Drink Water to Burn Fat?
Many people overlook the most obvious thing your body needs when attempting to shed off extra pounds: water. Research shows regardless if you’re working out or not, most people simply don’t drink enough water. Research also shows that those people who don’t drink enough water are carrying around a few extra pounds that wouldn’t exist be if the right amount of water was consumed. Yes, nature’s mineral is a wonderful way to burn fat, which equals weight loss. But how does this work?
Many forms of metabolism are always occurring in your body, but the most popular is the metabolism of fat. This is actually something that the liver does when it converts stored fat to energy. The liver also has other functions, but this is one of its main jobs. Unfortunately, another of the liver’s duty is to pick up the slack for the kidneys, which need plenty of water to properly perform. If the kidneys are water-deprived, the liver has to do their work along with its own, lowering its total productivity. The liver then can’t metabolize fat as quickly or efficiently as it could when the kidneys are functioning properly. 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. And the easiest cure? Drink more water.
The 8 x 8 rule (eight glasses, eight ounces each) is the norm specialists say is necessary on a daily basis. It’s really not that much. Eight glasses of water (eight ounces each) amounts to about two quarts. 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. And if you live in a hot climate or exercise very intensely, even more water is needed. Researchers say this water consumption should be spread throughout the day. It’s not healthy to drink too much water at one time. Try to pick three or four times a day when you can have a big glass of water, and then sip in between. Don’t let yourself get thirsty. If you feel thirsty, you’re already becoming dehydrated; drink when you’re not thirsty.
According to BodyBuilding.com, our bodies are made of over 70 percent water. The body needs water daily to maintain the body’s function and to flush out harmful toxins, which primes the body for fat loss. Over 70 percent of our muscle is also made up of water. This may sound contradicting, but if your body is not taking in enough water, the water already in your body is used for other things, which makes you bloated. The only way to get rid of the excess water in your body that causes bloating, believe it or not, is to take in enough water daily. To simplify a long in-depth scientific process, when you take in enough water you get rid of that excess water weight that bloats you, helping your body run more efficiently, priming it for weight loss. Once you begin taking in enough water, your body will drop weight, up to four or five pounds in the first week. Initially this is only water weight, but eventually you’ll start burning that stored body fat for energy.
And although all water is good for you, ice-cold water will help you burn additional calories. When you consume ice-cold water, the body must heat up so it can use this water properly, and heating up the body takes energy, or calories. You can burn another 50 to 100 calories daily by drinking one half gallon to a gallon of ice-cold water per day. Also, studies show that drinking ice cold water can help drop a full pound of fat each month, or 12 pounds per year. Not bad for the world’s most abundant resource.
And there’s also an added bonus to drinking water: it’s the best beauty treatment. Water will do wonders for your appearance. 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, proper water consumption improves muscle tone. You can lift weights forever, 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.
Related Sources:
http://www.webmd.com/diet/slideshow-boost-your-metabolism
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/water/NU00283
