Would you believe me if I told you that the most effective supplement on the market was something as common as water? Even with its lack of marketing and low price, it is a must have in everyone's fitness arsenal. Most expect to have to pay a high price for a decent supplement. This supplement could very well be the "magic pill" that is missing from your fitness plan.
H2O - more commonly known as water refers to the liquid form of the hydrogen and oxygen compound. Pure water is an odorless, tasteless, clear liquid at room temperature. Water is one of nature's most important gifts to mankind. Even though the earth is roughly 75% percent water, only 1% of that is drinkable water. Water is the only substance that is found naturally on earth in three forms: liquid, gas, solid.
Health officials emphasize the importance of drinking at least eight glasses of clean water each and every day. This figure must be increased for people who engage in regular physical activities. Water is one of the most essential elements to good health. Approximately 70% of the human body consists of water. It provides a wide variety of benefits to the human body such as maintaining proper muscle tone, supplying oxygen/nutrients to the cells, rids the body of waste products, cushions joints, helps the body to regulate temperature and is necessary for digestion/absorption of food. All of our organs contain water and rely on water to assist with bodily functions. The human body contains roughly 10 gallons of water on average. Another interesting fact is that the human brain is around 75% water, human bones are 25%, muscles contain 75%, and human blood consists of roughly 83% of this valuable "supplement".
By the time a person feels thirsty, his or her body has lost over 1 percent of its total water amount. Even this minute amount of water delinquency can cause a drastic drop in energy causing a fatigue feeling. Lack of water is the number one trigger of daytime fatigue. Drinking coffee simply causes further dehydration. Only 2% drop in body water content can trigger difficulty focusing on a printed page or a computer screen. Dehydration triggers mental confusion, temporary memory loss and inability to concentrate. Other ailments that can be contributed to or exacerbated by lack of water include general pain, asthma, back pain, chronic fatigue syndrome, diabetes, dry skin, headaches and migraines, muscle and joint pain, multiple sclerosis, and premature aging. A simple technique to gauge water hydration is your urine. Dark yellow urine is a tell-tell sign that you need to increase water consumption.
With proper water supplementation, you can transform from a Kia to a Lamborghini. Stave off those hunger pains with a cold glass of water. Your body must now burn calories to bring that water up to body temperature to be used. Very light dehydration will slow down metabolism by as much as 3%! Cokes, Kool-Aid, and juices contain MANY calories. Switch to water only and your body will thank you as well as your waistline. Weight loss will not happen or remain consistent unless you drink water on a daily basis. People without sufficient water hydration force their liver to help their kidneys work. The liver metabolizes fat and if it's busy helping the kidneys then your fat stores increase. Overweight people need lots of water to help their body process fat stores. I suggest around a gallon spread throughout the day. Want your muscles to grow? Water is vital to delivering nutrients to them. I guess all there is left to say is...DRINK WATER!
