http://www.slate.com/id/2188159/ You don't need tons of water but drinking it has no ill effects. I drink a lot of water throughout the day because I'm thirsty - I don't force it down. During/after exercise I drink it to replace the water I've lost.
There's a lot of false information out there when it comes to health, exercise and nutrition, especially among women. Also, scientific findings are often inaccurately reported by the media and people don't usually go and read the studies themselves.
