Better Nutrition Article:
How Much Water Should You Drink Per Day?
I'm always amazed at how many people seem to know the answer to this question yet in practice they fail. Everybody I've talked to seems to know that 8-12 glasses of water a day is the recommended standard. But if I ask them how many glasses of water have you consumed today? The answer is usually none. Or the other standard answer at a corporate environment "does coffee count?"
While 8-12 glasses of water is great for the average sedentary person, many of us are fitness conscious or on the pursuit of some type of bodybuilding physique. With that in mind, I think the new standard for us should be 1-2 gallons of water a day.
As a bodybuilder, you are putting much more nutrients, food, supplements, and other stuff into your body. What your body does not use, it must rid itself of by any means necessary. Usually it does this via water. So drinking plenty of water becomes a necessity. Increasing protein puts a strain on your body and drinking lots of water can keep things "moving." Creatine monohydrate supplementation requires a lot of water. Creatine is all about cell volumization. Making sure your cells are completely hydrated helps with the volumization process. NO2, a hemodilator, requires water. Many other supplements require water as a transport and a flushing method.
The side effects of drinking too little water are an excess buildup of certain chemicals. Creatine can leave behind some buildup that overtime, becomes a bit hard to pass. Putting such a strain on the body is also self-defeating. But don't get me wrong, it's not just about Creatine and NO2. It's about making sure you are hydrated.
Being properly hydrated has it's benefits other then just the flushing methods and cell volumization discussed above. Your state of alertness is affected by your hydration levels. Performance in the gym by a hydrated body is enhanced. Your body is roughly 70% water. It makes sense to hydrate it. Drinking water is not just for hot days. It's for intense workouts in the gym. In fact, being hydrated has that perpetual pump that is so sought after.
There can be too much of a good thing. Drinking water to excess leads to water intoxication, referred to as hyponatremia. As you consume water, blood plasma increases and dilutes the salt content of the blood. While this is happening, you lose more salt by sweating. Consequently the amount of salt available to the body tissues decreases and over time, the loss interferes with brain, heart and muscle functions. Water intoxication is more commonly found in endurance athletes.
Drink plenty of water per day, but just keep in mind, there can be too much of a good thing. Being properly hydrated is necessary for optimum performance in the gym and for keeping your body performing well.
Marc David is a bodybuilder, writer, and author of the the e-book "The Beginner's Guide to Fitness and Bodybuilding" (BGFB): What Every Beginner Should Know but Probably Doesn't. Marc has written over 20 articles and has been featured in several health and fitness websites. Marc's opinionated and informative articles on bodybuilding, weight loss and training are featured regularly on: http://www.freedomfly.net
To subscribe to Marc's free b-weekly e-zine, visit the Freedomfly website here: http://www.freedomfly.net/fitnessnewsletter.htm
Related Better News and Articles From ezinearticles.com
It can be so confusing finding a suitable weight loss plan. There is just too much information now available on the internet, but researching carefully is still very important. Follow a few simple tips and you will be able to find a practical, realistic and achievable program that will enable you to achieve real weight loss in a healthy and nutritionally beneficial way.
Alcoholic beverages are loved by many for their unique flavor and kick. Red wine in particular has been a favorite throughout the ages and people are going to love it more for its beneficial effects on health.
It seems these days that almost all of the glamorous Hollywood and TV stars have diets. It seems that you can even stop eating and simply drink special diets made from exotic, and sometimes less exotic, fruits and plants to lose weight. But what is legitimate and what is a fake.
Most people correlate lipoproteins with cholesterol. This is only true to a certain degree. A lipoprotein is a protein particle or fat that transports cholesterol throughout your living body.
There are five reasons for women to eat apples in everyday life. For example, the nutrients and phytochemical compositions contained in apples can help women resist cancer.
Fad diets are something that many people do on to lose weight. These diets tend to be temporary and rarely have long term results. Find out why you want to try to avoid these types of diets.
Merely working out is not enough to achieve a well sculpted physique. A healthy diet should also be incorporated to your lifestyle if you want to be fit and healthy.
Some people tend to obsess about fat and by not understanding fat and its role in our bodies, you can make some really poor health related decisions. Take some time out to get to know fat before you judge it too harshly and cut it out of your life.
Vitamin D is critical to good health, but most people don't know what happens when your Vitamin D levels are low. Actually, the sad fact is that an alarming number of children in America are Vitamin D deficient as well as most adults.
any have chosen to try juicing for health benefits. While this is a step in the right direction for us, there are many things to keep in mind.
