Drinking Water Really is the Key to Weight
Loss by Maia Appleby
Don’t roll your eyes!
The potion for losing that excess body fat is all around you.
It covers two thirds of the planet. If you eat right and exercise
at the intensity, frequency and duration proper for you, but
still can’t get rid of a little paunch here and there, you’re
probably just not drinking enough water.
No need to get defensive. You’re actually
quite normal. Most people don’t drink enough
water. Most people are also carrying around
a few more pounds than they would be if they
did drink enough water. If you can’t seem to
get that weight off, try drowning your sorrows
in nature’s magical weight-loss mineral. It
works, and here’s why:
“What on Earth is 'metabolism', anyway?”
People use the term all the time, but ask them
what it means and you’ll get all kinds of answers.
Merriam Webster defines it as, “The process
by which a substance is handled in the body.”
A little vague, but that’s really all it means.
There are many forms of metabolism going on in your body right
now, but the one everyone is talking about it the metabolism
of fat. This is actually something that the liver does when
it converts stored fat to energy. The liver has other functions,
but this is one of its main jobs. Unfortunately, another of
the liver’s duties is to pick up the slack for the kidneys,
which need plenty of water to work properly. If the kidneys
are water-deprived, the liver has to do their work along with
its own, lowering its total productivity. It then can’t metabolize
fat as quickly or efficiently as it could when the kidneys were
pulling their own weight. If you allow this to happen, not only
are you being unfair to your liver, but you’re also setting
yourself up to store fat.
“I’ve tried it and I couldn’t stand
it!” The problem is that, though many
decide to increase their water intake, very
few stick with it. It’s understandable. During
the first few days of drinking more water than
your body is accustomed to, you’re running to
the bathroom constantly. This can be very discouraging,
and it can certainly interfere with an otherwise
normal day at work. It seems that the water
is coming out just as fast as it’s going in,
and many people decide that their new hydration
habit is fruitless.
Do take heed , though. What is really happening
is that your body is flushing itself of the
water it has been storing throughout all those
years of “survival mode”. It takes a while,
but this is a beautiful thing happening to you.
As you continue to give your body all the water
it could ask for, it gets rid of what it doesn’t
need. It gets rid of the water it was holding
onto in your ankles and your hips and thighs,
maybe even around your belly. You are excreting
much more than you realize. Your body figures
it doesn’t need to save these stores anymore;
it’s trusting that the water will keep coming,
and if it does, eventually, the flushing (of
both the body and the potty) will cease, allowing
the human to return to a normal life. It’s true.
This is called the “breakthrough point.”
One recent finding, as irresponsible as it
may be, that caffeine increases the body’s fat-burning
potential has many people loading up on coffee
before going to the gym. This finding may hold
some degree of truth in it, but caffeine is,
in essence, a diuretic, and diuretics dehydrate.
Caffeine may increase the heart rate, causing
a few more calories to be burned, but this is
at the expense of the muscles, which need water
to function properly. This isn’t doing your
heart any favors, either. It’s already working
hard enough during your workout. Never mix caffeine
and exercise. In fact, your best bet is to stay
away from caffeine all together. It’s a big
bully that pushes your friend water out of your
system.
Water is the best beauty treatment.
You’ve heard this since high school,
and it’s true. Water will do wonders for your
looks! It flushes out impurities in your skin,
leaving you with a clear, glowing complexion.
It also makes your skin look younger. Skin that
is becoming saggy, either due to aging or weight
loss, plumps up very nicely when the skin cells
are hydrated.
In addition, it improves muscle tone. You can
lift weights until you’re blue in the face,
but if your muscles are suffering from a drought,
you won’t notice a pleasant difference in your
appearance. Muscles that have all the water
they need contract more easily, making your
workout more effective, and you’ll look much
nicer than if you had flabby muscles under sagging
skin.
“Eight glasses a day? Are you kidding?!”
It’s really not that much. Eight 8-ounce
glasses amount to about two quarts of water.
This is okay for the average person, but if
you’re overweight, you should drink another
eight ounces for every 25 pounds of excess weight
you carry. You should also up this if you live
in a hot climate or exercise very intensely.
To get a more individualized water prescription,
check out
AQUASANA's hydration calculator.
This water consumption should be spread out throughout the
day. It’s not healthy at all to drink too much water at one
time. Try to pick three or four times a day when you can have
a big glass of water, and then sip in between. Don’t let yourself
get thirsty. If you feel thirsty, you’re already becoming dehydrated.
Drink when you’re not thirsty yet.
Do you think water is yucky? Drinking other
fluids will certainly help hydrate your body,
but the extra calories, sugar, additives and
whatever else aren’t what you need. Try a slice
of lemon or lime in the glass, or if you really
think you hate water, try a flavored water.
Just make sure you read the labels. Remember
that you’re going to be consuming a lot of this
fluid.
It’s probably a good idea to stop drinking
water a good three hours before you go to bed.
You know why.
“How cold should it be?” This
is debatable. Most experts lean toward cold
water, because the stomach absorbs it more quickly.
There is also some evidence that cold water
might enhance fat burning.
On the other hand, warmer water is easier to
drink in large quantities, and you might drink
more of it without even realizing it. Do whatever
suits you, here. Just drink it!
When you drink all the water you need, you
will very quickly notice a decrease in your
appetite, possibly even on the first day! If
you're serious about becoming leaner and healthier,
drinking water is an absolute must. If you're
doing everything else right and atill not seeing
results, this might just be the missing link.
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