Water is essential for our bodies to function correctly and efficiently. It’s vital to our wellbeing and can have a huge impact on our overall health and wellness. Most of us know this, but do you actually know how much water you should be drinking?

We’ve all heard about the good old rule of eight. But, there is no actual scientific evidence to back up that 8 glasses of water a day is a one-size fits all for how much water everyone should drink. The actual amount of water we should be drinking depends completely on the individual. Those who exercise and sweat often will need more water than those who don’t. And individuals that have a vegetable and fruit heavy diet over those who mainly eat grains and meat will need less. On average, by eating a balanced diet heavy on veggies, most of us will get 20%-40% of our daily water needs through food.

However, if you want a more accurate look at how much water you should be drinking try this formula:

Take your body weight, divide it by half this will be the number of ounces you need of water per day. Now adjust that number according to your exercise routine. You should add 12 ounces of water to your daily total for every 30 minutes that you work out.

So for example, if I weights 125 pounds, the ounces of water I need per day are 62.5oz plus 24oz for my hour workout = 86.5oz of water per day.

At the end of the day, is important to take your daily life into consideration. For me almost 3 liters of water might feel like a lot for a day, however I have a glass every morning before my walk, and bring a water bottle with me so I can continue to sip as I walk, I also have a bottle on my desk at all times to remind me to drink during the day and a glass in my night stand. On that note, brb need to refill my bottle.