How Much Water Should You Really Drink a Day? | Dr. Josh Axe

Summary

Dr. Josh Axe, a Doctor of Functional Medicine and Nutritionist, addresses a common question: How much water should you drink daily? He suggests aiming for 25% to 50% of your body weight in ounces. For instance, a 160-pound person should drink 40-80 ounces daily. But it's not just about quantity. Proper hydration involves drinking water, consuming fruits and vegetables for electrolytes, using natural sea salts like Himalayan salt, and incorporating exercise to improve circulation and hydration. Each step helps ensure your body absorbs nutrients efficiently, keeping you energized and healthy.

Highlights

• Aim for 25% to 50% of your body weight in ounces of water each day! 🚰
• Incorporate more fruits and veggies to boost your electrolyte intake! 🍎🥦
• Enhance hydration with natural sea salt, like Celtic or Himalayan salt! 🌿
• Exercise enhances circulation and helps maintain hydration! 🏃‍♀️
• Staying hydrated isn't just about water; it's about overall balance! 🔄

Key Takeaways

• It's not just about drinking water, but ensuring proper hydration with electrolytes from fruits and veggies! 🥤🍏
• Aiming for 25% to 50% of your body weight in ounces of water daily is a good rule! 🍶
• Adding a pinch of natural sea salt, like Himalayan salt, can enhance hydration by balancing electrolytes! 🧂
• Exercise boosts circulation, helping distribute nutrients and maintain hydration levels! 💪
• A balanced approach to hydration includes water, nutrition, and physical activity! 🌊🥗🏋️

Overview

Dr. Axe dives right into a commonly asked question regarding daily water intake. He explains the golden rule of drinking 25% to 50% of your body weight in ounces. But he quickly starts steering the conversation beyond just water, emphasizing that true hydration also requires attention to electrolytes, most of which we can efficiently get from fruits and vegetables.

In a world where water is usually seen as a solo player in hydration, Dr. Axe introduces the dynamic duo of water and natural electrolytes like magnesium, calcium, potassium, and sodium. Enter fruits and veggies along with a sprinkle of Himalayan or Celtic sea salts into the dietary plan, and you're on your way to mastering hydration!

Exercise isn't left in the dust - movement is key! Dr. Axe recommends any form of exercise to improve circulation, which helps distribute both water and nutrients effectively. By following these hydration steps, you'll not only quench your thirst but also fortify your body's functionality. Now that's a holistic approach to staying hydrated!

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Introduction The introduction chapter is presented by Dr. Axe, a Doctor of Functional Medicine and Nutritionist, who addresses one of the most frequently asked questions he receives from patients: 'How much water should I be drinking a day?' Dr. Axe advises that the recommended daily water intake usually falls between 25% to 50% of one's body weight in ounces. For instance, a person weighing 160 pounds should aim to consume between 40 to 80 ounces of water daily.
• 00:30 - 01:30: The Importance of Hydration This chapter emphasizes the significance of hydration and proper water intake for maintaining health. It suggests that the focus should not only be on the quantity of water consumed daily, which is generally between 40 to 80 ounces, but rather on overall hydration. Dehydration can lead to various negative effects like headaches, low energy, weight gain, reduced detoxification, and a weakened immune system.
• 01:30 - 02:30: Hydration Beyond Water Proper hydration is crucial for overall health and can help alleviate symptoms such as feeling lethargic or experiencing brain fog. The chapter emphasizes that while water is essential, it is the starting point for hydration. It suggests that people should aim to drink half of their body weight in ounces of water daily. For instance, a 160-pound person should carry a 20-ounce container and aim to drink four of those each day to meet their water consumption goal.
• 02:30 - 05:00: The Role of Exercise in Hydration This chapter discusses the role of exercise in hydration, emphasizing the importance of incorporating fruits and vegetables into your diet. These foods are rich in electrolytes such as magnesium, calcium, potassium, and sodium, which are crucial for maintaining proper hydration levels. The chapter also advises not to rely solely on water for hydration but to include these natural sources of electrolytes. Additionally, it suggests adding a small amount of all-natural sea salt, such as Celtic or Himalayan salt, to food to further support the body's hydration needs.
• 05:00 - 06:00: Recap and Conclusion The chapter title 'Recap and Conclusion' focuses on the essential elements for proper hydration and highlights the importance of exercise. The key points discussed include the necessity of consuming adequate amounts of water, along with vital electrolytes like sodium and potassium, commonly found in fruits. It emphasizes that staying hydrated requires a holistic approach, combining the intake of these nutrients with regular physical activity to enhance circulation. Various forms of exercise, such as cardiovascular training, burst training, weight training, or simply walking, are recommended to maintain proper hydration levels.

