

I've read different information in regards to how much water a person needs in a day. One site says you should drink your weight in ounces, another says 64 ounces is enough. Probably a happy medium I found was that you should multiply your weight by 67%.

Example: 125 pound woman should take 125 x .67 = 83.75 ounces per day
And add 12 oz per 30 minutes that you workout to that total
So if this 125 pound woman exercised 1 hour today, she would need about 108 ounces of water

It does seem like a lot when you factor in the added water for exercising. Last week I experimented with trying to drink around 90 ounces per day. And I really had to work at it. Even with exercise, I felt like that 90 ounces was a lot, and not easy to consume. I filled up a big glass container that had a spout and kept it in the fridge so I knew how much I drank and how much I had to go.

I guess like everything else, you need to listen to your body and pay attention to the signals it's sending you.

Other conflicting information I found:
- dark urine is a sign of dehydration
- thirst is a sign of dehydration
One source said that is absolutely true, another said that was just a myth.

I found that when drinking that 90 ounces, my urine was pretty darn clear. And to some websites, this was a bad sign. To others, it meant that I was drinking the appropriate amount. But know this, if you are drinking more water than your kidneys can handle, you can cause over hydration, which is basically an imbalance in salt to water ratio in your body.

Here's where it can be bad

Rapid intake of too much water can cause sodium depletion, called hyponatremia. Symptoms include headache, confusion, disorientation and can lead to more serious conditions like seizures and coma. Untreated, it can even cause death.

So, to be on the safe side, if you are drinking a LOT of water, peeing a lot and it's clear, maybe back off a little and make sure you're getting adequate salt in your diet. Especially if experiencing any of those above mentioned symptoms.

If you are someone who has a problem getting enough water, and I know a few people who have this problem simply because they don't like the taste of water - they say it's too plain, you can always try infusing it. Add cucumbers, strawberries, lemons, limes, or fresh herbs to liven it up. I personally like strawberry and basil combination. It's great!