HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Do you all carry around a water bottle? I have been in so many airports recently, and I see people in the screening line, frantically gulping the water from their personal bottles–aluminum, plastic, glass, decorated, simple, massive, tiny, whatever– and they are slugging down water like mad.
I see so many backpacks with water bottles,dangling from them, and people with water bottles in their tote bags and purses, and tucked into the sides of their suitcases.
The wonderful people at Lark and Owl Bookstore gave me this gorgeous sleek one as a gift, which I absolutely adore, and it made me start to wonder – – you know, I don’t carry a water bottle around. I don’t search for water, or think about water very much. Maybe I should start? With this bottle as an inspiration?
I moused around the Internet, and found by “asking how much water do you really need to drink?” that the answers are anywhere from 8 cups a day to 15.5 cups a day. I have never had 15 cups of water a day.
One article I read said the advice to drink 8 cups of water a day comes from a 1945 recommendation from the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Research Council. Anyone, anyone? But now experts are arguing you don’t really need that much water.
Yes, there are times when I have been “thirsty," and I know that’s a bad thing.
One quote I found, and I have no idea who this person is, said the reality is that people have been kind of making it up about the guidelines. That it’s all based on individual, metabolism, and climate, and age and activity.
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So Reds and Readers, how attached are you to your water bottle?
How careful are you about hydration?
LUCY BURDETTE: Very attached! You might remember that I have Meniere’s disease, which causes vertigo and tinnitus among other unpleasant symptoms. Medical people don’t have much to offer on this, so I have been seeing a naturopath who has given me a normal life back. The first thing he insisted on was lots of water–I’m supposed to drink 64 oz a day. I mostly do, especially when I’m home and can visit the loo often! He has a way he can measure my hydration so I can’t fib about it either LOL.
HANK: That is fascinating! I wonder why that works…
HALLIE EPHRON: My doctor also has me drinking A LOT of water. Turns out it has many benefits. And my daughter gave me that carrying cup that’s been an internet sensation. I have not opened it yet. But then right now I’m mostly home. Where there’s a water faucet. And a refrigerator.
It’s not too bad if I also count the liquid I drink… coffee, soup, pretty much anything wet can be counted.
(HANK: You mean the Stanley Cup? That's another thing that got me thinking about this. Anyone have one? We want a full report!)
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RHYS BOWEN: I know I should drink more water, but 64 ounces? I’d be rushing to the loo all day and all night! I reckon that I have enough fluids including teas, soup, juices etc. my kids carry their water bottles everywhere with them. I used to when I hiked. But I do have a glass beside me when I’m driving.
DEBORAH CROMBIE: I do drink a lot of water, and as I don’t drink sodas or iced tea, that’s pretty much all I drink other than my two cups of hot tea every day. I don’t measure, but my drinking glass is 16 oz, and I refill at least three or four times a day, maybe more. I do also carry a travel bottle (my favorite was bought at the Key West airport!) but I also fall down on my hydration when traveling. I don’t want to be on the road or on the plane and desperate for the loo every five minutes! Oh, and I always carry water with me in the summer in Texas–it’s essential. I have a good insulated bottle for that, but that one is heavier than I like to use for travel.
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JENN McKINLAY: I live in the desert so I am a big water drinker. I don’t measure the amount, but the Hooligans gave me a hefty metal pink water bottle and I dutifully fill it and drink it dry every day. I have noticed when I’m in a cooler climate, I don’t drink as much.
JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: I agree with Jenn; I had to train myself to drink more water in the winter, when my drafty old farmhouse is always cool. I used to be terrible with soda and powdered drinks; I’ve replaced them with water over the past six or seven years. I have six reusable glass water bottles in the fridge (got the idea from my friend Jessica Ellicott) and I try - not always successfully - to drink them all in a day.
For those of us who fall short, I have good news from my doctor: he said your body counts all water in your diet, including what’s contained in fruits, veggies, and even meat!
HANK: Water, anyone? Do you carry a water bottle? Are you conscious of how much water you do--or don't--drink?
I am in the air most of the day--and hoping there's wi-fi so I can check in! If not...you all keep talking, okay? And I promise to catch up.
I don't carry a water bottle around, but I do take water in my car whenever I am heading out. I don't actually calculate the amount I drink, but every day I drink water and coffee . . . lots of coffee . . . and a mug of tea most evenings, so I imagine I get somewhere close to that sixty-four ounces a day.
ReplyDeleteI have a water bottle that gets filled up when I am home. I'm drinking from it during the way. Since I work from home, I am used to that as my source of water. I usually drink about 64 oz. a day. Sometimes more, like if I went for a run.
