Water is the principal component of all living beings, it takes part on vital processes in our organism and it constitutes between 40 to 60 percent of our weight, which loses between 10 to 12 glasses of water daily through the skin, lunges, kidneys and intestines, without counting what you lose doing exercises which can duplicate or even triplicate those numbers. Despite this, people generally tend to ignore the importance of water and they even tend to replace it for artificial drinks.
What happens if we not consume water for a week?
Water is considered the most important nutrient of all, because even though there are another nutrients that are essential for life, you can live longer without them; one week is without a doubt the longest you can live without water.
Benefits of a good hydration
There is no doubt that a good hydration is very favorable and necessary for everyone, not only for sportsmen, but also for everybody who wants to have a healthy life. First of all, kidneys are responsible of filtering all the waste products of our organism using water, and obviously, without water, they can’t do it correctly, causing the liver involvement in this process which is not favorable, because one of the most important functions of the liver is to convert fat into energy (in a process called lipolysis), and as the liver can’t work in a right way, the production of energy get lower. An appropriate hydration helps on keeping a good digestion; when the body doesn’t get enough water, it takes it from other sources, generally from glands, including the colon, producing constipation. Water, essential fats and minerals, restores health and strength to the skin. In the other hand, it cleans the body from waste products caused by an unhealthy nutrition, reducing, for example, salt in concentrated forms. It also is characterized for eliminating impurities and toxins from the body through the urine and faeces.
A normal amount of water reduces the probabilities of suffering colon, breast and bladder cancer in about 70 percent. That’s not all, a person can eliminate about 50 percent of his illnesses by consuming an appropriate amount of water. For knowing the amount of water you should consume, you must multiply your weight in pounds with half an ounce.
Keeping yourself hydrated is one of the best ways to remain healthy because water is an essential component that comprises nearly 70% of the human body, a testimony of how significant it is for all living beings but just make sure that it is limited to 8-10 glasses per day and never exceed it to something like say 5 gallon spring water.
The importance in Sport
The biggest mistake in athletes and sportsmen is to wait until they are thirsty to consume water. By only feeling the sensation of thirst, you are dehydrated in a 3 percent, which means that your performance at any sport will decrease in about 15 percent.
From the other hand, water is one of the main factors in loosing fat and muscle construction; when water is consumed, the muscularity gets bigger, causing an increase of the metabolic rate which leads to fat burning. Also, as it was mentioned before, with an appropriate amount of this liquid, the liver works properly leading to energy production through lipolysis.
About Water Retention
Contrary to what most people think, consuming water helps on losing fluids that are accumulated in the body. When not enough water is consumed, the body, thinking on a probably shortage, begins to retain fluid as a reserve. These are stored on extracellular spaces making the skin to look a little bit flabby. Many times people think that it is fat, when in reality it is only water retained. A common cause of this is the overconsumption of salt; consuming foods like French fries and a variety of meals loaded with sodium is not favorable to your health. Sportsmen should at least consume a gallon of water daily.
