Stay Hydrated!
fmccloud | December 6th, 2009 | Feature Article, Nutrition | 15 Comments »
As some of you may know from following this blog I have lost the majority of the weight that I wanted to and now I am in the muscle building stage of my program. I recently noticed that some weeks my muscles looked more pumped than they do on other weeks.
I began to take an inventory of what I was doing on a daily basis and I could not put my finger on what was causing the pumped look some weeks and what was causing me to look less muscular other weeks. Then one day I noticed that I was really thirsty, I had been tracking my food intake but not my water intake.
Then I began doing research and found out important it is to stay hydrated. Muscle tissue is made up of roughly 75 % water, that’s right 75 percent! So while I’m investing in protein shakes and other supplements I was neglecting to incorporate the most important supplement into my program, which was WATER!
I found out that being dehydrated can actually destroy muscle tissue. Not only does a lack hydration hurt muscle growth it can also have an impact on the joints within the body because water is used as a lubricant. Water is need to assist in many of the functions within the body from burning fat, energy production, and many other chemical reactions that the body performs on a daily basis.
Now let’s take into consideration the fact that I workout 3 to 4 times a week and expend a lot of energy and sweat. I was pretty dehydrated to say the least and some of the soreness that I was feeling was a direct effect of my muscle being severely dehydrated. I have now incorporated the gallon rule to my workout and my day in general. The gallon rule is drinking at least a gallon of water everyday, but mostly during workouts. Most studies recommend that a person consume at least eight glasses of water daily each glass being roughly 8 ounces.
Now 8 x 8 is 64 ounces of water daily, well there is 128 ounces of water in a gallon so if I get at least on gallon of water in I have not only meet my needs, but exceeded them by double! I feel that this is a good ratio considering how much water I lose during workouts.
Bottom-line water is critical to not only to muscle growth and fat loss, but to health as well. Considering that the body is made up of roughly 60 percent water it is essential that we get it in, if we want to be successful at attaining our fitness goals. I’m getting my water in are you? Stay hydrated, stay motivated, and remember you can do it and we are here to help!
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Hey I’ll do the research and if it seems like it will help my readers I’ll post something supporting the topic.
Yo, I love this site!! I didn’t know water influenced muscle to that extent. I try to drink more, but it’s hard when it’s not during workouts.
Thanks for stopping by Mike,
Yeah it can be hard to get the water in, but you have to be consistent even on your off days because that is when muscle is being rebuilt
Thanks for stopping by my blog!
Staying hydrated is really important, especially if you work out hard!
Hey Lori!
Yeah you have to keep your body hydrated if you want it work efficiently.
Hey Freddy!
I came to appreciate hydration this last summer as I was running a couple of mountains in 108 degree heat. I was well hydrated that day but a week later I had to stop about half-way and was beginning to suffer head exhaustion a bit.
I don’t drink a gallon but if I increased my exercise level I probably would need it. I only put in about an hour a day of moderate aerobic and dumbbell exercise.
I love the new site!
Thanks for the comment on my blog.
I agree about hydration, but I think we can overdrink when we are eating. In my opinion, it is good to let our stomachs digest our food without the acid being diluted by water. Of course, I fully agree that we should then later drink up!
You know I try not to drink so much during meals. I prefer to drink in between.
Thanks for stopping by my blog!
I definitely think many people are not getting enough water in. Thirst can be mistaken for hunger!
And the bad part is by the time you feel thirsty your already dehydrated!
Wow I believe this has been very helpful. There’s a lot of good stuff written.
Awesome posts! I just want to say that this website has helped me immensely. I have lost 40 pounds in 6 months and I feel great. It was only three weeks ago that I began to incorporate exercise. Thank you so much! I have been and will continue to refer this website to anyone I know who wants to lose weight! – Shane
Hey thanks Shane! Glad I could help, we got even more coming.
Diet, diet, diet! this is the most important part of any weight-loss plan. The exercise can come later if your eating right.