It has been so hot in Connecticut, I'm sure I don't need to remind you that you need to drink more to cool off. The heat causes us to sweat more and we lose a lot of water in this heat.
But how much of what you're drinking is actually water? Soda and beer do not count. It's best not to get your calories from your drinks. There is so much empty calories in soda, it can really pack on the pounds. Diet soda isn't much better… some research shows that diet soda drinkers might actually hurt their metabolism and increase risk of obesity and diabetes.
The recommendations from the Mayo Clinic is 3 liters (about 13 cups) for men and 2.2 liters (about 9 cups) for women). The advice you always heard, drink 8 eight ounce glasses of water a day comes out to about 1.9 liters. The Mayo Clinic reminds people that it's at least 8 eight ounce glasses a day. Of course all fluid counts… there's water in vegetables and fruit too, so if you have a healthy diet, I think 8 glasses of water a day is beneficial.
Now to be honest, I don't get all my drinks from pure water. I do have a lot of unsweetened tea as well. But tea has antioxidants, so you will be doing your body good to drink more of it. I like to add stevia to the tea. Stevia (often marketed as Truvia) is a natural sweetener with virtually no calories.
Stay hydrated and remember, you need to drink water every day, not just on hot days. You will be doing your body good and you may also lose weight in the process!