The most important nutrient for the maintenance of everyday normal bodily functions is "water". It comprises about 60% of an adult's body and an even greater amount in children. About 70% of our lean tissue is actually water. When looking at a person's body composition, men generally have slightly higher amounts of water in their body than women.
The intake of water on a regular basis is essential for may reasons. It's responsible for lubricating your joints, it acts as a shock absorber in the eyes and the spinal cord and aids in maintaining body temperature. Water also plays an important role in respiration, digestion, assimilation, metabolism, and waste removal. It also keeps the pressure, acidity, and composition of all chemical reactions in equilibrium.
When discussing body temperature, the physical effects of dehydration can be quite serious. Some of the problems include heat cramps, fatigue, deterioration in performance, reduced endurance, and heat stroke. Heat and humidity from the environment can also impair the functioning of our body's cooling system. It usually take up to 24 hours for our true thirst to register with our body, so you should keep a regular routine for fluid intake.
The average daily consumption for water should be between 2.5 and 3 quarts. People who are normally active require more water because it is lost through body sweat and perspiration. Also, generally healthy people excrete at least one quart of urine a day to get rid of body waste ("possibly going every four or five hours while awake"). Diluted urine ("caused by drinking an excessive amount of water") is easier on the kidneys then producing more concentrated urine.
The consumption of water while exercising will vary from climate to climate. In most cases, you should drink one to two cups of water ten to fifteen minutes before beginning your program and normally a half a cup during the workout. Water loss beyond 2% of body weight will impair your aerobic endurance. For example, if you weigh one hundred and fifty pounds before your workout and one hundred and forty seven after, you have lost 2% of your body weight. If this happens, make sure you drink two cups of water or fluid for every pound of weight lost.
I mentioned earlier that the percentage for adults is about 60%. Normally a newborn is 77%, children 59%, blood 83%, kidneys 82%, muscle 75%, brain 74%, liver 69%, and bones 22%. These percentages just gives us a bit of insight on the composition and importance of water in our body. Only oxygen is more essential than water in sustaining the life of all organisms.
Food provides us with at least 1.5 quarts of water daily ("metabolic water is produced as a by product of the food combustion process and it yields as much as a pint per day"). Fruits and vegetables are predominantly water. here are some of the estimates of water content in certain fruits and vegetables: cucumbers 93%, lettuce 94%, broccoli 91%, and oranges 84%. Coffee, tea, and alcoholic beverages are diuretics ("containing substances like caffeine and alcohol") which when taken causes the body to lose water. It is very important to drink a little extra water when consuming diuretics.
One final note of importance that I would like to mention regarding water consumption is this. If your kidneys do not have adequate water made available to them, your liver is forced to detoxify toxins. When this occurs, other functions performed by the liver are less effective, including the metabolism of food products. The consumption of at least eight to twelve glasses of water is essential, and even more when training. If you notice yourself at anytime feeling tired, uneasy, or just a lack of concentration, check your water intake. You will be amazed at just how much better you will look and feel when you drink more water so make it part of your daily routine.
I've spent more than 35 years training in a variety of sports from weight training to the martial arts. I was first certified as a professional trainer in 1995 and just completed my last two certifications in the past 3 years. I was a top 2000 finalist in the 2001 Body for Life Competition and went on to personal train and study the martial arts briefly in South Korea for 6 years. I'm now a certified Lifestyle Fitness Coach focusing more on the motivational aspects of health and fitness. My forte is "body transformations" and "lifestyle changes" for people 40 years of age and over. My strongest passion would be my belief in what it takes to make dreams become reality. You can read more about me at my website: http:www.personalimagetrainer.com