Health Advice: How much water to drink

Our bodies run on water. They need plenty of water day in and day out to operate and do everything we ask of them.

Without enough water in your system you could feel tired, sore, and even develop digestive problems.

But how much water is enough? You may be surprised to hear that the majority of people live with their body in a partially dehydrated state.

As a basic rule of thumb, you should drink at least eight - 8 oz glasses of water every day. If you live somewhere that it's hot, or you do regular exercise, the amount of water you drink should go up accordingly.

If you want a more specific calculation of how much water you should drink, here's the formula to use:

You should drink ½ oz of water for every pound of your body weight if you are not active, (if you are active, move that up to 2/3 oz per pound of body weight). That means if you weigh 160 lbs, you need to drink 10 – 8 oz glasses of water a day if you are relatively inactive. If you are more active, you need to up that intake to 13 or more glasses.

Some people like to guzzle all that water at once when they think about it. That's not the healthiest way to go about it. You should try to drink the water over the course of the day, so your body is always getting new water, as it needs it.