8 glasses of water Too much or too little?

Its summer and the most common question people ask me is how much water should I drink? Be it summer winter or monsoon, most people think they need to do eight glasses of water.

Normally people should follow a rule of thumb – for every 22.5 kgs of body weight that you carry, drink one litre of water. A more practical solution according to me is basing your water intake on the colour of your urine.

As long as you are not taking vitamin B2 which turns your urine bright yellow, your urine should be a light- coloured yellow. If it’s deep or dark yellow colour, or worse, yellowish orange, then you are not simply drinking enough water. Following this method can help you directly align your water intake with what your body is asking for as this is a far more accurate approach than blindly drinking a rigid amount of water per day.

The norm of having eight glasses of water a day appears to have been outshone by this more natural and convenient method of determining water intake. We should ensure that the cumulative amount of clean water that we drink is eight glasses of water per day which can be then fine tuned to your body’s needs so it is perfect for you.

Essentially what needs to be done, however simplistic this may sound, is to “let your thirst be your guide” When your body begins to lose 1-2 per cent of its total water, your thirst mechanism lets you know it’s time to drink water. If you are healthy in all respects other than your weight then drinking when you feel thirsty should be adequate guide of how much water you need.

When the mercury soars on the thermometer, your body naturally perspires- losing a lot of water in the process. So if it is hot outside or you are exercising or doing some vigorous physical activity you will require water more than normal to ensure you stay hydrated. It is important to note that thirst mechanisms reach its peak in our youth so the older you get the more aware you should be of your water levels.