Water. The importance of hydration in life and in sports. Myths and facts about water.
Water is an integral part of all cells, tissues, and organs of our body and all processes occurring in it. Therefore, water is a vital substance and a very important factor in bodybuilding. Our body on 75% consists of water, and the muscles themselves – approximately 70%.
Water Functions:
- Regulates body temperature
- Removes waste from the body
- Delivers nutrients, oxygen, and glucose to cells, giving us energy
- Gives natural hydration to the skin and other tissues
- Makes joints more flexible and helps strengthen muscles
- Regulates digestion
In conditions of water shortage, absolutely all physiological functions suffer.
Water is involved in the dissolution of all types of vitamins essential for the body.
During training, water, enveloping the joints and penetrating into the soft tissues, protects them from injuries. When the body is dehydrated, water leaves muscle cells and thereby triggers the destruction of muscle tissue. In a word, it is simply impossible to overestimate the importance of water.
And one more important point – water is not high in calories. You can drink as much as you like without fear of higher calories. Water will not make you oily.
Current recommendations are 2 tablespoons (30 ml) per 1 kg weight. For example, with a weight of 70 kg, you need to drink 2.1 liters of water per day. The larger the person, the higher his metabolic load, the more water he needs.
Do you get enough water?
If you wait until you feel thirsty, you are already dehydrating your body and possibly losing 0.5-1 liters. water. It’s important to drink before you feel thirsty! Carbonated soft drinks and caffeinated drinks do not help solve the problem, because they themselves can cause dehydration. Need to drink water!
What are the signs of dehydration?
Dehydration can occur in cold or hot weather, in summer or winter, during exercise, even while flying on an airplane. Dehydration (dehydration) can also occur due to adrenaline and cortisone (stress hormones). Long-term dehydration gives rise to the loss of essential amino acids by the body (which are used by the body to produce proteins and activate lipases, enzymes that are involved in fat burning). Because the brain is 75% water, it is understood that among the first signs of dehydration are reduced energy, fatigue, headache, and dizziness. Other symptoms of insufficient water intake: dry lips, mouth, skin; nausea; dark urine or rare urination; constipation fever or shortness of breath. From a medical point of view, a 1% water deficit is considered a sign of dehydration, and a 10% deficiency is already life-threatening.
Want to gain bodyweight? Water to help you!
Do not think that a lack of water in the body is a trifle. Dehydration leads to a sharp loss of weight, muscle degeneration, but can also lead to obesity. Our body, much earlier notices a shortage of water, while we do not notice this, and even we can feel normal. The need for nutrients, as well as dehydration, causes the production of histamine, which we can recognize as a feeling of hunger, although this is just a “signal” of the body. Usually, a person who suffers from chronic dehydration, instead of drinking, eats all the time and usually leads to disastrous consequences.
The high content of fats and simple carbohydrates in food provokes the intensive production of insulin in the blood, and it, in turn, slows down the process of burning fat deposits, and even vice versa, deposits them in fat cells. Thus, instead of gaining muscle mass, a person loses it due to dehydration (because of how it is converted to body fat).
If the process of splitting fats does not suppress increased food intake, then an organism suffering from dehydration rapidly loses fat, and with it muscles, which leads to weight loss. Cells dehydrated for a long time contract, shrink in size, and this is the reason for the loss of skin elasticity, to dry out the whole body.
Want to lose weight? Drink water!
Only after receiving a sufficient amount of water from the outside, the body will begin to get rid of its own fat, which, when decayed, turns into water. Losing water from the outside, the body retains its own water in the form of fat and intercellular fluid, acting on the principle of “camel hump”.
The role of water in weight loss
- Does not contain calories, fat, and cholesterol, it is low in sodium
- Reduces appetite
- Helps to cleanse the body
- Helps the body process fat stores
Water, health and weight control: myths and facts
Myth: adults need everything2 l water per day to maintain optimal water conditions.
