Exercise and Drinking Water
Drinking water is important when we exercise. Our bodies are made up of over 75% water, and we have to keep ourselves hydrated to be healthy. The fact is that we can only live a few days without water even under the the most perfect conditions.
I am always surprised when I hit my favorite trail here in Florida, and see people jogging, walking, or skating without any water. Water is a vital element to any physical activity, no matter what it is.
No matter where we exercise, either outdoors or in a fitness center with air conditioning, we should always be drinking water before, during, and after our workouts. By drinking water while we exercise, we avoid dehydration, and the increase in our body temperature.
When we begin any exercise, our body temperature rises, and we produce sweat. Sweat is actually a good thing, it helps our bodies to maintain a constant temperature. If you are not properly hydrated during exercise, then when you start to sweat, your heart rate will increase, which raises your level of stress, and you tire more quickly. This is why it is very important to drink water while exercising, so that your body can recover the water you lose.
So now you ask, how much water should we be drinking? Fitness experts recommend that you should drink 2 glasses of water before exercising, and to keep drinking during exercise. During exercise you should try to drink water ever 15 minutes taking small sips. At the end of your exercise regimine you should drink 20 ounces or 2 to 3 glasses of water.
Probably one of the best ways to know whether or not you drank too much water during exercising, is if you weigh more after your workout, than it was before you started your physical activity.
Furthermore, water is responsible for helping transport glucose, oxygen, and fat to your muscles when they are working out, and this helps to eliminate the toxins in your body.
A Few More Reasons to Drink Water
Some experts say you need to drink water to burn fat. Without water, your kidneys cannot do their job properly, so they have to depend on the liver to help out. The problem with this is the liver cannot burn as much fat, so some of the fat that the body would use for fuel will be stored for later use. The water is stored between your cells, and shows up as extra weight. We need to drink more water so the liver can do its own job of turning fat into fuel.
When your body is hydrated, the stored water is released, so the more water you drink, the less you will eat.
So in order to keep our bodies from storing water, and fat that we really don't need while exercising, we need to drink our water during the day, and before, during, and after we exercise.
Water and Exercise does a body good!
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