@mek posted a funny video in the group chat poking fun at fitness/health influencers on social media; it made me laugh but also fired up a rant I figured was better to just aim here:
You probably drink enough water, actually!
I get really tired of fitness influencers engaging in propaganda for, idk, Big Water??? I'm not even sure what the goal is, except that it's an easy thing to guilt trip people about. Depending on your own personal goals and choices, it may be healthier for your mind/body/vibes to swap out soda for water sometimes, or to find more ways to drink water, but honestly my spicy take is that unless you find yourself often experiencing dehydration symptoms, you're probably fine. I've heard you need to drink eight cups of water a day (to be clear that is half a gallon), a quart of water a day, and when I Google "how much water do I need to drink a day" the Mayo Clinic suggests 15.5 cups for men and 11.5 cups for women. That's so much goddamn water!! The recommendations are eternally all over the place and they're all over the place because hydration is extremely variable to your body, the amount you're sweating or exerting in a day, the temperature around you, your general health, what medications you're on, and what you're eating.
I do get it's easier to blanket say "drink more water!" than to specify, but honestly I just don't think we need to be shaming people to drink more water in the first place. Just, generally, try to stay hydrated! Doesn't even have to be water! You can eat more fruit and veggies with water in them (watermelon is called that for a reason), juice is not a crime, adding flavor packets to water is perfectly fine. Try out some tea! There's a bunch of different kinds and it can even be a soothing hobby to get into. Barring exceptions, which are valid (disordered eating stuff, health problems, medications, etc etc etc), your body is almost always going to tell you when it's thirsty. If it frequently does so, probably assess what liquids you're intaking! Otherwise, you're probably good!
Also the "your pee color should be X" charts are dumb, if you're peeing super dark or unusual colors or your pee frequently has an inexplicably weird odor then go see a doctor, but otherwise so long as you are peeing without issue (meaning it's not painful or takes a lot of effort, that kind of thing) then your body is processing and eliminating waste and that's all it really needs to do!
tl;dr I wish we could just focus on teaching people, when able, to listen to their body's cues