ReplyDeleteWhen I worked in an office (and I guess again soon, unfortunately), I would have a mug I'd fill up with water during the day, take it back to my cubicle, and drink, then go refill it. Not a water bottle, but it also got me up and out of my cubicle a little more often.
It would probably make more sense to have the water bottle at work, but I never did that.
Mark, it sounds like something that makes you get up and stretch your legs a bit IS better in the office. Sorry you're going back... it continues to confound me how, in a time when we can communicate face to face instantly across continents, there are still so many businesses that want their employees back in the cubicle farm.
DeleteI think too many people don't work as hard as they should when working from home, and they are ruining it for those of us who do. What surprised me is, after a long time of telling us they had no plans to make us go back, they are suddenly saying "Everyone else is making their employees go back, so we are, too." They claim is to strengthen a corporate culture. Sorry, but I don't care about that at all. Oh, and the people they've hired who don't live in the area are grandfathered in and can keep working from home. Which I'm sorry, isn't remotely fair. (And I know life isn't fair, but come on!)
DeleteOkay, ranting over.
Wow. That was a huge question when we knew our group was being spun off into a separate company - would the program that allowed us to choose in-office/hybrid/remote stay in place? Fortunately, it did. My group has writers in Pittsburgh, Silver Spring, Utah, Florida, Alabama, and Texas. There's no way we'd be able to do it if we couldn't work remote.
DeleteI carry a water bottle when I leave the house, and I drink water and tea and coffee through the day. I can feel it when I don't "hydrate" enough.
ReplyDeleteYes to water. I am drinking my warm lemon water as I type this comment! At home, it's in a cafe au lait-sized mug, and I usually fill it 4-5 times/day. I take my stainless steel water bottle with me when I am out walking, and also when travelling.
ReplyDeleteI make sure to drink a LOT of water. I'm such a water enthusiast that Hubby and I just wrote a HUGE check to have a whole-house water filtration system installed. Granted, our well water is horrible and we've had to buy water for ages, so this new system will save us from buying all the plastic gallon jugs of purified water. But since I drained my entire kitchen-remodel account on this thing, water is definitely on my mind.
ReplyDeleteOuch, Annette! But I'm sure it will pay off. I'm lucky in that my well water tastes wonderful - but it's hard. Really hard. Which means minerals clogging up the lines in the dishwasher, the clothes washer, etc.
DeleteI've been thinking about having a filter/water softener put in, but I'm afraid it will change the taste for the worse. Decisions, decisions...
I always have a water bottle with me. That doesn’t mean I drink from it all the time but I always have it with me in case the kids get thirsty or I need a drink.
ReplyDeleteI have a big Amesbury Police Department mug at my desk, where I am all morning, and I refill it several times. It helps that our city water is excellent and tastes good.
ReplyDeleteI always have a reusable water bottle when I'm traveling but not when I'm out walking for an hour. Getting up and going to the loo keeps me moving, and that's a good thing. Safe travels today, Hank.
I don't carry a water bottle and every day I have to remind myself to drink water. Does tea and hot chocolate count as water intake?
ReplyDeleteIt does, Dru Ann! The body's need for water can be met a lot of ways, including in what we eat and other things we drink. The great thing about water is that is doesn't deliver anything else: no sugar, no sodium, etc. etc.
DeleteIt's Jay! The site won't let my post go up under my name for some reason this morning.
ReplyDeleteI do bring a water bottle wherever I go.
Every time I go to the doctor, and they do labs they say I need to drink more water, so I try to do that. I drink water all day long at work and at night at home. Not like a fish but I make sure I drink throughout the day.
I drink something with taste for dinner and have cut back my soda to just on Thursday (trivia night) and Saturday (hanging at the comic shop).
But other than milk with my cereal, I drink water so that I'm at least doing one thing the doctor tells me to do.
Glad to hear it, Jay!
DeleteEdith, well I have to be around to annoy you with hopes for more Robbie Jordan books after all!
DeleteWriting as fast as I can on #13!
DeleteJay, if you needed another medical water drinking incentive, the phlebotomist told me this morning the more hydrated I am the easier for her to find the vein. Elisabeth
DeleteI’ll go with recent studies that say it’s not 64 0z of water PLUS whatever liquids. If you are a regular coffee drinker then it doesn’t act as a diuretic so coffee counts, the milk on my cereal, soup, yoghurt afternoon ginger tea, (wine at dinner?) and chocolate milk. If I’m in the car for a trip over an hour there’s probably a Yeti cup with ice water in it.
ReplyDeleteYeah, that's what my doctor said, Anon.
