💧 Water Target

35 ml per kg · exercise top-up · climate multiplier · hourly pace

Advertisement

The "eight glasses a day" rule is folklore, not science — the underlying guidance is roughly 35 ml per kg of body weight, plus about 500 ml for every hour of exercise, plus more when it is hot, dry or you are pregnant or breastfeeding. This page shows every term of the sum so you can see where your number comes from. It is guidance for healthy adults, never a prescription.

—

Where "eight glasses a day" came from

The number traces to a 1945 U.S. Food and Nutrition Board line: about one millilitre of water per food calorie, most of which is already contained in food. The second half of that sentence got lost, and a hydration myth was born — one that sold bottled water beautifully. The real signals are simpler: body weight sets the baseline (roughly 35 ml/kg), sweat sets the surcharge (about 500 ml per hour of exercise and more in heat), and urine colour is the live feedback loop — pale straw means you are keeping up, dark amber means you are a glass or two behind. Thirst is a lagging indicator, which is why the hourly pace above matters more than the daily total.

Part of Everyday Tools. Like everything on tukuk.org: free, no account, no tracking.

Advertisement
Advertisement