Articles

Importance of water

written by Graham Lambert

Many Martial Artists, athletes and fitness enthusiasts fail to drink enough water. Relying on thirst as an indicator is not enough. It can take up to 48 hours for your thirst to tell you that you are dehydrated. Hot climates, sugary drinks and alcohol make it worse.

Water is the most abundant, and most important, nutrient in the body and is often neglected, due to foolish beliefs by some that water consumption adds weight, inhibits performance and causes cramps during workouts. Quite the opposite, however, is true. "To re-hydrate is to rejuvenate"

If Martial Artists did nothing else but drink more water, including substituting water for sugary fizzy drinks and juices, they would feel a tremendous impact on their overall health. In Martial Arts Tournaments I have witnessed competitors sitting around waiting for their divisions, drinking fizzy drinks that actually dehydrate them due to the excessive amounts of salt and sugar such soft drinks contain.

Two thirds of the human body is water. It's contained in blood, bones, skin and internal organs. Surprisingly even dense muscle is half water. Water is involved in nearly every bodily process, including digestion, absorption, circulation and excretion. Water is responsible for transporting nutrients throughout the body, building new tissues, and carrying off waste products. It is vital to optimum performance and, obviously, to life itself.

All foods contain water, which is absorbed by the body during digestion. Fruits and vegetables contain the highest amount of chemically pure water. Tap water, groundwater and even well water are usually contaminated with environmental toxins, pesticides, industrial wastes. Metals and nitrates. To obtain the purest source of drinking water, install a home water filter or purification unit or bottled water.

During strenuous exercise, the body regulates its temperature with perspiration - its natural cooling system. Sweating helps keep the body cool only if the perspiration stays on the skin. If it immediately evaporates, as occurs in the extreme dry air of the desert climates, this is where the body's cooling system fails to protect you. In a dry arid environment, the body's demand for fluid intake increases. The rate of fluid loss during exercise depends on the length and intensity of the routine or activity and the environmental conditions, such as, air temperature and humidity. The average 75kg martial artists body contains approximately 40-45 litres of water (1litre equals 1kilogram). Fluid losses due to exercise make water intake a primary concern. A sedentary 75kg adult in a temperate climate can lose between 3 and 4 litres a day through perspiration and excretion. The same person in desert conditions could lose up to three times that amount. This compared with a 75kg marathon runner who can lose as much as 9% of his entire body weight in one marathon race. This gives you some idea that it is extremely important it becomes to re-hydrate. The dangers of dehydration are not just restricted to the endurance athlete. Anyone who exercises can lose up to 5 litres (over 1 gallon) during a 1-1 1/2 hour intense circuit training, aerobic kickboxing or martial arts class. Oh and ladies who glow and don't sweat. I am sorry you sweat. Sweating is the body's own mechanism to assist in bringing the body temperature down.

When you exercise and the body starts to dehydrate the blood thickens and the ability for it to flow around the body is reduced the heart is put under increased pressure and the body is prevented from working aerobically. At this stage you must reduce the effort you are putting into your workout. If you don't the body will produce energy an-aerobically for a short period of time. After this fatigue takes over and the muscles stop working.

If you have ever experienced sluggishness and soreness or dizziness after a hard training session this could have been dramatically reduced with the intake of plenty of water. It is a fact that intake of water before, during and after training sessions dramatically reduces muscle soreness and lactic acid build up in the muscles. It simply flushes out the toxic by-products of exercise, without the intake of adequate amounts of water the body cannot effectively wash out the toxins from its cells.

Most nutritionists recommend between 8-10 glasses of water a day this does not include, tea coffee, fizzy drinks or alcohol. These products only serve to dehydrate the body even further. As martial artists you are no strangers to discipline so just one more to include more water in your regular diet and whilst exercising should not be too difficult. The benefits to your body and the way you feel will surprise you.

There are some people who have misguided beliefs about fluid loss being a means of weight loss, water contains no calories whatsoever and has no effect on body fat. I am sure most of you have been keeping one eye on the boxing fraternity and the discussions around weight loss through dehydration and how it affects the brain size inside the skull these are extremes but it gives an insight into the importance of drinking sufficient amounts of water. A good indicator as to whether or not you are drinking enough water is the colour of your urine; except for first thing in a morning this should be colourless.