DeleteI probably don't drink enough water even though I have a water bottle or mug of water with me at all times. I have dry eyes and a dry mouth so I know that the more fluids I take in the better. But then there is the problem of getting up to visit the bathroom several times at night. My doctor said she could prescribe something that would help with that. But one of the side effects would be dry mouth and eyes so I said no to that. I think it's the dry mouth that wakes me up in the night anyway. It's different from thirst because I'm not thirsty; I just need that glug of water in my mouth. I have found that if I can not have water handy chewing gum helps.
ReplyDeleteI keep a glass of water next to my laptop and drink continuously all day. The more water I consume, the less frequent are my trips to the loo. Go figure.
ReplyDeleteThat's interesting, Margaret. I wonder why? Maybe the body becomes more efficient at using water?
DeleteI don't think about it, but water is mostly what I drink. Go out to a meal? Water, most of the time. Water at home. I think a good cold glass of ice water is lovely - but I have to watch how cold I make it nowadays because the cold will set off the neuralgia in my arm. And lukewarm water just isn't the same.
ReplyDeleteI've had a number of water bottles over the years that I tried to fill in the morning and drink throughout the day. Somehow, they always end up in my son's gym bag - despite the fact he has his own massive (and I do mean massive, like 1/2 gallon) bottle. I always have something when I'm traveling, but I try to watch it because yeah, don't want to desperately need a pee when I'm on the Turnpike, 50 miles from the next rest area.
I'm glad to hear tea counts because that I DO drink a lot of - especially in the cold weather! And given how many times I visit the loo during the day, well, I'm probably doing just fine.
Liz, I so prefer water at room temperature…ice water tastes really strange to me. Wish that I could lend your neuralgia my taste in water. ;) Elisabeth
DeleteI just filled a bottle with water to take in the car right before I sat down to read this blog. I normally only take water with me if I am going to do something physical, but I should drink more on a daily basis. One guideline I have seen is to drink half your body weight in ounces of water when exercising heavily, which makes more sense to me than a blanket amount for everyone.
ReplyDeleteWhen diagnosed with heart problems my mother was instructed to limit her fluid intake and yes, that includes all sorts of foods and beverages in addition to water.
Too much water all at once is not good for your kidneys and affects your electrolytes. If your urine is often colorless, you are likely drinking too much water for your body. If your urine is really dark in color you may be dehydrated.
Brenda, my mother - who was an RN - gave me the urine tip years ago. Pale yellow is the perfect color or at least that's what she told me.
DeleteBrenda, sometimes “Dr Mom” knows best…my urologist tells me the same thing..paler the better. Elisabeth
DeleteOh shoot that anonymous was me
ReplyDeleteI drink water from a glass. Preferably over ice cubes. In probably 2 or 3 sessions – see large chunk of water go down. It quenches my thirst.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter has been yammering on for her kids to carry around what looks to me like a germ-infested swamp and keep drinking it all day. Picture this – they are happily playing some fantasy game or killing each other or the dog, and she forces them to stop and have a drink. What? If they were thirsty they would take one or ask for one. I have never seen the container go in the dishwasher, or even be well rinsed out – gross! When our kids were kids, they would come in the house after playing outside (ok, no SPF 157 either – they should have died), and would have a glass of kool-aid. I was a terrible mother.
As for the sight of a water-bottle always being sucked on – to me it is a titty-bottle for adults. Just get a drink!
I'm laughing, I admit. Don't be so shy Margo, tell us what you really think! :-D
DeleteMy mother has been hospitalized four times for dehydration, including during an important part of my youngest daughter's college graduation, and a couple of our male friends have, too. It can be a dramatic way to learn a lesson about staying hydrated. Now Mother carries a big Yeti with a straw that is filled with almost cold water twice a day.
ReplyDeleteOne of the scenes in Slumdog Millionaire--no, not the one where they are resealing used bottles, although I still think of that--shows a backwater in Mumbai teeming with used plastic, bottles and bags. And a big part of the Plastic Gyre in the ocean, which is miles and miles wide, is composed of bottles and bags, along with other debris. Then I found out how much petroleum and WATER ( a LOT!) is used to make all this instantly disposable plastic. I was so horrified by this that I adopted the French habit of carrying a foldable shopping bag and a reusable water bottle at all times.
One year for Christmas everyone in the family got a nice metal water bottle and two bags, and glory be, they're still using them, almost 18 years later. One of my bags is now 22 years old, still holding up after having been washed, folded and stuck in my purse or bag a million times. We also have collected some nice metal bottles from safari companies we've used; there is such a problem with bottle waste that they provide a way to avoid using them. It is actually illegal to take plastic bags into Kenya.
