How Much Water Should I Drink in a Day?
(Extracted from my 3o day Lifestyle Reset Programme)
How much water should you drink in a day depends on several factors:
- How much you’re moving (aka sweating)
- The temperature
- Your body weight
Most adults need to drink between 1.5-2.5 litres of water a day.
You can use this formula to set your goal for how much water you should drink in a day.
- Weigh yourself in pounds.
- Now, divide your weight in pounds by half. E.g. if you weigh 150 pounds: 1/2 = 75 pounds. That’s how much water you need in ounces (just over 2 litres).
- You’ll need more water if you’re sweating a lot either from heat or exercise.
I know, I know, you’ve heard it before ….but honestly, drinking enough water is an essential foundation to a healthy lifestyle.
Here are 5 reasons why we recommend drinking more water:
1. The digestive system depends on it. Without enough water, you will likely get constipated, your capacity to produce the digestive juices that help to break down your food will be impaired and you may also increase your risk of heartburn and stomach ulcers.
2. Your brain is 75% water. When you become dehydrated, your brain shrinks! Reduction of fluid intake has also been shown to promote sleepiness, fatigue, and feelings of confusion, as well as lowering your levels of vigour and alertness.
3. It can help weight loss — especially if you’re eating because you’re thirsty without realising it. If you’re feeling thirsty, you’re already dehydrated.
4. It helps maintain good blood pressure — lack of water can cause blood to become thicker, increasing blood pressure, which in turn and over time, increases the risk of heart disease. So by improving blood flow, you are helping protect yourself from heart disease.
5. It flushes body waste. Water is needed in the processes of sweating and removal of urine and faeces. During the cleanse, it’s very important to make sure things are moving out. As your body detoxes, toxins are released and the toxins must be excreted.
Here’s what we recommend you to do:
- Start every morning with a large glass of warm water and add 1 drop of doTERRA lemon oil or a squeeze of lemon juice. Invest in a refillable 0.5 GLASS (not plastic) bottle (a stainless steel one will do, if that’s what you already have). Drink one first thing in the morning, aiming to finish your second before lunch. Then drink one in the afternoon and a final one in the evening (not too close to bedtime though).
- If you find the taste of water dull, you add a drop of doTERRA essential oils like lemon, grapefruit, tangerine, green mandarin, lime, or, wild orange. They are all high in antioxidants and gently support the detox pathways. You can also add a squeeze of fresh fruit like lemon, lime, orange, or a slice of cucumber. And if you prefer, fizzy is fine too (a Sodastream is great for making fizzy water).
- Don’t drink lots of water with meals, as it decreases digestive power by diluting your stomach acid and other digestive juices. Drinking between meals is best.
A note on tap water: depending on where in the world you live, the quality of the tap water will be slightly different. In general, we highly recommend purchasing a good water filter (I use the Big Berkey. An under-the-sink double filter, or something like a Britta is good too). Not only will it make the water taste better, but it’ll also remove impurities, which means you are drinking purer water — filtered from potential chemicals like chlorine, bacteria, heavy metals, pharmaceuticals, herbicides, and pesticides. None of which are ideal for drinking!
