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"The Most Powerful Healing Substance Known
To Man". The human body is primarily composed of water.
Water is not only beneficial but also vital to life -- only
oxygen is more important to human survival. Water plays an
enormous role in how well our body functions. Simply put,
the more fresh water we drink, the healthier we become.
Knowing all this, it never ceases to amaze me when I hear
people saying they "forget" to drink water. Would these
people need a reminder to breathe? Water increases not only
the quality but also the length of our lives! Don't believe
me? Let's take a closer look.
Water helps
to:
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Relieve/Prevent: lower back pain, Chronic
Fatigue Syndrome, headaches, migraines, asthma, allergies,
colitis, rheumatoid arthritis, depression, hypertension,
cholesterol, hangovers, neck pain, muscle pain, joint
pain, bloating, constipation, ulcers, low energy levels,
stomach pain, confusion and disorientation.
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Maintain: muscle tone, weight loss, clear
and healthy skin.
-
Regulate: body temperature, remove toxins
and wastes, cushion and lubricate joints, decrease risk of
kidney stones, protect tissues, organs and the spinal cord
from shock and damage.
-
Assist In: the digestion & absorption of
food, and in transporting oxygen and nutrients to the
cells.
There's no
substitute for water!
Beverages that simply contain water aren't
good enough. juice, soda, tea, coffee etc. counter the
positive effects of water; some, in fact, may also be
unhealthy. For example, drinks containing caffeine stimulate
your adrenal gland and dehydrate and rob your body of
important vitamins and minerals. Beverages containing lots
of sugars stimulate the pancreas, boosting your insulin
levels and taking your body out of its natural fat burning
state. Sodas are a quadruple whammy. Colas, in particular,
contain caffeine, sugar, sodium and acid that could eat
through a dime. Have you ever tried the household remedy to
a calcium and lime rusted toilet? Just let a bottle of soda
sit in the toilet for a bit and presto -- a sparkling
toilet! I'm not saying that you should completely eliminate
these drinks from your diet. However, you may want to
replace them with water whenever possible and at least keep
them at a low to moderate level.
Water and
Weight Loss
Drinking water may be the most important
piece to the weight loss puzzle. Water contains no calories,
fat, or cholesterol and is low in sodium. It is nature's
appetite suppressant, and it helps the body to metabolize
fat. Current research shows that low water intakes yield an
increase in fat deposits. Conversely, a high water intake
reduces the amount fat deposits. Without enough water, the
kidneys cannot function properly. As a result, some of their
workload is pushed off onto the liver, in turn preventing
the liver from operating at peak levels.
How does all this tie into weight loss?
Because metabolizing fat is a primary function of the liver,
and because the liver can't function at peak levels when
taking on the added workload from the kidneys, less body fat
is metabolized and more is stored. This leads to either
weight gain or reaching a plateau of weight loss. When
dieting, we restrict the calories we take in, to some
degree. By doing so, we lessen the total amount of water
available to our bodies since about 30% of the average
person's water intake comes from the food they eat. This
gives us even more reason to raise our water intake.
Water and
Water Retention
The best way to beat bloating is to give
your body what it needs. Lots and lots of water! I'm always
amazed to hear people say that they would rather not drink a
lot of water because it "bloats" them or it makes them
"retain water." In fact, the opposite is true. These people
are retaining water because they're not drinking enough
water! I'd be willing to bet that these people got their
information from the "local gym expert," or maybe they hired
a "Personal Trainer" whose qualifications include a
take-home certification test, a chemically enhanced
physique, and the valuable experience they received playing
high school football.
People, I beg of you, pay no mind to what I call "Gym
Science." It will hinder your progress and possibly injure
you along the way! If you need advice, seek a qualified
professional. (In a future article, I'll discuss what makes
a qualified professional.) Now, back to the scientific
facts. The human body functions in a "Primal Survival Mode"
and it responds accordingly to anything it perceives as a
possible threat to its survival. If you deprive your body of
ample amounts of water, you are threatening its survival. In
response, your body kicks into its "Primal Survival Mode"
and holds onto every drop of water it possibly can for
future needs and purposes. This water is often stored in
extra-cellular spaces and appears as bloated hands, legs and
feet.
If you're currently using or thinking of using diuretics to
decrease water retention, think again. With diuretics, the
damage is two-fold. Not only is the "Primal Survival Mode"
activated, where your body hoards as much water as it can,
but you are also draining your body of valuable vitamins and
minerals! Check with your health care provider &
Nutritionist before you change medication! If you have
long-term water retention issues, you may be ingesting too
much sodium (salt). Our bodies can only tolerate so much
sodium. Thus, the more sodium you take in, the more water
your body will retain to dilute the sodium concentrations.