Water replaces other, worse/sugary drinks that could slake thirst, and a secret my doctor told me years ago for traveling: you can avoid travel constipation from dry-aired planes if you make sure you hydrate before, during and after a long flight. It works.
Your poor mother, Karen! Kim Hays points out, below, that as we age our thirst signals can weaken, which is why elderly people are so much more prone to dehydration.
DeleteI love hearing about the efforts in African countries to cut down on bottle waste! We could do an entire week of blogs on how bad all that plastic is and how frustrating it can be to not be able to opt out of it - the last time I needed mayo I searched high and low for a glass jar and couldn't find a single brand that wasn't using plastic...
Isn't that crazy? I need to learn how to
Deletemake my own mayo. It's supposed to be easy.
I don't carry water when I exercise unless I am going for a long walk or run, and probably drink more tea than water most of the year. This post is a good reminder that I probably need to drink a bit more water. It is my go-to if I feel thirsty. When I was a child, I noticed that when I was really hot and sweaty, water was much more satisfying than were sugary sodas. That was some good wisdom that I carried into adulthood.
ReplyDeleteI always have an insulated water bottle in the car. I don’t want to be without water (Central Florida) in case of car trouble, etc. Also took an empty bottle through security when flying last Nov. and filled it on the other side. Used a caribiner to attach to my backpack. I know I don’t drink enough though.
ReplyDeleteMarcia, that was why having pre-filled reusable bottles helped me so much. I wasn't at ALL good at remembering to have water, but seeing them in the door of my fridge first thing in the morning, and then lining up the empties next to me sink as the day goes by, serves as a constant visual reminder. I'm drinking my third bottle of the day while typing this!
DeleteTravel day means 1 cup of coffee instead of 2 or 3. One glass of water when I wake up and then just sips until I reach my destination. Otherwise, tea and coffee and some water all day. I don't measure.
ReplyDeleteI drink water from my fun bottle when I play a sport .I drink seltzer water when I do errands. I drink water as I want to not that I have too. I have played tennis with women whom don’t drink water which is not smart or safe. I think everyone’s body type, make up is different needs for water too, could be wrong. When traveling usually a plastic bottle to refill after check point or throw away, always water on airline. Water more important than soda, sugar drinks, that doesn’t hydrate you. Then also out in sun, sports if u need hydration tablets like Nune, pop in your mouth or water too, flavored , buy at grocery. Common sense girls, spending more time having fun than peeing. Cheers, Hank. Hope to catch u in person in Boston this summer or next time in SC.
ReplyDeleteJani, your common-sense prescription made me laugh: spend more time having fun than peeing! :-D
DeleteHank I am so glad you brought this up. I have not been drinking enough water lately. Fruit drinks and coffee (just 1 cup a day) yes, but I need to get back to drinking plain ole water.
ReplyDeleteAnon, that was me. I drank everything BUT water. I credit my young adult kids with kicking me into better habits.
DeleteI take an insulated water bottle with ice water to work because water from the fountain is warm and does not taste good. At home I fall down on hydration. Spent last Thursday in the ER with an IV drip of fluids because I wasn't feeling well for a few days and didn't take in enough fluids. Lesson learned.
ReplyDeleteYikes, Flora! Glad you're okay now. Dehydration is no joke, it is literally life-threatening.
DeleteThanks, Karen!
DeleteI don't carry a water bottle. Too fussy for me. But as one who has collapsed from dehydration twice in my life, I'm very conscious of drinking plenty of water throughout the day. My doctor advises 60 ounces, but after about 50 or so, it feels like I'm up to my ears with it.
ReplyDeleteGood heavens, Gay, that level of dehydration is scary! That would definitely help me remember to keep pushing water, bottle or no bottle!
DeleteI try really hard to drink as much water as I can. In the morning I have a large mug of coffee, then I drink water the rest of the day. No sugary drinks, juices. or sodas in this house. When I was still working, it was easier to drink lots of water, because I was at a desk all day. I had two large water bottles on my desk, and I was constantly refilling them. I need to work at it now, but I’m getting better at getting in a lot of water. I do feel better when I get in at least 32 ounces. I take a water bottle in the car with me if I’m going to be out for a long time. I don’t bother if I’m only going to the supermarket. I’ve been thinking of buying one of those newer bottles, like the Stanley one, because my frugal brain will tell me “you spent a lot of money on this thing. USE it!”
ReplyDeleteDebRo
Great topic, Hank! Hydration is so important. I was in the ER about two years ago for Severe Headaches due to Dehydration. I noticed that since the onset of Menopause, hydration is something that I struggle with. I have a water bottle by my bed so I always drink water whenever I am thirsty during the night. Definitely recall gulping water at airport security. I often carry a water bottle.
