Bodybuilding Fat Loss

Monday, May 12, 2008

The Importance of Water for Weight Loss

Three quarters of the earth's surface is covered with water. Over the millennia it has shaped the earth, changing its structures and transforming it. Water has the same potential for the dieter, transforming their body.

The human body is between 45 and 75 percent water, depending on the amount of lean tissue and fat. Lean tissue (which includes muscles, bones, organs, skin, etc.) contains over 70 percent water, while fat (adipose) tissue contains only 10 percent. So, the leaner a person is, the more water their body holds. This is why it is essential for athletes with larger amounts of lean muscle tissue to take in greater quantities of water than the average Joe (or Jane) on the street. Water is one of the (if not THE) most important nutrients in the body.

Water makes up a large percentage of the volume of blood. Over 80 percent of the blood's volume is water. Water is important for transport. It helps transport electrolytes and energy throughout the body to target cells. It is also involved in many of the chemical reactions in the body, necessary for producing energy and maintaining homeostasis. Water is important in the digestive process, as well. It is essential in the removal of waste from the anabolic (building up) and catabolic (tearing down) processes going on in the body every minute, especially in dieters.

Myths
Drinking too much water will make you bloated and promote water retention. Old wives tale (sorry to any old wives out there.) Drinking water actually helps promote the flushing of water out of the system. The body only holds on to water when it thinks there is going to be a shortage. If it is getting an adequate supply, it will use the water for all its essential functions.

Ice cold water promotes more calorie burning. This one didn't come from old wives, but instead from misguided scientists. The belief was that since the water was cold going in, the body would have to burn extra calories to heat the water up. This simply is not true. The internal temperature of the body is enough to passively warm the water as it passes through the digestive system and into the bloodstream. So, ice cold water is good for a hot day to cool you off, but it does not promote more active calorie burning.

Drinking water with a meal slows down the digestion. This one has no real basis anywhere. Water is a key component in the digestive process. Drinking too much water during a meal might slow down the digestive process, but that is due to a full stomach, not the water. Anytime the stomach is stretched to capacity its ability to digest the foods becomes slightly inhibited. Drinking a regular glass of water with a meal will actually enhance digestion.

The Truth
Drink water. Drinking at least six to eight (up to ten is better) glasses of water a day will improve overall health and enhance weight loss efforts. By keeping the body functioning properly, enhancing digestion, promoting the elimination of waste, and feeding lean tissues water will help you achieve a healthy weight loss.

Jennifer Olsen was a master of failing at different diets. She understood that there were more to losing weight then just going on a diet. Today she has lost nearly 50 pounds with the calorie-shifting diet and learned easy ways to change routines and habits to keep weight.

Now you know the importance of water for weight loss. The Right Diet requires that you drink about 10 glasses of water per day to deliver maximum effect.