If you're like me, you're probably tired of hearing people say, "You need to drink eight glasses of water a day!" Well, we really do. My comment in my previous post about muscle retaining water while it's recovering prompted me to do a search on the Internet about the amount of water muscle is made up of. Did you know that muscle is made up of 70-75% water? Did you know that our bodies, if they aren't sure they will receive more water, will store the water it has until it knows for sure it's going to get more (ie water rentention!)?
This quote is from http://www.builtfit.com/nutrition/the-importance-of-water-for-building-muscle.htm. I STRONGLY recommend you go to the link and read the whole article. It's so interesting! But here is what I found to be most important:
A common myth in bodybuilding is that too much water will cause the body to hold water. In reality, it is just the opposite. When the body begins to become dehydrated it shuttles water into every nook and cranny to hold onto it. The best storage place is between the muscle and skin. The way to reduce this excess water is to increase water intake. Once the body is sure it will get enough then it will begin to get rid of the stored water. Maintaining an adequate water intake is the best way to combat water retention.
How crazy is that!? Water rentention is similar to how our bodies hold onto fat if it isn't sure it will get more fat. If you don't eat for a long period of time, your body's metabolism will slow to save what it has (ie starvation mode). It's the same with water! Crazy!
No comments:
Post a Comment