The whole thing is everyone is different as are their needs so to say it's absolutely *not* necessary to drink x-gallons of water a day is as uninformed as to require you to drink a set amount. It's similar to a calorie count. Someone sitting around in moderate temperatures will certainly not need the fluid intake a laborer in hot weather will require. I like water and always have. At the cabin we had a well with very hard water with a distinctive taste many didn't like but I sure did. It would affect the taste of things like Kool Aid and even coffee. I always looked forward to the Kool Aid and nectar at the lake. I used to have very good water here but they switched wells and it got worse. I always filter water for coffee, drinks, ice and cooking (at home). When I travel I clean the coffeemaker well and use bottled water.

Yep, I'm doing better. Not sure how much I'm actually drinking but I fill my water bottle up at work at least 8 times a day - with ice. I keep Ice in the freezer at work. I work out after work for two hours so I need the extra water. When I'm at the gym, I drink probably a half a bottle then and then I drink it up on the way home. I can't work out and drink lots of water. It just doesn't work for me.

Posted by aptosca: "If I drink too much liquids it makes me nauseous. I told that to the Urologist and he looked at me strangely like I was crazy. " You can DIE from drinking too much water. It has happened to people. Too much water throws the electrolyte balance off. Posted by loggerbaby: "i read somewhere you can literally drown yourself by drinking too much water." No. No, you cannot "drown" by drinking too much water. There is no way to consume so much water that your lungs fill up with water. The body does not work that way. If someone dies because their lungs are filled with fluid, it is solely due to a bacterial infection of the lungs, like pneumonia or some other malady - not because they drank a lot of water. ----------- Drinking more water than your body needs won't make your hair shiny like so many people think. Nor will it make your skin look young and your nails grow faster. It won't help you lose weight or get smarter. One should listen to their body's cues. Drink water when you are thirsty. Drink water shortly before any strenuous activity like swimming or Yoga where you know you will be sweating to keep the body cool. That water needs to be replaced. Drinking water that has caffeine added to it (iced tea/coffee) in an attempt to rehydrate, sort of defeats the purpose. Caffeine is a diuretic and causes the body to rid itself of the water and actually can cause dehydration no matter how many gallons of ice tea are drank. This is the same reason that a person can die of thirst on a life raft in the middle of the ocean. People scratch their heads and wonder in amazement how someone could die of thirst in the middle of the ocean. >>Its because the ocean is salty.I can't tell you how many times I've seen people dump salt on their food because in their mind, they think that since the salt causes them to drink more water, that they are "doing the body good". ------------ A guy in my neighborhood died from drinking too much water. Here is a fairly recent news story about the woman who drank too much water in a contest and died immediately afterward. The radio station got sued because the station KNEW that the stunt was dangerous. A woman who identified herself as a nurse called in live, on the show and said the contest should stop because someone could die. The DJ laughed and hung up on her. Woman dies from drinking too much water. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16614865/ Here is a link that might be useful: Wii contest

I can't eat after I've been sweating unless it's guacamole and chips. :) Trail, you make a good point about sugar. It plays a big part in helping hydrate our bodies. Taken from the internet and I've read this many times, "The specific amount of sugar and electrolytes in sports drinks is intended to allow for quick hydration and absorption. This type of nutrient depletion generally occurs only with high-intensity exercise that lasts an hour or more." DS2 has been working out like this for 20 years and I think since he's now living in Florida his body is trying to tell him something, if that's the reason. Honey is also good if you make a homemade drink. Water, tea, seltzer, etc. is all fine for minor dehydration, but not for extreme workouts or anything that causes a lot of sweat for a long period of time. Sweating constantly for an hour is losing a lot of liquid. I've sure learned a lot on this topic.