top of page
Search

Sloshing Through Life: My Attempt to Stay Hydrated

  • Writer: Sue Leonard
    Sue Leonard
  • Oct 4
  • 4 min read

Updated: Oct 5

Since one of my blood serum tests came back slightly low, my doctor says I need to drink four big tumblers of water a day. At best, I was managing two. I’ve worked my way up to three, but four? I’m afraid I’ll start sloshing every time I move—not to mention the distended tummy.

woman trying to drink 8 glasses of water - created by ChatGPT 10/4/25
created by ChatGPT 10/4/25

Then I looked it up. Yikes! Mayo Clinic says women need 11.5 cups a day. (1) That’s 3.5 cups more than my doctor’s already ambitious recommendation. At least I’m female—men are supposed to down 15.5 cups a day. Talk about sloshing.


The good news is that coffee, milk, tea, and even soda count. The bad news? Alcohol doesn’t. So my two morning coffees and my lunchtime diet soda add up to 3.5 cups, but that still leaves me eight cups short. If this is what daily water intake really looks like, no wonder people struggle to keep up.


To help, I set my Streaks app to remind me to drink water every four hours. The only hitch: I haven’t figured out how to tell it I actually drank the water, so I don’t get any rewards. At least Kindle gives me a badge for reading streaks, and my watch bursts into digital fireworks when I accomplish my activity goals. All I get for water is another trip to the bathroom. Between refills, reminders, and potty breaks, staying hydrated is starting to feel like a part-time job.

Kindle challenges
My Kindle Challenges Awards

Supposedly, drinking more water keeps you from getting hungry. Maybe for ten minutes—until my stomach realizes it’s been duped and starts shouting, “You tricked me, I wanted a Twinkie.”


You can also count juicy fruits and veggies. A cup of watermelon, for example, contains more than half a cup of water. (2) You could eat 23 cups of watermelon a day instead of drinking water—but you’d need a bigger refrigerator and probably a bigger waistband.


woman with watermelon tummy - created by ChatGPT 10/4/25
created by ChatGPT 10/4/25

Still, subtracting water content from food and tallying glasses feels way too technical. If I start doing all that, my hydration tracking hobby could turn into a full-time obsession.


Some sources reassure me that the “right” amount of water depends on age, activity, and climate. A hot climate? You need more. But that assumes I’m out in the Florida sun sweating, which I am not.


The thing is, I like water. I don’t need to “doctor it up” with stevia drops or flavor packets like some friends do. (There are even influencers who post daily updates: How I flavored my water today.) All I require is ice. I cannot do room-temperature water. Oddly enough, I’ll drink room-temperature Coke without a complaint.


water additivies

We spent our working years in Chicago, where the tap water was rated among the best-tasting in the country. Visits to my in-laws were another story—their sulfur-laden well water came with its own “perfume.” Eventually, I had to wear a nose plug just to take a shower.


No wonder people make fun of hydration guidelines. One guy on social media said, “Eleven glasses a day? I never drank that much in a year.” Another joked that he hadn’t consumed that much water in the entire 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s.


Comedian Pat McGann does a great bit about what he calls the “Most Hydrated Generation.” His kids carry water bottles everywhere, and he wonders if they ever clean them. Mold is, apparently, part of the recipe. (Confession: I don’t scrub my insulated tumbler daily either. It has permanent calcium rings and, on rare occasions, algae auditions.)


Curious, I looked up how many people actually hit 8 glasses of water a day. According to a 2024 Yahoo/YouGov survey of 1,746 adults, 66% reported drinking three or more glasses, while 8% admitted they never—or almost never—drink water. (4)


As for that famous “rule,” it traces back to a 1941 Food and Nutrition Board recommendation. (5) 1941! It must have taken decades for that wisdom to reach the masses. McGann jokes that when he was a kid, his parents never once told him to drink water. His mom is almost 80 now, and he’s never seen her with a glass of it.


Bottom line: nobody really knows how much water you need. If McGann’s mother can reach her 80s without ever drinking water, maybe I can stop stressing, delete my water streak, and worry about something else. Stress, after all, is bad for your health too.


References

© 2023 by Train of Thoughts. Proudly created with Wix.com

bottom of page