ReplyDeleteLucy, may I ask you how your neuropath measures hydration? I would like to know.
Diana
I was a terrible water drinker and have also been plagued with kidney stones for the past 50+ years. My urologist was always after me to drink more water. About a year ago I put an app on my phone "My Water Reminder". You set times during the day that you want to be reminded & key in some info, age, weight, gender that determines how many ounces in a day. The reminders sound like pouring water which have made for some interesting glances and comments my way when it happens in public. It has been a great aid for me in remaining hydrated. I also count other things I drink which is mostly tea. It is true that some water rich fruits & veggies help.
ReplyDeleteAnon, I am a big tea drinker, and while I know you have to have a LOT of tea for the caffeine to counterbalance the water, recently, I've been trying for one bottle of water between every 2-3 mugs of tea.
DeleteI'm a true water baby. Always have been. I have countless bubba bottles (my weapon of choice) around the house. I don't know how much I drink, but I do drink all day, water with meals (well except for that occasional glass of wine at night) and I keep a bubba bottle on my nightstand. It's always empty by morning. When I run in the summer, I walk the route first and salt it with bottles in strategic locations - since I run on my own property, there's no danger of anything happening to the bottle, but I did once see a bear cub making off with one. Never found the bottle again and I wondered if he was able to get the water out. Bubba bottles are truly watertight so you have to either unlock them and flip the lid, or unscrew the caps. Wonder if he figured it out!
ReplyDeleteKait, never underestimate a determined baby…bear or human…when she was 18months old, my granddaughter opened the packaging and all 24 bottles of water in it … and emptied almost all of them on the garage floor. Elisabeth
DeleteI don't carry a water bottle except on airplanes, so I understand why you see them in airports, Hank! I'm at home a lot of the time, so that's one reason not to carry water, and I also live in a cool climate. But I do keep a pint water bottle on my desk and remind myself to drink from it and, ideally, refill it mid afternoon. I know that as people age, their thirst signal diminishes, so I try to make myself drink water when I'm not thirsty. Easier said than done!
ReplyDeleteI had heard that as well, Kim, and that's part of what got me drinking water as an organized part of my routine. I also read your body can mislabel thirst as hunger or fatigue, so I go for water first when I feel those sensations, and see what it does for me.
DeleteI’m with Lucy/Roberta that drinking many ounces of water means I need to have ready access to the loo! ~Emily Dame
ReplyDeleteIt is all about common sense! There is no scientific basis for the eight, eight ounces glasses of water during the day. Urine color is the best indicator of hydration. You do not need to spend your day peeing! Most who collapse from dehydration have other health issues that actually caused it. If you have kidney problems, too much water can be deadly. Electrolyte balance is as important as hydration. It is very simple drink when thirsty and more when exercising. This is the general advise I give all my patients.
ReplyDeleteI don't think enough water in the winter, but the Georgia summers have me drinking constantly! Water, that is. Ha! I always have a glass of water by my side, so I suppose I 'm getting enough.
ReplyDeleteI have become a sticker person and now I decorate my water bottle with stickers. It's ridiculous but it does remind me to drink and to be on the look out for cool sticker :)
ReplyDeleteNecessary for me but dr. says more than 8 glasses can create new health issues! I used to sniff watching people suck water like babies with bottles. Now, that's me!
ReplyDeleteI carry around a water bottle, hoping to up my water intake but also using the two gifts I received for marketing. One has the cover of my first book surrounded by text. The other touts the call sign of the Titanic and my name emblazoned across the bottom!! I think I'd like a new water bottle with the cover of each new launch!
ReplyDeleteFor those of you with an interest in historical customs, have you come across social mores of people carrying around containers filled with water or other fluids?
ReplyDeleteWhere did the sudden necessity of water bottles come from and are we going to start moving around with containers velcroed to our bodies?
How many of us grew up with the need of constant liquid consumption?
Granted there may be people who must drink fluids to prevent dehydration, but statistically what percent of the population does that represent. I think I have read about more people who have consumed too much liquid and have become sick from that.
I’ve seen small bottles of water on podiums in houses of worship and other places where people are going to be singing or giving a speech (now called remarks). It didn’t seem to be a necessity years ago, why now?
It isn’t. It is the latest pop culture fad. Very few people are actually in danger of dehydration. My doctor says if you need extra fluids, drink an electrolyte balancing drink, too much water can be dangerous. Most of you would be better off worrying about getting more exercise. There seems to be way too much emphasis on hydration. Drink whatever fluids work for you, it does not have to be water.
Delete