Water is an extremely important nutrient for your body. It does everything from regulating your body temperature (all that sweating on the aerobics floor helps cool down a hot body) to carrying waste products out of your system. Your body’s daily water loss, on the average, amounts to about 2 1/2 quarts — that’s about ten cups!
On average, adults need around a little over 4 cups of water for every 1,000 calories they expend. So if you need 2,000 calories a day to keep that body moving, you should be gulping about 8.5 cups of water daily.
If it’s a hot or humid day or if you are physically active or exercising vigorously, you will need more. Many of us need a minimum of about eight to 12 cups a day. (Here’s where that famous eight, eight-ounce glasses of water a day fits in.)
Besides getting it from the water cooler, water also comes from foods and beverages. Fruits and vegetables can contain as much as 95 percent water: A slab of juicy watermelon is over 90 percent water. Milk and juices are another great water source. But not all beverages are created equal. Caffeinated coffee, tea, soda, and alcohol act as diuretics — causing you to lose fluid.
Keep a large water tumbler on your desk and sip away to meet your daily needs. So you may have to add a few more bathroom runs to your day — on the bright side, just think of all that wonderful additional daily exercise you’ll be getting during those walks to the bathroom!