How long she’s been dehydrated: Most of her life
Even though I am a health writer — i.e., someone who understands the importance of staying hydrated and all the perks of drinking the recommended daily amount of liquids — I do not drink enough water. (The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine recommend that I aim for nine 8-ounce cups of fluid per day.) So, what comes between me and the holy health grail of an adequate number of fluid ounces of H
2O? A combination of laziness, lack of accountability, a failure to calculate just how much water is necessary, and no tools to track it. Let’s be real: Who has time to keep track of how many times they fill their water bottle per day?