Tips on How to Stay Hydrated In the Backcountry

Have you ever wondered about how much
water we should drink every day for the health’s sake? Many of us were taught
to drink eight 8 glasses a day. However, there’s no one-size-fits-all
recommendation for how much water to drink, and the number of glasses you need
is specific to you. 

Why do we need to keep hydrated every
day? 

Water is the largest single constituent
of the human body and makes up about 50% to 70% of your body weight. Daily
water intake must be balanced with losses to maintain total body water. Body
water deficit would affect body function and lead to dehydration which may
drain your energy and make you tired.

What are the health benefits of drinking
water? 

There are numerous health benefits we
can get from drinking water as every cell, tissue and organ in our body needs
water to work properly. It also helps to normalize blood pressure, maintain a
healthy blood sugar and increase calorie burning. 

How to calculate your ideal daily water
intake?

According to the National Academy of Medicine (NAM), an adequate
intake for total water is 91oz for women and 125oz for men per day. However,
the intake levels vary depending on numerous factors including body mass,
activity level, diet, age and weather conditions.

(https://www.nationalacademies.org/news/2004/02/report-sets-dietary-intake-levels-for-water-salt-and-potassium-to-maintain-health-and-reduce-chronic-disease-risk)

Here we have come up with a solution to
evaluate your ideal water intake level based on your own physical condition.

Example:

A 120-pound female who works out for 60
minutes, where 80% of daily fluid intake comes from drinking water and about
200-300ml of fluid is consumed in every 15 minutes during exercise.

Here is how the calculator determines
her ideal water intake: ((Weight in pounds x 2/3) x 0.75) + (8 oz x (total
minutes of exercise/15))

60 + 32 = 92 ounces 

The above solution is based on the facts
that about 80% of daily fluid intake usually comes from drinking water and the
rest from the food you eat and