How Much Water Should You Drink Per Day?

I'm always amazed at how many people seem to know the answer to this question yet in practice they fail. Everybody I've talked to seems to know that 8-12 glasses of water a day is the recommended standard. But if I ask them how many glasses of water have you consumed today? The answer is usually none. Or the other standard answer at a corporate environment "does coffee count?"

While 8-12 glasses of water is great for the average sedentary person, many of us are fitness conscious or on the pursuit of some type of bodybuilding physique. With that in mind, I think the new standard for us should be 1-2 gallons of water a day.

As a bodybuilder, you are putting much more nutrients, food, supplements, and other stuff into your body. What your body does not use, it must rid itself of by any means necessary. Usually it does this via water. So drinking plenty of water becomes a necessity. Increasing protein puts a strain on your body and drinking lots of water can keep things "moving." Creatine monohydrate supplementation requires a lot of water. Creatine is all about cell volumization. Making sure your cells are completely hydrated helps with the volumization process. NO2, a hemodilator, requires water. Many other supplements require water as a transport and a flushing method.

The side effects of drinking too little water are an excess buildup of certain chemicals. Creatine can leave behind some buildup that overtime, becomes a bit hard to pass. Putting such a strain on the body is also self-defeating. But don't get me wrong, it's not just about Creatine and NO2. It's about making sure you are hydrated.

Being properly hydrated has it's benefits other then just the flushing methods and cell volumization discussed above. Your state of alertness is affected by your hydration levels. Performance in the gym by a hydrated body is enhanced. Your body is roughly 70% water. It makes sense to hydrate it. Drinking water is not just for hot days. It's for intense workouts in the gym. In fact, being hydrated has that perpetual pump that is so sought after.

There can be too much of a good thing. Drinking water to excess leads to water intoxication, referred to as hyponatremia. As you consume water, blood plasma increases and dilutes the salt content of the blood. While this is happening, you lose more salt by sweating. Consequently the amount of salt available to the body tissues decreases and over time, the loss interferes with brain, heart and muscle functions. Water intoxication is more commonly found in endurance athletes.

Drink plenty of water per day, but just keep in mind, there can be too much of a good thing. Being properly hydrated is necessary for optimum performance in the gym and for keeping your body performing well.

Marc David is a bodybuilder, writer, and author of the the e-book "The Beginner's Guide to Fitness and Bodybuilding" (BGFB): What Every Beginner Should Know but Probably Doesn't. Marc has written over 20 articles and has been featured in several health and fitness websites. Marc's opinionated and informative articles on bodybuilding, weight loss and training are featured regularly on: http://www.freedomfly.net

To subscribe to Marc's free b-weekly e-zine, visit the Freedomfly website here: http://www.freedomfly.net/fitnessnewsletter.h tm

Round Lake Beach cool limo ...

In The News:

USS Oklahoma sailor Warren Crim, who was killed in the attack on Pearl Harbor, has been laid to rest in his Tennessee hometown.

If indeed aliens do exist, they may be watching us from not too far away in space, a new study has found.

On Saturday, scientists from the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) successfully vacuumed dozens of Asian giant hornets out of a tree in Blaine, Wash.

NASA announced it has discovered water on the sunlit surface of the moon.

A rare two-headed snake has been found in Florida by a family’s cat.

Washington state bug hunters laid waste Saturday to the first “murder hornet” nest found in the U.S.

NASA astronaut Kate Rubins, the only American not on the planet, has cast her vote from space.

Space-suited bug specialists successfully vacuumed up a nest of so-called “murder hornets” in Washington state on Saturday.

Washington state bug hunters have located the first-ever Asian giant hornet nest in the U.S., it was reported Friday.

How Much Water Should You Drink Per Day?

Nutrition Nutrition