You need water every day to maintain good health, because the body is mostly made up of fluid. Your body metabolizes water to regulate your temperature, cushion and lubricate joints, aid in eliminating waste and facilitate other bodily processes. Along with drinking more fluids, you can increase the amount of water in your diet by choosing foods that have a high water content. For example, celery, tomatoes, melons and oranges are 85 to 95 percent water.
Basic Needs
No one can predict the minimum amount of water an individual needs to survive because there are too many variable factors. Your age, physical condition, diet, activity and environment all affect how much water your body uses and thus how much you would need to restore. A normally active person requires at least 1/2 gallon of water per day to stay healthy, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Children, nursing mothers and sick people require more. If the weather is hot, you should double your water intake. If you drink less water than you need, you might survive for a while. Eventually, however, lack of water will lead to dehydration, organ failure and death.
Illness
During periods of illness, you might need to increase your fluid intake to avoid dehydration. Your body can lose significant amounts of fluid when illness makes you urinate or sweat excessively, and causes vomiting, diarrhea or fever. If you decrease your fluid intake because you don't feel well, your risk of dehydration increases. Nausea, loss of appetite, mouth sores or sore throat might cause you to drink less liquid.
Considerations
In hot weather, your body loses more water in the form of perspiration. If you exercise, you also lose more water. Combine these two factors and you have a recipe for dehydration. Symptoms of dehydration include dry or sticky mouth, low urine output, dark-yellow urine, sunken eyes and an inability to produce tears. In extreme cases, you might become lethargic or even comatose.
Athletes' Needs
The American Council on Exercise offers the following water-intake recommendations for athletes. During the 2 to 3 hours leading up to the exercise, drink 17 to 20 oz. of water to build up your body's supply. Twenty to 30 minutes before you start, drink another 8 oz. of water. Drink 7 to 10 oz. of water every 10 to 20 minutes during the exercise. In the 30 minutes after you finish, drink another 8 oz. You should also drink 16 to 24 oz. of water for every pound of body weight you lost during the exercise. Include a sports drink at some point to restore your body's electrolytes, the substances that help your body regulate fluid levels.
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