Being adequately hydrated is so important to your overall health, wellness and energy! But do you know how much water you should be drinking each day?  Is it 8 ounces a day? Or, is it half of your body weight? Maybe it’s a gallon a day?

We will get to the recommend amounts in a bit, but for now let’s talk about the serious health benefits of proper hydration.

1. Get energized!
Your first instinct when you’re tired is probably to reach for cup of coffee or a sugary caffeinated drink. While that can make you feel better for an hour or so, it’s not truly what you need. Did you know that the most common symptom of dehydration is being tired? Since caffeine dehydrates your body, it is the exact opposite of what you need. Sugary drinks also provide a temporary boost in energy but will leave you with a “crash” after your blood sugar recovers from the harmful spike. Try swapping your coffee or energy drinks for water during the day and see how much better you feel.

2. Improved concentration and mood
Water is vital for the proper function of cells, tissues and all organs in the body and your brain is no exception. Drinking water can help relieve stress and calm your thoughts to help you focus on the day ahead! Drinking the proper amounts of water throughout the day will also boost your overall mood and happiness.

3. Headaches be gone!
Headaches are your brain’s way of telling you it needs more water. The brain is made up of 75% water, and if it doesn’t get enough water, it screams at you in the form of a blinding headache.

4. Cleansing
Getting enough water a day can rid your body of unwanted toxins and waste it’s been holding on to.

5. Suppresses appetite
Sometimes when you feel hungry, your body is actually trying to tell you that it’s thirsty! Drinking water is a great way to hold back those hunger pains and deter overeating.

In Japan, it’s common to start your day with drinking two full glasses of water. While there’s nothing scientifically proven that doing this cures diseases or leads to a longer life, we do recognize that Japan houses the healthy humans in the world. I think we could certainly learn from that and many American health experts also agree that drinking 16 ounces of water immediately upon waking up can improve your overall health.

So exactly how much water should you drink each day? We recommend drinking at least half of your body weight, in ounces. So if you weigh 150 lbs., you need to drink 75 ounces.

Drinking more water is just like any other healthy habit. It takes some time to establish what works best for you and it takes diligence, but you will immediately begin to feel the health benefits from doing it.

Get creative with ways to remind yourself to drink more water. Perhaps that means setting a recurring alert on your smartphone. Or you could take a gallon jug of water and with a marker write time intervals on it (e.g. 9 AM, 11 AM, 1 PM, etc). Another great way to boost your water intake is to involve your coworkers in a water-drinking challenge.

Do you have a creative way to remind yourself to drink more water? We’d love to hear about it! Share your ideas with us via our Facebook Page!