How Much Water?
by Dr. John Berardi
You always hear experts recommending that you drink more water but how many of you actually do it? And how much is enough? Well, check out this chart below for some interesting data on water loss.
Water Loss/ Normal Weather No exercise/ Warm Weather No exercise /Exercise in Warm Weather (85° F)
Skin 350 mL/ 350 mL/ 350 mL
Respiratory Tract 250 mL/ 350 mL/ 650 mL
Urine 1400 mL/ 1200 mL/ 500 mL
Feces 100 mL/ 100 mL/ 100 mL
Sweat 100 mL/ 1400 mL/ 5000 mL
Total 2,300 mL (2.3L)/ 3,300 mL (3.3L)/ 6,600 mL (6.6L)
It should be clear that quite a bit of water is lost per day, especially if you're an athlete. Since most people can get about 1.5L of water from their food and from metabolic water production, for a margin of safety, I suggest:
- Sedentary individuals drink at least 2L or about 8 cups of water per day
Athletes in normal climates drink at least 3L or about 12 cups of water per day. - Athletes in hot weather climates drink at least 4L or about 16 cups of water per day.
