Today I am focusing on what I believe to be the most fundamental aspect of health and fitness. The one thing that each and every one of us must do to achieve an optimum level of health—whether you exercise or not. The one thing that we can all afford to do—time-wise or money-wise. If you say you cannot do this for at least a month I will probably tell you that there is little hope for you and your health related goals. This one thing is hydration.
Otherwise known as drinking alot of water. Generally for men we are talking about 3–5 qts. Per day. Women are looking at 3–4 qts. Per day.
Water is needed for every bodily function you can think of and many that you are not even aware of. The “nuts and bolts”(N&B’s) version of the hydration story as it relates to the achievement of a lean, sexy body has to do with liver and kidney function. When a body is only partially hydrated the kidneys become lazy and under-active. The liver—being the nice guy or gal—steps in to do the many of the jobs that actually belong to the kidneys. The liver now unfortunately cannot maintain its primary function, which is to convert dietary fat into energy. In other words, if the liver is doing the kidney’s job your body will simply store more fat. No matter how well you eat or how hard you workout, not drinking enough water will turn your body into a fat storing machine.
How long have YOU been dehydrated? The mirror rarely tells a lie. Instructions to begin the hydration process are as follows. Wherever you are in the water drinking scale add one qt. to that during the first seven days. Week two add another qt. and so on until you reach your desired amounts based on the guidelines described earlier in this article. Make sure your water has been filtered, as raw tap water may be loaded with too many undesirable chemicals needed to treat the water where you live. One theory also suggests that if you drink very cold water (about 40 degrees F) your body will burn additional calories warming the water. In my next blog I will go into more details regarding the benefits of hydration and the signs of dehydration.
If have a medical condition please consult with your physician before starting this or any other nutritional or exercise program. If you have a heart disorder associated with rhythm consult with your cardiologist. You may need to add some electrolytes into this program.
Next week's blog will go further into hydration, cleanses and some great workout tips. Also you will be given a link for a free workout session, downloadable to any handheld device (such as an ipod/iphone).
