The Importance of Drinking Water

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It has been another tough workout. Why does that sip of water feel so satisfying and why is water so important anyway?

Claude Bernard, a 19th century physiologist, was the first to state that living organisms live in an external environment (air and water) but the cells that make up the organism live in an internal liquid environment (Rhoades and Tanner 2003). So what exactly does water do? This folding is dictated by the water that surrounds it (Fersht 1999). Improper folding means a non-functioning protein.

Protein:

Moving up to the cellular level, with fully functioning proteins, cells work hard to maintain their volume. To overcome all of the osmotic forces, water is channeled into and out of the cell to maintain volume (Strange 2004). Water is so important to the body that two organ systems, the kidney and lower GI tract, function almost exclusively to ensure excess water is not lost.


The Kidney & Lower GI Tract Function
To Ensure Excess Water Is Not Loss.

Water sure does a lot, which is why when the body has too little water the effects are devastating. Water loss, dehydration, occurs when the loss of body fluids exceeds the amount that is taken in. With dehydration, more water is moving out of our cells and then out of our bodies than the amount of water we take in through drinking.

The symptoms of dehydration are varied but include increased thirst (your brain telling you your body needs water), dry mouth and dry nasal passages, weakness, dizziness, palpitations (due to the subsequent electrolyte imbalance dehydration causes), confusion, inability to sweat, heat exhaustion, heat stroke and if ignored long enough, death (www.webmd.com).

The reason why that first sip of water after your workout feels so satisfying is because at the most fundamental molecular level, you need water.


Importance
Why Is It So Important For Bodybuilders To Consume Water?



Physical activity, such as bodybuilding, exposes people to a variety of influences that can lead to water loss. Additionally, the individual's physical characteristics such as body weight, gender, age andmetabolic efficiency also influence water loss.

Since the body prefers to maintain a certain core temperature, this excess heat must be dissipated to the external environment. The loss of water through sweating can lead to changes in plasma volume resulting in the impaired ability to evacuate heat, increases in body temperature and decreased cardiac output (Ritz et al. 2003) In terms of the workout, dehydration results in a decrease in aerobic power and physical work capacity (Sawka and Montain 2000).


To maintain proper hydration, the individual bodybuilder must consider their own water balance defined as how much fluid is consumed versus how much is lost. Exactly how much water is required to maintain the proper balance is the subject of debate.

During your workout, the goal should be to prevent excessive dehydration. Unfortunately, no one-size-fits all amount of water to consume can be recommended. Post workout, the goal is to fully replace any fluids. If time permits, consumption of meals and beverages will restore the proper fluid balance.
Alternatives
Are There Any Alternatives For The People Who Refuse To Drink Water?


What do you do if you don't like carrying around the 'ole tasteless water bottle? Maintaining the proper fluid balance, for most people, is relatively simple. Eating fresh fruits and vegetablescontributes to your water intake. Drinking milk, fruit juices and caffeine-free teas and coffees are also good alternatives to plain tap water.

Caffeine is adiuretic and promotes water loss. For the exercise types, sports drinks are great both during and after the workout. Numerous companies also market and sell individual pour-in flavoring packs to add to your plain ol' bottle of water.

Posted in: Nutrition