@tanisha: Enough to stay well hydrated! Depending on your gender and size, adults need around 2-3L of fluids a day. Some of this comes from our food and other drinks, but drinking around 1-1.5L of water (around 6 glasses) a day is a good guide.
I usually drink about a third of a litre of something (juice, milk, water) with every meal, and then I’ll have maybe two cups of tea during the day. That is usually enough for me on a normal day, except when I am training for a marathon. Whenever I run long distances (20 or 30 km), I carry about a half a litre with me to drink while I’m exerting myself, and then I’ll drink another litre or so once I finish.
That is actually not enough, especially if it is hot, and I’ve gotten dehydrated a few times. So if you’re doing a lot of physical activity, like sports, be sure to drink more than I do!
@tanisha, its also interesting that someone can change the amount of water their body needs in a particular situation. If you find yourself in a hot area doing lots of exercise, when you first start you might need 1 litre every hour because your body has to work very hard. One great thing about humans and most animals is that we can acclimatise, which means change to survive more easily. So after acclimatisation, the same person who needed 1 litre per hour, may only need half a litre.
Having not enough water can be really bad (I spent a week in hospital at the start of this year from what started as simple dehydration).
You body will tell you if you learn how to look. Dark urine is a sign you do not have enough – it should be a pale yellow. If you get really dehydrated, you will not pass urine at all. Colourless urine means you are drinking more than you need to (not usually a problem, it is really hard to drink enough to overload the system – it can be done and will also make you really sick).
@tanisha: Enough to stay well hydrated! Depending on your gender and size, adults need around 2-3L of fluids a day. Some of this comes from our food and other drinks, but drinking around 1-1.5L of water (around 6 glasses) a day is a good guide.
That’s made me thirsty! 🙂
1
Mia provides good guidelines but if it’s hot, dry or your exerting yourself (eg. working or playing sport) then you’ll need more.
1
I usually drink about a third of a litre of something (juice, milk, water) with every meal, and then I’ll have maybe two cups of tea during the day. That is usually enough for me on a normal day, except when I am training for a marathon. Whenever I run long distances (20 or 30 km), I carry about a half a litre with me to drink while I’m exerting myself, and then I’ll drink another litre or so once I finish.
That is actually not enough, especially if it is hot, and I’ve gotten dehydrated a few times. So if you’re doing a lot of physical activity, like sports, be sure to drink more than I do!
1
@tanisha, its also interesting that someone can change the amount of water their body needs in a particular situation. If you find yourself in a hot area doing lots of exercise, when you first start you might need 1 litre every hour because your body has to work very hard. One great thing about humans and most animals is that we can acclimatise, which means change to survive more easily. So after acclimatisation, the same person who needed 1 litre per hour, may only need half a litre.
1
Having not enough water can be really bad (I spent a week in hospital at the start of this year from what started as simple dehydration).
You body will tell you if you learn how to look. Dark urine is a sign you do not have enough – it should be a pale yellow. If you get really dehydrated, you will not pass urine at all. Colourless urine means you are drinking more than you need to (not usually a problem, it is really hard to drink enough to overload the system – it can be done and will also make you really sick).
1