Conventional wisdom holds that in order to stay healthy, you need to drink at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water every day, which is not quite two liters. That’s all well and good for the spring, autumn and winter, but what about those hot summer months? Should you be drinking more, and if so, how much more?
It’s an excellent question, and one that comes up every summer. The short answer is yes! You absolutely should increase your water intake during the summer. Below, we’ll give you some good guidelines regarding how much.
The first thing to bear in mind is that there’s no one “right” answer to this question. Since everyone’s physiology is different, your sweet spot where summertime water intake is concerned will be different from your neighbor’s. That said, in general, you want to add one liter per day to your water intake, bumping it up to three liters a day.
If you spend a lot of time outside in the sun, then you’ll want to add another liter to that, for a total of four. If you work outdoors, or if you’re in relatively poor health, then you’ll want to add another liter on top of that, for a total of five.
Simply drinking more water, though, is only part of the equation. You’ll also want to augment your water intake with all natural fruit juices (not from concentrate) and things like coconut water, all of which help your body to retain it.
Further, if you work or play hard in the sun, then you’re going to be losing lots of nutrients your body needs, and a drink like PowerAde or Gatorade will help replenish you in addition to quenching your thirst.
At the end of the day, the reality is that it’s almost impossible to drink too much water, so it’s always better to err on the side of more, rather than less. Stay cool this summer, and more importantly, stay hydrated!