The Importance of Water

Why is drinking water so important, especially to those that are trying to lose weight? The body is made up of mostly water. Lean muscle mass is compromised of about 75% water where excess fat is made up of about 25% water. Increasing lean muscle mass increases resting metabolism thereby enabling the body to burn more calories at rest. It goes without saying that water helps to increase your resting metabolic rate.

Water is also responsible for ridding the body of waste products. When you burn calories and lose fat, you need a vehicle to excrete those waste products from the body. Water helps the body flush out waste through the kidneys. Without drinking a sufficient amount of this no calorie drink, the body becomes dehydrated and has difficulty excreting the waste products created with the breakdown of fats.

Often times people sabotage their weight loss efforts by drinking beverages that dehydrate them. Alcohol and caffeine are two of the most common culprits in this sabotage. Both substances act as a diuretic causing the body to excrete more water than you are taking in.

How much water should a person drink everyday? The average person should drink about 2 liters of water every day. With an increase in exercise, the requirements increase. It is recommended that water intake increase by about 1 liter per day when you are working out. This will ensure that you don't starve your body of this much needed substance.