How much water do you drink every day? Be honest. One bottle during your workout? Maybe a few sips here and there throughout the day between coffee, tea, soda, or just no drink at all?
I was listening to the Model Health Show last week and Shawn Stevens was talking about “7 Small Changes To Help You Burn More Fat This Year“. Guess what was #1. Yep. Water. ((wouldn’t it have been funny if I threw you a curveball and said eat more beans or something??))
In this episode, he talked specifically about how much you should be drinking at one time. Not necessarily throughout the day, but in one sitting.
According to a study by The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism “water drinking induced thermogenesis is an important unrecognized component of daily energy expenditure.”
Pause. Before I go on, let me explain thermogenesis.
By my understanding, thermogenesis is heat production. So water induced thermogenesis, is the warming action that happens within the body when drinking fluids below your body temperature. That’s pretty much anything because who is drinking something that is 98 degrees? And when your body works to create heat, calories are burned. Simple as that.
So, how much should you drink in one sitting?
In this study, participants drank 500 mL or 50 mL of water in one sitting. Participants who consumed 500 mL, or 17 ounces, saw a thermogenic reaction within 10 minutes. So kiss those little baby sips goodbye. Challenge yourself to stop, drop, and chug and get that water in!
How much do you need to drink per day?
I like to aim for at least half my body weight in ounces per day. So if I weigh 300 pounds, I drink 150 ounces each day. Make sense? At a minimum, I try to drink two full Nalgene bottles per day, or around 2 L.
Beware, not all liquids are created equal.
Water obviously counts toward your intake, but not all drinks do. For example, a sweetened iced tea is not going to count. Why? Because you’re also consuming so much sugar that the health benefits are buried. Don’t worry though! If you’re sick of water, there are plenty of tasty alternatives. La Croix (my favorite is the lemon flavored one!), lemon water, unsweetened tea, or using a fruit-infuser bottle would all be ways to switch up the bland flavor.
This year, lets all hold each other accountable to drinking enough water.
I’m not perfect, there are days where I leave my Nalgene all alone somewhere, and my water intake suffer. Each week, let’s challenge someone to stop, drop and chug 500 mL aka 17 ounces, aka one big glass of water. You can use Facebook, texting, Instagram, Snapchat—totally up to you! Tag me while you’re at it with the hashtag #getwellwithem 🙂
Interesting! Yet another reason I have to encourage clients to keep up on that water intake. 😉
Miss you and your honesty. Hope all is well!
Exactly! Just another way to think of it. Hope Duluth is treating you well!
Loved this! Definitely my New Years Resolution.
I know it makes me feel better…why is it so hard?
If I don’t keep a water bottle by my side at all times–I never reach my goal. Over time it will get easier!
Thanks for the info about thermogenesis – fascinating! That sounds like a LOT of water in one sitting – but I’m going to try it!
it will definitely seem like a lot at first, but it also really helps you up your water intake! let me know how it goes!
We just love your writings. Very informative! Thank you !
Thanks for reading Debbie, I appreciate the support!
Chug-a-lug, chug-a-lug, gullllp, burrrp!
17 Down, Em!
Good morning! You prbly don’t know it, but Roger Miller had a hit sing in the ’60s called Chug-a-lug; howevet it referred to a potent potable! As in:
Chug-a-lug, chug-a-lug
Make you want to holler hi-de-ho
Burns your tummy, don’tcha know
Chug-a-lug, chug-a-lug…
Chug-A-Lug https://g.co/kgs/5IoOSV
Oh aunt patty, you always make me laugh! Keep drinkin that water–unfortunately the fun things to chug-a-lug don’t count!