By simply cutting down on your sodium intake and drinking
plenty of water, you'll notice considerably less bloating.
The water will carry the excess sodium along for the ride as
it flows through the kidneys.
Water and
Metabolism
Water, also known as the body's solvent,
regulates all bodily functions including the activities of
circulating and dissolving. Every enzymatic and chemical
reaction of the body occurs in the presence of water. Water
also transports hormones, nutrients, oxygen and antibodies
through the blood stream and lymphatic system. In addition,
our bodies' proteins and enzymes are more efficient in
solutions of lower viscosity (i.e., diluted), thus making
drinking water a must.
Water and
Digestion
Digestion of solid foods has to happen in
the presence of large amounts of water so that proper
digestion occurs. Water and muscle tone Desired muscle tone
can be maintained through adequate water intake. Water not
only helps the muscle achieve a better contraction, but it
also prevents the sagging of skin that sometimes follows
weight loss. Finally, water maintains clear, young and
healthy skin.
Water and
Waste
During weight loss, the body has much more
waste to expel in the form of metabolized fat. Since water
helps digestion and rids the body of waste, it only makes
sense that more water is better.
Water and
Constipation
When the body doesn't get enough water, it
takes what it needs from internal sources. The colon is a
primary internal source. When this happens, constipation
usually follows. Normal function commonly returns along with
proper hydration.
Water and
Body Temperature
Water helps us maintain our body temperature
through perspiration. Perspiration dissipates excess heat
and cools our bodies. Without water, this delicate balancing
act of the body is disrupted.
Water and
Asthma
Histamine is a major factor in regulating
the way we use and distribute water. It also helps control
the body's defense mechanism. Asthmatics' histamine levels
increase with dehydration, mobilizing their body's defense
mechanism to close down their airways. Knowing this, we can
draw the conclusion that asthma could be relieved through
increased water intake.
Water and
the Kidneys
Our kidneys remove wastes like uric acid,
urea, and lactic acid to name a few -- all of which are
dissolved in water. When there aren't adequate amounts of
water, these wastes aren't removed effectively and kidney
damage may result.
Water and
Joints
Cartilage tissues between the vertebrae of
the spine and at the end of long bones retain a lot of
water. Cartilage needs water for the purpose of lubricating
the body's joints during movement. When the cartilage is
well hydrated, the two opposing surfaces glide freely and
minimize damage to the joint caused by friction. Conversely,
dehydrated cartilage increases friction forces to the
joints, resulting in joint deterioration and pain.
Water and
Back Pain
Minimizing back pain can be as simple as
hydrating your body! The water stored in your spinal disc
core supports approximately 75% of the upper body's weight.
Your spine is dependent upon the hydraulic properties of
water.
Water and
Muscles
Muscles are primarily composed of water.
Therefore, it's only logical to drink lots of water if you
want to have more muscle mass. Furthermore, water removes
wastes from and transports nutrients to the muscle cells,
decreasing recovery time. Water also ensures that a proper
muscle contraction can be achieved so that the working
muscle is properly exhausted. Finally, bodybuilders tend to
ingest a lot of calories, supplements and proteins, really
taxing their kidneys in the process. Water takes some of the
strain off the kidneys.
Water and
the Brain
85% of brain tissue is water. The brain is
about 1/50th of the body's total weight and it uses about
1/20th of the body's blood supply. Dehydration causes energy
generation in the brain to decrease. In fact, studies have
linked depression and chronic fatigue syndrome with
dehydration.
Water and
Migraines/Headaches
Dehydration is a major factor in causing
headaches and migraines. In times of "heat stress" migraines
are often signs of dehydration. To further complicate the
matter, dehydration brings on stress and stress brings on
dehydration.
Water and
Pregnancy
Morning sickness is common in the first
trimester of pregnancy. One reason for morning sickness is
dehydration. It's a signal being sent by the fetus and the
mother's body to the mother. What's the message? We need
more water! When the mother isn't drinking enough water,
she's dehydrating the baby and herself. This a result of the
mother being the provider of water to the fetus during the
intrauterine stage of cell expansion.
Don't obey
your thirst!
The bodies "Thirst Reflex" is the last
signal of excessive dehydration. By the time you become
thirsty, the damage has already been done. Don't wait until
you're thirsty! Constantly drink throughout the day! How
much water should I drink? The non-active individual needs
1/2 oz. per pound of bodyweight, per day. For the average
American who weighs 160 lbs. that comes to ten 8oz. glasses
per day. This is just an average; you'll need to adjust
these numbers to your activity level, environment,
bodyweight, and diet.
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