If I asked you how much water you are supposed to drink every day, what would you say? 8, 8oz glasses of water? Yeah, that's what everybody thinks. But why? And is it true?

I can really only speculate as to where that prevelant recomendation came from. Some believe that it stems from a recommendation given in 1945 by the Food and Nutrition Board. Others have searched and researched, but haven't found a clear source for that current thought anywhere!

But is it true? Well...not exactly. Even if people are getting the idea to drink a half gallon of water per day from that recommendation, they missed the point. The sentence following that statement says that most of that amount can be consumed through prepared foods.

Therein lies the biggest rub. We are being told to consume at least 64 ounces of water in addition to everything else that we drink and eat every day. However, the recommendation was actually referring to total fluid intake, rather than pure water intake. If other fluids are taken into account, the number of glasses of water I need to drink is significantly reduced by the 20oz of coffee and 10oz of tea that I drink each day. If you include fluids from food, that total drops even more. There is lots of water in fruits and vegetables. Some are made up of 90% water!

So it seems to me that if you are eating a healthy diet containing adequate amounts of fruits and vegetables and are drinking fluids when you feel thirsty, then you are probably getting enough liquid each day to keep you hydrated. In fact, most health officials will tell you to go by the color of your urine. If it's clear or pale yellow, you are hydrated. If it's on the dark amber side, you may need to drink some water! And always drink when you feel thirsty!

Of course, water consumption needs vary by individual and are dependent upon your age, size, activity level and the climate that you live in. The larger you are, more highly active you are and the warmer the climate that you live in, the more water you need.

I have to say that I have always thought those people carrying a gallon jug of water around the gym with them look ridiculous. I'm glad that I never totally fell for that myth told to me by my fellow figure competitors. I do have to admit that I tried to accomplish the feat of consuming a gallon of water one day during the early weeks of training for my very first figure competition with embarrassing results! I have never attempted it again.

It boils down, once again, to listening to and knowing YOUR body and what makes YOU feel your best. My best friend has always harped on me about not drinking enough water (I'm lucky to consume 24 ounces outside of strenuous exercise) each day. She has been a big water drinker for as long as I have known her and at times has consumed up to 1.5 gallons of water per day. We now both agree that we are reaching a happy medium as I am making sure to get my 24oz of water in each day and she is aiming for 60-90oz a day as opposed to the 128oz that used to be her goal. Regardless, it's obvious that her body demands more water than mine.

So spend some time getting to know yourbody's water intake needs. What is your normal? Are you with me on the 3 cups a day side of the spectrum, or farther up towards the 8 or even 16 cups a day side?