Water... The King Of Fitness

Lose weight fast! Shed those unwanted pounds quick! Super fast diet secret! Miracle weight loss supplement! The secret fat burner they don't want you to know about! An all natural fat burning supplement! The ultimate muscle building supplement! Its the single most powerful supplement you can take for losing weight, building muscle, or all around fitness....

...and it's water.

As simple and deceptive as it sounds, it remains true nonetheless. We've all seen ads similar to the statements above. We are all tempted from time to time by the ads about supplements that swear they can make the epic changes to our figures that we all so dearly desire. There is a certain illusive quality behind the success stories of the hard bodied men and beautiful women that marketing flaunts in front of our faces.

The truth is that there is no secret diet secret. There just isn't. But if there was. If there is one secret weapon against fat, and/or to help build muscle, it is the single cheapest and most available (For now anyway) supplement to all of us. It is water.

Before we discuss why water is so awesome for losing weight and building muscle lets talk about the other basic nutritional benefits of water. Water makes up 60 - 75% of the human body. It is essential to nearly every function of the body. We cannot exist without it. To put it simply water works as the trash company of your body. It helps removes all of the toxins and wastes from your vital organs. It also serves as the transportation system for nutrients. All of the vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients you consume travel through your body to their destination via H20.

Dehydration in simple terms means that the person is losing a large amount of water, and not resupplying enough water to replace the amount lost. This is very bad because as mentioned above water is critical to every function of the body. When dehydrated a person may experience headaches, lethargy, a rise in body temperature and heart rate, muscle cramps, fatigue, dizziness, loss of appetite, constipation, and even death. The list of symptoms goes on and on. There are few various causes of dehydration, but for the intent of this article lets suffice to say if you work out rigorously or cut back food intake you risk becoming dehydrated. There is no reason ever to let this happen. Anytime someone is involved in an activity (Or doing nothing for that matter) and they are sweating, they should be replenishing water in to their body.

Water helps the body metabolize fat. This means that water helps your body burn the fat you have stored, and may be trying to lose. As fat burns down it becomes waste. Water also plays a key role in flushing that waste from your system. Water can also help to suppress your appetite, and its calorie free so drinking a lot of water won't add weight. Because dehydration can cause you to feel weak and lethargic, you may find yourself not doing your workouts to your full potential if you fail to remain hydrated. 

Your muscles alone are built up of approximately 70% water. Losing water in your muscles can effect your muscle contractions, which means your muscles won't perform as well. A loss of 3% of water in muscles can decrease your strength substantially. Again, because dehydration can lead you to feel weak and lethargic, not drinking plenty of water can cause you to not workout to your full potential. When you lift weights or do any exercise to build strength you actually tear down muscle tissue, and your body rebuilds it back stronger. To complete this process your body needs various nutrients. Water delivers these nutrients, and the more hydrated you are the faster they will be delivered and perform their function. Good hydration also helps in the prevention of joint injuries that can occur during heavy training.

• Water is essential for nearly every function of the body

• Water flushes toxins out of vital organs

• Water carries nutrients to your cells

• Water helps metabolize fat

• Water flushes burned fat

• Water will aid water retention

• Water protects the joints

• Water makes muscles stronger

• Water provides nutrients to the muscles

• Water helps to supress appetite

8 cups of water a day is the most common answer thrown around. That works out to 64 ounces a day or half a gallon. This isn't entirely accurate however because every one is different, and we all need a different amount of water. Personally when I am dieting and/or trying to build muscle I usually shoot for drinking a gallon of water a day. Of course this isn't in one setting, that can be very dangerous. From the time I wake up until I go to bed I'll haul a bottle of water around with me to sip on and refill all day. Six 20oz. Bottles will put you just under a gallon of water. Just to keep things a little low brow, I will also judge by the color of my urine. If its clear I know that I am most likely well hydrated. However, if its gold I judge that I should be drinking more water. These are by no means medical guidelines, but they have worked well for me.

Drinking too much water at once can kill you. Its true. So don't go and try to drink tons of water at one time. I am in no way a medical professional. I've learned these things through research and personal experience. Before you begin any diet or exercise regimen you should speak to your doctor or health care provider. They can help you personally figure out how much water you should be drinking.