Drink to your health

When you look at most guides on diet and exercise there is almost always one glaring omission. Which is surprising since this missing element is the very stuff of life itself and is often the deciding factor.

So what is this mysterious ingredient? Quite simply it is - water. The subject of water is hardly brought up or, when it is, it is given only a passing mention or fits into the vague notion of "drink X glasses per day". It seems that drinking water is so logical and deemed common knowledge that it does not warrant any extra time thinking about by those who are busy weighing out what amount of fat to reduce, how many calories are in this or that, what exercise needs to be done that day and so on in addition to actually getting on with the process of simply having a life! 

Despite the fact that water is an extremely important nutrient that is almost universally ignored it is absolutely essential, even to the maintenance of life itself. Consider these facts: roughly 70% of your body weight is water. The blood coursing through you has a very high percentage of water as does the fatty tissue and muscles within. Even your bones contain approximately 25% water and teeth have about 10%!

So you see that you are mostly water.

People stranded in the desert without shelter can survive without food but the same is not true of water. It is essential to survival. You can live many weeks without food simply by tapping into your fat stores and then later muscle tissue but cut water out and the situation is very different indeed.

The need for water

Unfortunately the subject of water and hydration is not common knowledge, which is a shame.From speaking to scores of people, including some self styled experts, it becomes quite clear that most people have at best a vague understanding of the need for water and what it actually does or why it is an extremely important nutrient for everybody. Even for those who are not engaged in any diet or exercise plan. Everyone will talk about the need for calorie control, about how much fat, carbohydrates and protein is in every meal they consume, agonize about what food combinations are allowed and so on. Ask about water, however, and you will be met with a blank stare or some vague answer such as "6 to 8 glasses a day".

The importance of this vital nutrient can be observed by the fact that nutritionists have referred to water as a universal solvent within the body. It is involved in literally hundreds of chemical reactions vital to the maintaining of life itself. It helps to regulate body temperature most notably through the evaporation of sweat. Nor is this only confined only to hot days. Your body is constantly cycling water so never be afraid to take sips of water. Do not confine it only to exercise or during hot weather only.

You are sweating during cold days, when sitting down, even when sleeping. Studies have shown that mattresses gain water weight due to the absorption of sweat. Water loss from the body occurs in many ways. The most obvious ones are sweat and urination but you can also lose water through talking, in faeces, through the loss of bodily fluids, through walking (the sweat glands in the feet can process a pint of water per day!) and so on.

There are many other functions of water within the body beyond the scope of this article. What we are interested in here though is how it can help to reduce weight! That’s right because when your body is adequately hydrated it finds it easier to lose weight and to keep it off.

Hydration

The question then is “what is adequate hydration”? There is no surefire amount so the argument to drink X amount of glasses per day does not hold up. Think about it - does a man who is 6’ plus, weighs in excess of 200lbs, is involved in manual labour in a hot climate need the same amount of water as a petite lady, working at a desk in an air conditioned office? Of course not. So how do you work out how much water you need to drink?

Unfortunately thirst is not a good way to determine how much you need. Studies show that by the time you are thirsty you are already mildly dehydrated. So waht to do? Well it comes down to your own individual biology and it involves an unsavoury factor - your own urination! After your first ablution in the morning keep track of your urination. Healthy urination is almost clear in colour. You need to have at least 3 colourless urinations per day. The easiest way to achieve this is to slowly increase the amount or water you take in. By going slowly you allow your body to get used to the increased water intake. Taking in too much at one time will simply mean that you will be running to the toilet all the time!

The easiest way to increase your water intake is to follow these steps (in any order)

• Drink a glass of water 30 minutes before main meals (this also aids digestion and helps you feel fuller so you tend to eat less!)
• Drink a glass of water with each meal.
• Have a glass of water as soon as you wake in the morning.
• Take sips of water throughout the day.
• Carry a water bottle around with you and keep taking sips from it.
• Keep a bottle at work, in the car, at your desk and so on.
• When exercising carry your own bottle with you and keep taking sips from it (remember that you will need extra water when exercising)

Being adequately hydrated then becomes easier once you start to follow these steps. Once your body is hydrated it will find itself easier to function and to start to work towards dropping weight and, more importantly, keeping it off!

So never be afraid to drink water liberally.