<< back to the articles page

Send this Article To a Friend

Water: the Liquid of Life: What is its role in weight loss?

I’m sure you know the recommendation of drinking the minimum 6-8 glasses of water a day, but do you know why at least this much is needed everyday? Well, 60-70% of our bodies, by weight, is made up of water, and we lose nearly 8-10 cups a day just based on everyday bodily functions. Water plays many roles in our bodies: it aids respiration, helps our organs function, helps eliminates wastes from our system, and also helps digest our food. That’s right… water actually helps the digestion process. It does this by allowing nutrients in our food to be dissolved efficiently. So we need water everyday, but if we are trying to lose weight, we just can’t afford to not have enough of this essential liquid…

Water & Metabolism
When it comes to weight loss, one of the factors to concentrate on is metabolism. This is the rate which your body can break down and use its nutrients for energy. You’ve just discovered water’s role in digestion (the breakdown of nutrients), but it also helps the biochemical reactions in the body which are responsible for metabolism. The water we drink provides a “medium” for these reactions to occur, as many require water to move the reactions forward.

Water & Exercise
Water is also crucially important for exercise, and exercise is important to weight loss. Did you know that when you lose just 1% of your body fluid, it can decrease your energy and performance by 10%! Losing 3% can decrease your strength by 10%. Thus, not only does lack of hydration cause decreased energy, but it affects your ability to have a good exercise session towards achieving your fitness/weight loss goals. Water is needed to lubricate your tissues, joints and muscles, so that during exercise the joints aren’t cramping, and also can act as a “coolant” for your muscles during exercise.

Furthermore, lean tissue requires more water than fatty tissue. As you lose weight, and your body fat decreases, your body will require a higher amount of water to maintain your lean tissue.

Water & Hunger
Last, but not least, lack of water actually also increases your hunger. Next time you’re hungry and not sure why, just drink some water first, you could be thirsty instead.

Now that you know the importance of water and how it can help with weight loss and exercise…get drinking! Here are some tips to ensure you are well hydrated:

1. Carry a 1 litre water bottle with you at all times. Fill it up first thing in the morning and drink throughout the day. Gradually, try to increase this to 2 full bottles a day.

2. Drink a 4-8 ounce glass of water everytime you eat. Drink with all your meals and snacks, this should give you good coverage for the day.

3. If you can’t just drink water, try drinking milk, 100% real juice (with no added sugar or preservatives), or herbal teas. These fluids also contribute to hydration.

4. If you drink a non-hydrating drink such as pop or coffee or alcohol, drink the equivalent of it in water. Replenish what you’ve lost in water intake with these drinks using a 1:1 ratio of non-hydrating drinks to hydrating ones.

##### Publisher's Box #####

© Christina Gopal, Certified Weight Loss Coach
www.MyPrivateCoach.com
Christina Gopal is a Certified Weight Loss Coach at My Private Coach. She can be contacted at info@myprivatecoach.com.
Get a taste of coaching FREE today, schedule your first free session!
This article may be published without the consent of the author so long as the publisher's box is included in the post.

##### End Publisher's Box #####