Daily intake of water

[giraffe_02]

I wonder if someone could help!! I am aware that you need to take in 8 pints of water a day. The thing I want to know is when I go to the gym I drink lots of water then, does this count as part of your intake? or should I be drinking 8 pints of water besides?

[bobtheturkey]

dunno but i know i wont sleep tonight until i know the answer

[SaxyJag]

Someone was talking about this on TV the other week,

That you need to drink eight pints of water a day is a myth. It comes from when someone once went on TV and said that the average, healthy adult consumes the equivalent of eight pints of water a day. This includes the fluid you take in your food as well as your drinks. Under normal circumstances you don't need to go forcing half a reservoir down your gullet.

'Drink plenty' is a fine maxim. Drink when you're thirsty and as much as you feel you need. Naturally that will increase during or after periods of exercise, exposure to excessive heat or when you're ill.

[Litchick]

Right on SaxyJag, but I read that to wait until you are thirsty to drink is too late. You are already on your way to being a bit dehdrated by then. I would try to drink variously throughout the day.

[Gef]

There's no simple answer to this question. It depends on your lifestyle and diet. What I have learned from various googles is that if you are drinking enough then you should produce about 1.5 litres ( 3 pints) of colourless or very pale yellow urine per day. If you are not, or if your urine is quite dark then you are probably dehydrated.

[Hard@it]

Who actually said that this amount of water (8 pints)was necessary ? If you drank that much every day surely tou would get a pronounced beer belly !

[stoo_pid]

No-one seems to know who actually said it to start off with but it has somehow become accepted wisdom simply because everybody repeats it. (Incidentally, it was 8 glasses of water, not 8 pints)

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[kazzianne]

We have had this question at least three times in the last couple of weeks.Why ? Surely when you go to post a question you have to look and see if it has already been asked before you can post.Not digging at you giraffe,but so many things are getting repeated lately.

[giraffe_02]

I did check the ones before and I didn't see them, but I wanted fresh answers. Do let things like this get you flustered, its only a question!!