antihero

Importance of Water


The importance of water is overlooked far too often. Water can be considered the body's most neglected nutrient, because majority of the people in the United States do not get enough water on a daily basis. More importantly, many people are dehydrated, and don't even know it.


Symptoms of Dehydration
--Fatigue
--Moodiness
--"Drained" feeling
--Thirst *feeling thirsty means that you are already dehydrated. some peoples thrist muscles are so weak that it isnt even apparent to them when they are thirsty.*


When You Feel the Effects
1% loss --> increase in core temperature during exercise
3-5% loss --> strains the cardiovascular system and further impairs the body's ability to dissipate heat
7+% --> likely to collapse

*45-75% of a persons bodyweight is water
*75% of a muscle is water


Daily Requirements
The average person in a normally humid invironment (without heavy exercise) loses the following amounts of water: Approx. 2 cups from normal perspiration, another 2 cups from breathing, and 6 cups from the intestines and kidneys. That equals 10 cups, which is roughly equal to 2.5 quarts of water per day.


Satisfying Daily Requirements
It is reccommended that the average person consumes about 6-8 glasses of water per day. That means WATER, not juice or milk or coffee or tea. Only pure water counts towards your 6-8 cups. The body can distinguish between pure water and a solution, like Gatorade. Pure water is quickly absorbed and put to
good use. A solution sits in the digestive system and is slowly assimilated as the solute (the substance dissolved in the solvent, the solvent usually being water) are broken down and digested. The process
of digesting the solute often requires more water than what is actually gained from the solvent. This is on top of whatever diuretic (dehydrating) effect from any caffeine in the drink. It's still OK to drink juice or
milk, but do not count it towards your total water intake.


When To Drink
The absolute worst thing to do is to drink a very large amount of water all at once. The body will respond to a sudden sharp increase in water by releasing diuretic hormones to excrete as much of the excess water as possible, further dehydrating you. This can actually be deadly. Hypernatremia is the condition of drinking an extremely large amount of water in a short amount of time. The amounts of water needed to induce hypernatremia is beyond what most people can tolerate, but large spikes of water in the body are still undesirable. Sip water throughout the day. The other big mistake you can make is to drink lots of water with your meals. This dilutes stomach acid at the time when you need it most, and keeps your food from digesting properly. Optimally, give yourself 15 minutes before and 30-60 minutes after the meal before you start drinking water normally. Milk is an acceptable liquid to drink with meals because the casein (a slow digesting protein) in milk will form a semi-solid in the stomach, allowing for slower more efficient digestion than water will.

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Disclaimer: Information given by me is my personal opinion.
It cannot be considered medical advice and does not represent the official opinion of a company that is not a sponsor here.
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powerman2000

What about water in protein drinks? Does that count towards your daily total?

Or, what about water based drinks like tea?

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mistermuscles

Yes, that all counts towards your daily total. Although, I do carry around a 1 gallon (4L) milk jug full of water, and drink that throughout the day, just for good measure.

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HAYWOOD JABLOME

that last paragraph has some good info in it.

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Vegeto

^ I usually slam a whole glass down in one gulp. Thanks antihero!

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Phosphate bond

I though hyponatremia (aka "water intoxication" which people have died from) was the result, but I believe I could be wrong because your explanation makes sense about suppression of anti-diurectic hormone that would occur after the dilution effect.

Hyponatremia usually happens when excessive water replacement occurs after salt loss in sweat (therefore bypassing Kidney's compensation). I think this is a different circumstance where excess water can hurt you and usually happens to endurance athletes (marathoners,etc)

vitorio

I do drink water during meals...what else is OK to drink instead of milk?
Trying to give away the habit of eating and drinking in the same time but I need to practice :P

Phosphate bond

What's wrong with drinking water with your meals? Maybe I'm reading your post wrong?

I don't think it's such a bad idea considering you need water to burn fat and store blood sugar as glycogen.