How Much Water Should You Really Drink a Day? | Dr. Josh Axe Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 Hey guys, Dr. Axe here, Doctor of Functional Medicine and Nutritionist. One of the most common questions I get from patients is, "Dr. Axe, how much water should I be drinking a day?" The answer is typically in between 25% and 50% of your body weight in ounces of water daily. So what this would mean is, if you weigh 160 pounds, you typically want to try and get about about half of that, 80 ounces of water a day or as little as 40 ounces of water a
• 00:30 - 01:00 day. Typically in between 40 to 80 ounces of water a day. Water is vital for your health and for hydration, but let me say this as well, that question of how much water should I be drinking a day isn't necessarily the best questions because it's not just about how much water you're getting, it's about hydration. If you are dehydrated some of the biggest side effects can be headaches, lack of energy, weight gain, lack of cleansing and detoxification, a weakened immune response, getting colds
• 01:00 - 01:30 and flus easily, and really just feeling lethargic, or even brain fog. So proper hydration is so key to your overall health. And again, number one, it does start with water. Your number one goal should be this, start drinking half of your body weight in ounces of water a day. So what I'd recommend, if you weigh, again, 160 pounds, carry around maybe a 20 ounce container of water and drink four of those a day, really increase that water consumption.
• 01:30 - 02:00 Then, step two is getting more fruits and vegetables in your diet. Fruits and vegetables are packed with electrolytes like magnesium, calcium, potassium and sodium. You need to get those good quality electrolytes in your system as well. Not just water but fruits and vegetables as well. And the third thing, you want to be getting, all natural sea salt. Either Celtic salt or Himalayan salt and sprinkle a little of that on your food as well because
• 02:00 - 02:30 when you're getting water you also need sodium, you also need potassium which you're going to get in fruits. And then again, of course, some of the other electrolytes I mentioned. But those are really three of the top four things you should do. Now, the fourth thing you need to do to stay hydrated is actually move and exercise. If you want to stay properly hydrated, you want to increase circulation throughout your body. Any form of exercise can support this whether it's cardiovascular training, burst training, weight training, or just going down and walking.
• 02:30 - 03:00 But movement increases circulation and can really improve your overall electrolyte levels and actually can help circulate and get more nutrients into your cells. So remember these four steps in staying hydrated and really how much water you should drink: Number one, the amount of drinking a day is about 25% to 50% your body weight in water. So again, if you weigh 160 pounds, consume 80 ounces of water a day.
• 03:00 - 03:30 Step two, consume more fruits and vegetables. Try and get 5 to 10 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. Step number three, sprinkle a little bit of Himalayan salt or some sort of sea salt on your food on a regular basis. Step number four, exercise at least three days a week for 20 minutes. If you do those four things, you're going to be well hydrated and that water that you're consuming is going to be properly balanced with electrolytes as well. Hey guys, if you want to learn more about proper hydration, you can check out some of
• 03:30 - 04:00 the articles I've written there on draxe.com. You can search "water", or I've got a great article on Himalayan salt I think you'd like. Also, if you want more health news like this you can subscribe to this YouTube channel. Want to just say, thanks so much for watching and remember, stay hydrated.