Don’t roll your eyes! The potion for losing that excess
body fat is all around you. It covers two thirds of the planet.
If you eat right and exercise at the intensity, frequency and
duration proper for you, but still can’t get rid of a little
paunch here and there, you’re probably just not drinking
enough water...
No need to get defensive. You’re actually quite normal.
Most people don’t drink enough water. Most people are also
carrying around a few more pounds than they would be if they did
drink enough water. If you can’t seem to get that weight
off, try drowning your sorrows in nature’s magical weight-loss
mineral. It works, and here’s why:
“What on Earth is 'metabolism', anyway?” People use
the term all the time, but ask them what it means and you’ll
get all kinds of answers. Merriam Webster defines it as, “The
process by which a substance is handled in the body.” A
little vague, but that’s really all it means.
There are many forms of metabolism going on in your body right
now, but the one everyone is talking about it the metabolism of
fat. This is actually something that the liver does when it converts
stored fat to energy. The liver has other functions, but this
is one of its main jobs. Unfortunately, another of the liver’s
duties is to pick up the slack for the kidneys, which need plenty
of water to work properly. If the kidneys are water-deprived,
the liver has to do their work along with its own, lowering its
total productivity. It then can’t metabolize fat as quickly
or efficiently as it could when the kidneys were pulling their
own weight. If you allow this to happen, not only are you being
unfair to your liver, but you’re also setting yourself up
to store fat. Do you want to be a fat-storer? If not, say this
every day until you’re well-established in the water habit:
“I’m a fat-burner, not a fat-storer!” Pound
your fists on the table as you say it.
“I’ve tried it and I couldn’t stand it!”
The problem is that, though many decide to increase their water
intake, very few stick with it. It’s understandable. During
the first few days of drinking more water than your body is accustomed
to, you’re running to the bathroom constantly. This can
be very discouraging, and it can certainly interfere with an otherwise
normal day at work. It seems that the water is coming out just
as fast as it’s going in, and many people decide that their
new hydration habit is fruitless.
Do take heed , though. What is really happening is that your
body is flushing itself of the water it has been storing throughout
all those years of “survival mode”. It takes a while,
but this is a beautiful thing happening to you. As you continue
to give your body all the water it could ask for, it gets rid
of what it doesn’t need. It gets rid of the water it was
holding onto in your ankles and your hips and thighs, maybe even
around your belly. You are excreting much more than you realize.
Your body figures it doesn’t need to save these stores anymore;
it’s trusting that the water will keep coming, and if it
does, eventually, the flushing (of both the body and the potty)
will cease, allowing the human to return to a normal life. It’s
true. This is called the “breakthrough point.”
One recent finding, as irresponsible as it may be, that caffeine
increases the body’s fat-burning potential has many people
loading up on coffee before going to the gym. This finding may
hold some degree of truth in it, but caffeine is, in essence,
a diuretic, and diuretics dehydrate. Caffeine may increase the
heart rate, causing a few more calories to be burned, but this
is at the expense of the muscles, which need water to function
properly. This isn’t doing your heart any favors, either.
It’s already working hard enough during your workout. Never
mix caffeine and exercise. In fact, your best bet is to stay away
from caffeine all together. It’s a big bully that pushes
your friend water out of your system.
Water is the best beauty treatment. You’ve heard this since
high school, and it’s true. Water will do wonders for your
looks! It flushes out impurities in your skin, leaving you with
a clear, glowing complexion. It also makes your skin look younger.
Skin that is becoming saggy, either due to aging or weight loss,
plumps up very nicely when the skin cells are hydrated.
In addition, it improves muscle tone. You can lift weights until
you’re blue in the face, but if your muscles are suffering
from a drought, you won’t notice a pleasant difference in
your appearance. Muscles that have all the water they need contract
more easily, making your workout more effective, and you’ll
look much nicer than if you had flabby muscles under sagging skin.
“Eight glasses a day? Are you kidding?!” It’s
really not that much. Eight 8-ounce glasses amount to about two
quarts of water. This is okay for the average person, but if you’re
overweight, you should drink another eight ounces for every 25
pounds of excess weight you carry. You should also up this if
you live in a hot climate or exercise very intensely.
