Be the Camel

Some of you may wonder why an entire post would need to be dedicated to water. I mean come on it's just water right? WRONG. Did you realize that water is actually classified as a "nutrient" even though there is no nutrition like vitamins and such in it.Among all this  talk about super foods and super berries and magical weight loss pills and weightless sprinkles  the fact remains that WATER is you best friend and ally when it comes to staying healthy as well as losing weight. I have never understood the quest to find the miracle cure for weight loss because the proven answers have always been right there for us, you eat the food pyramid meaning a balanced diet and for weight loss you take in less calories then you burn and drink plenty of water. It is ridiculously simple so why do so many people fail to do this? Well it is usually because they are not taking this method to the extreme (or so it would seem extreme in today's twisted society) that is needed, therefore they receive little to no results. Water does so much for our bodies it is hard to list all the benefits of taking in an adequate supply of water. Fitness.com has a great summary of the purposes of water, "Regular water consumption is good for our health and diet, and is essential for many functions of the body. It is important in helping with digestion; the absorption of food, the regulation of body temperature and blood circulation, the carrying of nutrients and oxygen to the cells in the body, and for the removal of toxins. Water also helps with the movement of joints, and helps protect tissues and organs in the body. It is also good to drink water for metabolic and weight loss purposes. Drinking water metabolizes stored fats, and helps maintain proper muscle tone. Most importantly though, drinking water will prevent dehydration, which can have detrimental effects on the body."
I dunno sounds like a miracle cure to me yet so many of us push right past the evaluation of our water consumption and head straight to the pharmacy, or doctor when we have a aliment. Do you get constipated a lot? Drink more water. Do you get headaches and muscle aches a lot? Drink more water? Do you often feel fatigued or just sluggish? Do you have food cravings and the munchies? Drink more water. Do you have unexplained breakouts or skin problems such as dry skin or eczema? Drink more water. Do you sometimes want to box up your kids and ship them to Sweden? Take a breather and go get a massage or pedicure but on your way. . . .  drink more water, because believe it or not, water intake is linked to your moods as well as conditions such as  anxiety and depression.
I could go on and on about the things a healthy water intake can do for your body but frankly the list is just too long.
However since this blog is about fitness let's concentrate on weight loss. Water not only helps to breakdown and flush out those fat cells, it also helps us to feel full and calm the munchies and cravings. It is also essential so you are not retaining excess water which is somewhat of a superficial weight, but weight non the less and can leave you feeling bloated and just plain sluggish. If your body is not receiving the right amount of water it stores it to prevent becoming dehydrated because you are telling your body it can not count on a consistent supply therefore spooking it into survival mode. But if you take in the proper amount of water it allows your body to flush all the unnecessary stored water out of your body along with the toxins, fat and chemicals it was holding in there with it. Think of a quickly moving spring of water, running down the mountain side, the water is clear and clean. But what about a stagnant puddle, what does that water look like? Gross right? Well if you aren't drinking the right amount of water you have "stagnant gross puddles" just sitting around in your system and are slow to drain along with all the toxins they contain. But if you are drinking lots and lots of water you have more of the quick clean mountain stream which is cleansing on so many levels.

So hopefully I have you convinced about how important water is, now your question should be, what is a healthy or correct water intake? Many of us have heard the whole "8 glasses a day" and while this is a decent recommendation the fact is there are too many variants. 8 glasses of water might be enough for me but is it enough for a 250 pound man? No way. So the simple formula is this, take your body weight and divide it in half then change pounds to ounces and this is your MINIMUM water intake a day. If you weight 140lbs you should be drinking at LEAST 70 ounces of water a day. Once you have this base water intake you need to factor in your activity level, whether or not you work outside in the sun, as well as other demands on your body (i.e nursing a baby) I drink a a minimum of 70 ounces of water a day, no I do not weight 140 lbs but I have found through trail and error that this is my minimum for feeling good and achieving the results I need. But when I really want to feel great I drink 90 to 100 ounces of water a day, not only does this increase my energy, make my skin glow and cleanse my system it also helps me to feel full it calms my urges to snack and I have no issues with staying within my caloric intake to achieve weight loss.
So if you are not seeing results with your fitness goals, first assess your water intake, it plays a vital role in your overall health as well as your weight loss goals. I challenge everyone this week to "drink like a camel" drink more water then you are used to, slowly increase you tolerance for it. Most of you will find you will be visiting the bathroom quite a bit at first as your body releases all the water it has been hanging on to and as your bladder becomes accustomed to the increase in fluid output but if you stick with it, just like these workouts, you will benefit in huge ways!