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Summer Hydration: Your Daily Water Requirements Guide
Summer Hydration: Your Daily Water Requirements Guide

CNET

time9 hours ago

  • General
  • CNET

Summer Hydration: Your Daily Water Requirements Guide

There is a lot to love about the summer months but it is also a time when you have to be more aware of your water bottle. In the hot weather, you're more likely to sweat, which means your body's water levels are more likely to be depleted. But exactly how much water should you be drinking? Should you follow the "eight glasses a day" advice or is that a hydration myth? To get to the bottom of what our water consumption should look like this summer, we talked with a registered dietitian. "The 8x8 rule can be a bit oversimplified for some but it's also not necessarily dangerous," says Renee Fitton, registered dietitian and director of education at L-Nutra, a nutrition technology company. Rather than using specific guidelines across the board, you can instead focus on straightforward habits that can help you get more water into your daily routine. How much water should you drink every day? Fitton says various factors affect how much water one needs daily, including body size, medications, gender, physical activity, climate, health status and altitude. Most of us are also familiar with the old adage: Drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water daily. The eight-by-eight rule guides us to drink 64 ounces (about 1.9 liters) of water each day. Many of us have blindly followed this advice for our entire lives, not knowing where it came from or why we need eight glasses of water. Getty Images Apparently, the eight-by-eight rule came out of a void, because there's no scientific evidence to back it up. It's just another of those long-standing myths people believe because that's what everyone believes. Drinking 64 ounces of water daily isn't bad but it could be too much or not enough for some people. "For some people, simple rules like these help them stay on track. If drinking eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day helps someone hit their hydration goals, then it's a fine starting point. But I wouldn't call it the gold standard," says Fitton. Other guidelines exist but there's still no true consensus. There's no formal recommendation for how much water people should drink daily, perhaps because everyone needs different amounts of water. An "adequate intake" of water for adult men and women does exist but it can vary from person to person. This adequate intake includes water from non-water beverages, such as milk, sports drinks, tea and yes, even coffee. It also includes water from fruits, vegetables and other foods (think of how much water goes into a bowl of oats or soup). The adequate intake is 15.5 cups (3.7 liters or 125 ounces) for average men and 11.5 cups (2.7 liters or 91 ounces) for average women. How you choose to consume these 125 or 91 ounces of fluid is up to you. Although this is the closest figure we have to a recommended daily intake, even these numbers differ for each person based on their health condition. Reasons why you may need to drink more water Getty Images You have an active job: Those on the go all day (especially folks who work outdoors) may need more water than most people. The more you move, the more you sweat, and you should replace lost water (and electrolytes) through fluid intake. If you are working outside during a heat wave, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends drinking 8 ounces (1 cup) of water every 15 to 20 minutes during work. Drinking water before and after work can help prevent dehydration. You exercise often: If you don't have an active job but you do exercise a lot -- whether in the gym or through recreational activities -- you also need more water than most. Even if you don't realize it, you lose a lot of fluids during physical activity (even in cold weather). Up your water intake to account for activity (especially travel activity). You live in a hot climate: Hot weather means increased sweating and replacing the lost fluid is important. Dryness compounds fluid loss in hot weather -- people in desert climates may need more water than those in tropical climates. You're pregnant or breastfeeding: Pregnant women need more water to encourage improved circulation, increased calorie intake and other physiological processes that support their baby's growth. Breastfeeding women need extra water to support breast milk production. Your urine is dark in color: The color of your urine can tell you a lot about your hydration levels. "The color of your urine is the best and most personalized, consistent and immediate way to measure hydration throughout the day. We want to look for light yellow pee, not fully clear (over-hydrated) but also not deep yellow or amber (under-hydrated)," says Fitton. You have a dry mouth, chapped lips or muscle cramps: Yep, when you are dehydrated your body will let you know. "Water is such a critical substance for life so when we're lacking, our body will no longer work at its peak capacity and this can persist in many ways and uniquely from one person to another," Fitton says. Hydration hacks to help you drink more water Getty Images Different people follow different rules for hydrating. These four common guidelines can help you stay hydrated no matter your lifestyle. Drink when you're thirsty There's some controversy surrounding this method. Some health professionals say you shouldn't overcomplicate hydration and your body tells you when it needs water. Others say waiting until you're thirsty is waiting too long -- that you're already dehydrated when you feel thirsty. Some people seem to have stronger thirst mechanisms than others so this method may not work for you. Drink a glass before meals and between meals This isn't bad advice. Structuring water intake around a ritual like mealtime can ingrain hydration as a habit. Your total water intake will vary depending on how many meals you eat. If you eat three meals, you'll drink five glasses of water according to this rule, which may not be enough (unless they're big glasses). This rule probably won't work for you if you don't have a routine eating pattern. Drink eight glasses daily Generic health advice rarely works for everyone. If you feel adequately hydrated on 64 ounces of water each day, then that amount is likely sufficient to keep you hydrated. If you feel overly hydrated (clear urine, very frequent urination or swelling), cut back slightly. If you feel dehydrated (dark urine, headaches, infrequent urination, lightheaded or fatigue), eight glasses may not be enough for you. Drink half your body weight in ounces This is a simple guideline that's easy to remember and usually easy to achieve. If you weigh 150 pounds, aim to drink 75 ounces of water each day. This is the only rule of thumb that accounts for different body sizes but it doesn't account for thirst, climate, activity level or other factors. Make water visible and accessible Fitton says that keeping your water accessible at all times provides a visual reminder to drink water. She also recommends using an app like WaterMinder that sends daily reminders to drink water. Pair your water intake with your daily habits Another great way to get your daily water intake is to make drinking water part of your daily habits. This can look like drinking water right when you wake up, after eating a meal or right before you leave the house. "These mini habits build on things you already do, so you're not trying to remember to do something new. The more you tie hydration into your daily routine, the easier it becomes," says Fitton. Experiment with hydration techniques to find what works for you. As long as you're not battling chronic fatigue, lightheadedness, headaches or other signs of dehydration, you are probably doing a pretty good job. As a failsafe, you can always determine whether you are under or overhydrated based on the color of your urine.