Sholiz

I know I can eat more when I'm not drinking than when I am drinking, and when I'm trying to shovel down calories I wanna have as much up on the food as I can :snack:

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dbflgirl

Yes.

Pj-Macx

Facts on Hyponatremia
For years, heath care and fitness professionals have stressed the importance of fluid intake and replacement in preventing dehydration. Therefore, most health conscience individuals are educated about dehydration and cases of dehydration have decreased in recent years. Yet, in some cases, people may take dehydration prevention a bit too far and unintentionally drink too much water. Drinking an excessive surplus of water can lead to over-hydration or hyponatremia. Although hyponatremia is rare and seen primarily in serious endurance athletes, such as marathon runners, it can be dangerous and fitness enthusiasts should be aware of the condition.

The MedTerms.com medical dictionary defines hyponatremia as an abnormally low concentration of sodium in the blood. Hyponatremia is also known as ?water intoxication.? Sodium (salt and chloride) is an electrolyte, which helps the body distribute water. This is essential for water balance and for your muscles and organs to function effectively. Electrolytes are lost through sweat. When exercising, our body temperature rises and we sweat to keep cool. The more we sweat, the more sodium lost. Sweat loss varies from as little as 16 ounces to over three quarts during each hour of exercise (Gatorade Sports and Science Institute). For this reason, it is important to replace lost body fluids during and after exercise. To completely replace these fluids, you must not only replace water, but also sodium and chloride. Those who consume excessive amounts of water after exercise can further deplete sodium and chloride levels, leading to electrolyte depletion and possibly over-hydration.

Symptoms of Hyponatremia
The symptoms of hyponatremia are very similar to the symptoms of heat illness. Both illnesses can be life threatening, therefore, if you or someone you know is experiencing the symptoms below, it is extremely important to seek medical attention immediately. The most common symptoms are:


Fatigue
Lightheadedness
Weakness
Cramping
Weight gain
Nausea
Bloating and/or swelling
Dizziness
Headache
Confusion
Fainting
Disorientation
Seizures (severe cases)
Coma (severe cases)


Prevention of Hyponatremia
Over-hydration can be easily prevented by carefully monitoring your fluid intake and replacing all necessary fluids after a long bout of intense exercise. USA Track and Field (USATF), the governing body of track and field recommends that exercisers ?be sensitive to the onset of thirst as the signal to drink, rather than staying ahead of thirst.? By being aware of when you are thirsty, you will help prevent dehydration as well as decreasing the risk of over-hydration (ACE Fitness Matters). In other words, drink fluid only when you need to. To replace lost fluids during and/or after exercise, drink small amounts of fluid as needed throughout your workout to remain hydrated. Sports drinks, such as Gatorade, contain electrolytes and are therefore a good source of sodium and chloride. Also, prior to a race, endurance athletes may be instructed to eat salty snacks, such as pretzels or tomato juice to build sodium reserves. Furthermore, if an endurance athlete is taking any over-the-counter pain medications or prescription medicine, he or she may be asked to consult a doctor as some medications reduce the body?s capability to conserve salt.

*Important Message*
Remember that hyponatremia is a rare condition for the everyday exerciser, which classifies the majority of the active population. Please do not regularly substitute other fluids for water. Our bodies are made up of approximately 65% water and water intake is essential for healthy living. However, if you consider yourself an endurance athlete (e.g. marathon runner, Ironman triathlete), you also need to replace electrolytes to avoid ?water intoxication?. Likewise, please do not increase salt in your diet as a prevention method for hyponatremia as an excess of salt is believed to be a risk factor for hypertension. A sports drink will do the trick for most people.


Stephanie M. Vlach, M.S.




http://www.honoluluclub.com/pulse.php?ID=31

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vitorio

I think this is one of the main reasons.

DarkFalcon

Good information guys. :nosthumbs

Apootheosis

lol i read a pamphlet on hyponatremia the other day. weird oincidence

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