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One Of
The Most Vital Elements Of
Your Natural Bodybuilding
Diet
Water is a
frequently overlooked
nutrient – despite of the
fact that it is one of the
most important elements of
the natural bodybuilding
diet. Your muscles are up
to 70-percent water, and
adequate hydration is
essential for muscle
function and growth. In
fact, protein synthesis is
increased when the muscles
are fully hydrated. Eat
plenty of foods with high
water content, and drink
1/2 to 2 liters of water
each day (about six to
eight glasses). This is
particularly important in
summer when you lose
significant amounts of
water due to sweating.
Gaining
muscle is not easy for the
athlete. But it’s good to
know that you can live with
deficiencies of most
nutrients for days or even
weeks, a few days without
water will kill you. There
is more water in the body
than any other nutrient. Up
to 60 percent of a person's
total body weight is water.
It comprises up to 70
percent of the weight of
muscle but only 25 percent
of the weight of fat.
Water plays
a role in digestion,
assimilation, circulation
and excretion. It is the
major ingredient in blood
plasma, which transports
nutrients and gases between
the cells. It is also a
necessary part of many
chemical reactions in the
body. Water carries off the
waste products of energy
metabolism from the cell
and provides the fluid
needed to get rid of the
body's wastes. These wastes
include the urea that is
produced during the
breakdown of dietary
protein. Water also
lubricates the joints and
gives form to the
muscles.
The body
produces a significant
amount of water when food
molecules are broken down
for energy. In fact, nearly
25 percent of the total
daily water requirement for
a sedentary person can be
provided by this metabolic
mechanism. Each gram of
glucose combines with 2.7 g
of water to form glycogen
in the muscles and liver.
This water is released when
the glycogen is converted
into energy. One of the
most important functions of
water is heat regulation.
Exercise generates heat,
which can severely impact
the functioning of the body
if the temperature rises
too high. When water is
released through the skin
and evaporates, heat is
dissipated into the
environment, lowering the
skin temperature. This
air-conditioning function
can use up a great deal of
water depending on the
intensity and duration of
exercise and the
environmental conditions of
relative humidity and air
temperature. While a
limited amount of water can
be lost without affecting
sports performance (up to 2
percent of body weight), a
loss of only 3 percent can
reduce endurance. Even
greater losses can impact
muscular strength. When the
water loss exceeds 6
percent of bodyweight,
life-threatening symptoms
such as heat exhaustion and
heat stroke can occur.
Dehydration
causes the blood volume to
go down, forcing the heart
to work harder. It also
interferes with numerous
body functions, including
protein synthesis in
muscle. Dehydration can
actually be speeded up by
high-protein diets, since
water is diverted to the
kidneys to get rid of the
excess urea produced by
these diets. One way to
avoid dehydration is to
keep protein intake
moderate while consuming
water at regular intervals
throughout your training
sessions. This is
especially important in hot
weather and during
endurance activities like
long-distance
marathons.
When
gaining muscle, make sure
you get enough water every
day, particularly during
workouts. Eat plenty of
fruits and vegetables that
are high in water content,
and drink 1/2 to 2 liters
of water each day (about
six to eight glasses).
While weight training, have
a few sips of water between
sets, even if you're not
thirsty. Thirst is not a
very sensitive indicator of
water need.
Avoid
sugary sodas and other
sucrose-based drinks,
including those fruit-juice
blends that are only
partially juice. Sports
drinks made from glucose
polymers and fructose are
better, but natural fruit
juices are best. However,
juices have no fiber and
are relatively high in
calories, so they should
only make up a small
portion of the diet,
especially when you are on
a reduced-calorie diet to
lower your bodyweight. In
these situations your body
would rather feel the
sensation of fullness that
comes from solid food.
You're better off eating
the fruit with its greater
nutrient value than the
juice made from it. In
fact, the best thing to
drink is plain water.
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