How Many Ounces of Water Should One Drink Every Day?

There really aren't any hard and fast requirements on exactly how many ounces of water you should drink on a given day. Diet, lifestyle and health all play significant roles in your hydration needs; even geographic locations can dictate the amount of water you should drink over the course of a day. Besides the obvious fluid loss you experience in sweat and urine, you also need to account for that which is lost in your breath and stool. Though there may not be a specific water amount that fits each person, a guideline was established to help ensure proper hydration.

Ounce by Ounce

With your water intake, a good rule of thumb to follow is at least 64 ounces a day. That's eight 8-oz glasses of liquid within 24 hours.
Though this number may seem a bit arbitrary, there's a reason behind the amount. Each day you lose almost 1 1/2 liters of fluid in your urine alone, which is roughly 50 oz. Less than another liter is lost through sweat, breath and stool, bringing your total fluid loss up to around 83 oz. The food you eat makes up nearly 20 percent, or upwards of 17 oz., of your daily fluid intake. This leaves you with close to 2 liters (66 oz.) of water to drink on a given day.

Sex by Sex

While 64 oz. of water has long been the standard, there's also a recommendation for total fluid consumption based on your sex. According to the Institute of Medicine, men need more fluids than women. With this dietary proposal, men should drink close to 100 oz. and women should drink upwards of 75 oz. of fluid each day. But much like the standard guideline of 64 oz., this approach to fluid intake doesn't take into account a person's height, weight or age, factors that could also dictate the amount of water you need.

Factor by Factor

Exercise, climate, health and diet all change the amount of water you need to consume on a daily basis.
When you exercise, you sweat. On average, a person expends anywhere between 12 to 20 oz. of fluid during exercise. To ensure proper hydration, drink at least this amount (if not more) of liquid before, during and after your workout. However, more strenuous workouts can cause more fluid loss, making it important to consume more liquids during longer or harder periods of exercise.
In more humid regions, you'll lose more fluid than temperate areas of the country. And much like exercise, it comes down to sweat production. But it isn't warm weather alone that makes a person lose liquid. Cold weather can take a toll on your hydration. When you live in an artificially heated environment, as would be the case in winter, your skin inevitably loses moisture. Even elevation can change the amount of fluids a person needs. The higher you are, the higher the rate of breathing, which makes you expel more moisture.
You also need to account for you health. Pregnancy and breastfeeding deplete fluid from the body. Disease of the kidneys and heart as well as infections of the bladder and urinary tract can change the way in which fluid is used and expelled from the body.

References

• Mayo Clinic: How Much Should You Drink Every Day?

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[fitnessswim]

on 10/20/2009 As a fitness professional, always promoting proper posture, breathing and hydration, this is a great post. Now we know why bottles of soda pop are in 2 liter sizes. Thank you for putting this liquid measurement system in real terms for real people for practical use.