WA government braces for testing time from Greens after call to extend North West Shelf
WA government braces for testing time from Greens after call to extend North West Shelf

ABC News

time18 hours ago

  • Business
  • ABC News

WA government braces for testing time from Greens after call to extend North West Shelf

WA Premier Roger Cook got his wish this week. Woodside's North West Shelf gas project can continue operating off the Pilbara coast until 2070, and he can finally get industry off his back. But don't ask him about the impact on climate. Mr Cook was waiting with bated breath for the outcome of the decision from Federal Environment Minister Murray Watt, who approved the project's extension. But green groups are not buying the reasoning for his support of the project — a bold claim about WA's gas. "Our gas is about providing the opportunity for the globe to decarbonise," Mr Cook said on Thursday. And it's something they're going to take him to task on. Mr Watt said he considered the potential impacts extending the life of the plant would have on the national heritage values of nearby rock art and the economic matters, but the act which governs environmental approvals does not include provisions to consider the climate change impact of a project. Which might explain why conversations regarding the climate have largely been pushed under the rug. The premier chose to focus more on jobs and the economy, dodging questions about the impact of emissions. "This saves literally thousands of jobs in Western Australia … and secures the future for Karratha," Mr Cook told reporters. Federal and state Labor agree gas is important and will play a large role in the energy transition. "In order to get that investment in renewables, you do need firming capacity, whether it be batteries, hydro or gas. And that is what will encourage that investment and the transition to occur," Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Thursday. Deputy Premier Rita Saffioti echoed a very similar sentiment on Friday. "This is all about making sure we get the balance right and making sure ... we also have the resources to continue to deliver affordable and reliable energy as we go through the transition," she said. But green groups reject those lines entirely. Greenpeace Australia Pacific's Geoff Bice thinks Mr Watt's decision could have provided a "step in earnest" away from fossil fuels — not towards. "At the end of the day, there's a competition on for the role of energy being between renewable energy and polluting fossil fuels," he said. "The decision to extend the life of the North West Shelf only makes that transition harder and pushes it out further both for our domestic economy and the regional economy." Protest after protest has posed the same question about Australia's role in bringing down global emissions — is the government beholden to gas giants? Or, as more informally put by federal Tasmanian Greens Senator Peter Whish-Wilson — do we have "a government that is in bed with big fossil fuel companies"? WA Mines Minister David Michael was asked on Thursday if both state and federal Labor are prioritising gas over traditional owners' cultural sites — namely nearby ancient Aboriginal rock art on the Burrup Peninsula (Murujuga) near Karratha, which traditional owners say will be "stripped" from them with this extension. "We're prioritising making sure we have gas in our system in WA to keep the lights on and to support industry," he said. The WA government might be supporting industry but it won't be able to dodge questions about climate — and the impact on traditional owners — much longer. Especially now with not one, but four upper house Greens MPs champing at the bit to hold it to account. New Greens MLC Jess Beckerling used Question Time this week to point out discrepancies in the executive summary of the Rock Art Monitoring Report released last Friday by the government — which studied the impacts of industrial air emissions on those ancient rock carvings at Murujuga. Referring to a line missing in a graph contained in the report, University of Western Australia professor of archaeology Benjamin Smith claimed the government "doctored" it. WA Environment Minister Matthew Swinbourn said the "graph in the summary document was simplified", but the pressure from the Greens is likely not done yet. And the headaches didn't stop there for the government. In some awkward timing, an interim UNESCO report released on Tuesday knocked back the Murujuga Cultural Landscape to the World Heritage list, citing concerns about emissions degrading the Aboriginal carvings. The draft decision called on the government to "ensure the total removal of degrading acidic emissions" — which might be a little hard to do now, until after 2070. "It is disappointing that the draft decision is heavily influenced by claims made in the media and correspondence from non-government organisations, rather than scientific and other expert evidence," Mr Watt said in a statement. Gas might be a balancing act for the federal and state governments, but one thing is certain — concerns about the climate are mounting and the pressure won't be letting up any time soon. So it best be prepared to answer tough questions.

Energy Department expands eligibility for clean fuel tax credit
Energy Department expands eligibility for clean fuel tax credit

E&E News

time20 hours ago

  • Business
  • E&E News

Energy Department expands eligibility for clean fuel tax credit

The Energy Department on Friday expanded the range of companies and producers that can claim the clean fuel production tax credit under Democrats' climate law — delivering a win for biofuels proponents on a tax incentive that was the subject of intense debate under the Biden administration. The Trump administration announced it was updating the modeling tool used to determine eligibility to claim the credit, which it said would account for new feedstocks and methods of production like ethanol from corn wet-milling and natural gas from coal mine methane. Lou Hrkman, principal deputy assistant secretary for energy efficiency and renewable energy, said in a statement the latest version of the modeling tool will allow more farmers 'to reap the benefits of a rapidly expanding market for alternative transportation fuels.' Advertisement The department also released an updated user manual that provides guidelines for how to determine life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions of certain production pathways.

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