How much water should you drink in a day? The short answer is there’s no magic number. The classic recommendation for the average person is to drink eight glasses of water or other liquids staggered throughout each day as part of a healthy lifestyle. That amount is roughly equivalent to:

• Two liters,
• 60 to 70 ounces, or
• Four standard 16-ounce bottles.

Combined with water we get from the food we eat, that is typically enough to keep the average person properly hydrated. But the proper amount of water can vary significantly, based on:

• Your age,
• Your gender,
• Your activity level,
• Your body type,
• Your metabolism, or even
• Your location/climate.

A water intake calculator can help determine the optimal amount of daily water consumption for you. But the “recommended” amount of water is just an estimate: a much simpler way to know whether you’re drinking enough water is to pay attention to your body. It sends a number of signals that inform you if you’re properly hydrated. The color of your urine is one key indicator: if it’s darker-colored, you are likely dehydrated; if it’s consistently clear, you may be over-hydrated. Fatigue, headaches and muscle cramps can also be a sign of both dehydration or overhydration. If your water intake is off either way, your body will let you know.

Why is it so important to drink enough water? Because water makes just about every part of our body function properly. Water helps blood flow to our major organs, it regulates our body temperature, it’s vital for digestion, it lubricates the joints of our limbs, it prevents kidney damage, it gives us clean and beautiful skin, and it aids in weight loss. Chronic dehydration can be devastating to the fragile human body. In America, where we’re fortunate to have abundant clean water, maintaining proper hydration is as simple as turning on a faucet. But for more than two billion people worldwide, and especially in parts of the world like sub-Saharan Africa, clean and accessible drinking water is no guarantee.

In many areas of Africa, contaminated and poor-quality water sources force people to choose between drinking water that could contain waterborne diseases like cholera and dysentery, or not drinking enough water and facing the impact of chronic dehydration and thirst. In other areas, the nearest water source requires a long-distance journey by foot to get through the day. There is enough clean water in Africa for every single person to live a healthy and productive life free from thirst. Finding it and making it available to all is at the heart of the Embrace Relief Foundation’s work.

How you can help provide clean water

With your support, Embrace Relief has funded the construction of 450 new water wells, and the reconstruction of 50 pre-existing water wells, in the African nations of Cameroon, Chad and Nigeria. These wells are providing water to more than 500,000 people for at least the next five years.

Donating to Embrace Relief’s Clean Water Fund and its “Fountains of Hope” project is the single-best way to ensure that thousands of people will get the water they need.

But there are more ways for you to help Embrace Relief fight the clean water crisis. On Saturday, June 25, we will be hosting our inaugural H2Ow Far Can You Walk: 5K Walkathon at Liberty State Park in New Jersey. This family-friendly event is open to people of all ages and abilities, and will help raise awareness and money for building and rebuilding water wells in Africa.

Every dollar donated during our 5K Walkathon will provide more than 2,000 gallons of clean, drinkable water for those in need.