Fact: in fact, current recommendations are 2 tablespoons (30 ml) per1 kg weight. For example, with a weight of 70 kg, you need to drink 2.1 liters of water per day. The larger the person, the higher his metabolic load, the more water he needs.
Myth: thirst is the best sign of dehydration.
Fact: the thirst indicator will not work until you are mildly dehydrated. The best indicator of hydration may be observing the color of your urine. Transparent or pale yellow urine indicates sufficient moisture. Dark yellow or golden urine is an indication that you need to drink more. Another way to control moisture is to use the frequency of using the toilet. Urinating every 2 hours is a good sign that you are drinking enough water. In the event that you are taking medications (especially B vitamins) that color urine, it is worth determining whether your body is dehydrated in another way.
Myth: drinking a lot of water is unhealthy.
Fact: With the exception of certain diseases, your body uses the amount of water that it needs and will free itself from the rest. Under normal conditions, there is no danger of too much water. It is recommended that you drink water slowly, and not swallow it in one gulp, so as not to cause discomfort in the stomach.
Myth: consuming large amounts of water increases the burden on the kidneys.
Fact: water is needed for the kidneys to function properly. When the body does not consume enough water, the kidneys have to compensate for this deficiency by excreting more concentrated urine, which can lead to the formation of kidney stones.
Myth: If you have fluid retention problems, drink less water.
Fact: in fact, the opposite is true. When your body lacks water, it perceives it as a threat to survival and compensates for the lack of water with its conservation. Consuming enough water (2 tablespoons (30 ml) per1 kgweight) will help your body maintain the correct fluid balance, while removing excess sodium from the body, which helps retain water in the body. If you are taking diuretics, do not forget to drink enough water.
Myth: During exercise, it’s better to use sports drinks rather than water.
Fact: for exercise lasting less than 60 minutes, water is preferred. During short workouts, electrolyte replacement (sports drinks) is not necessary, and sugar in sports drinks gives empty calories. You need to replenish the fluid lost during exercise, otherwise you will get tired prematurely, and your performance will deteriorate. Weigh before and after exercise and drink at least 0.5 L of water for every 0.5 kg lost.
Myth: More water is needed in summer than in winter.
Fact: dehydration can only occur in summer, but good hydration is equally important in winter. When you train in winter, you do not sweat so much. But your body still loses fluid, so you must drink water, otherwise your physical performance will deteriorate
Myth: the main thing is to eat less and not drink more – then you can lose weight.
Fact: in fact, drinking enough water and losing weight are directly related. With insufficient water intake, the body retains fat and intercellular fluid. If you want to lose weight, stop drinking sugary drinks, juices and coffee and drink plenty of water.
Drinking in sports
During training, drinking regimen is very important, as fluid deficiency in the body of athletes can reach 3-4% fluid. Therefore, replenishing fluid balance after exercise is an important means of recovery. As already mentioned, with exercise lasting less than 60 minutes, water is preferable (intensive training is an exception). However, during prolonged sweating sessions, the body loses sodium and potassium (they are present in the sweat in the form of soluble salts, so the sweat is salty taste), which leads to a violation of the water balance between blood and intercellular fluid and dehydration of cells, which can affect the health and athletic performance of the athlete. Therefore, simply drinking water is not enough to quench your thirst. Accordingly, in the process of such training, dosed intake of isotonic drinks (25-50 ml each during training.) Enriched with microelements is important . They contain sodium, potassium and are as close as possible to the salt composition of the blood, as well as some energy (in the form of fructose, sucrose), since energy is needed to absorb minerals from the intestines. Taking isotonic drinks, you will feel less fatigue and faster recovery after training. Make sure that in such drinks there are no artificial flavors, colorants, preservatives.
After training, you should immediately compensate for the loss of body fluid in a volume of at least 400 ml. Weigh before and after exercise and drink at least 0.5 L of water for every 0.5 kg lost.
And remember! It is necessary to drink water. Tea and coffee are not considered because caffeine stimulates the body to lose fluid (a cup of coffee removes more fluid than it contains). Drink purified plain water, it is possible mineral (but without gas).