The recommended fluid intake for healthy adults is 2 to 3 quarts of liquid (preferably water) a day.  Additional fluids are needed when working out. Here’s a cheat sheet on the recommended fluid intake during exercise that will help you not cheat your body out of proper hydration!

Fluid-Intake During Exercise:
-2 hours before exercising – Drink 17-20 ounces of water
-Every 10-20 minutes during exercise – Drink 7-10 ounces of water
-After Exercise – drink 16-24 ounces of water for every pound of water you lost during exercise (you’ll need to weight yourself before and after your workout to calculate how much water you lost while exercising)

A Few More Tips On Hydration:
*By the time you feel thirsty, you are already dehydrated. We get the sense of thirst as a reaction to dehydration, so if you’re thirsty as you read this, you’re can bet you’re dehydrated and need to drink up!

*Dark urine is another tell-tale sign of dehydration. Urine will be clear or pale yellow when you are properly hydrated. If you enjoy a lot of caffeine, which is a diuretic, you’re urine may be deceptively clear even when you are dehydrated. When drinking caffeine it is wise to compensate for its diuretic effect by drinking extra water.