Drinking Water Really is the key to weight loss…

Don’t roll your eyes!

This ‘magic 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 and duration correct for you, but still can’t get rid of a little lump and bump 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:

So “What on Earth is ‘metabolism” ??? 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 – excellent! 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 productivity meaning it can’t metabolise 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 – not so good

“I’ve tried it and I couldn’t stand it!”

The problem is, though many decide to increase their water intake, very few stick with it. 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 pointless.

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 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, hips and thighs, maybe even around your belly  - yippee! 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 toilet) will stop, allowing you to return to a normal life.

This is called the “breakthrough point.”

One recent finding is that caffeine increases the body’s fat-burning potential – leading to many people loading up on coffee before going to the gym! This finding may hold some degree of truth in it but caffeine is a diuretic and diuretics will dehydrate you. Caffeine may increase the heart rate causing a few (and only 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 favours! It’s already working hard enough during your workout – never mix caffeine and exercise!

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 slowing down your fat burning metabolism – oh no!

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’s becoming saggy, either due to aging or weight loss, plumps up very nicely when the skin cells are hydrated – great

Also, water improves muscle tone. You can exercise 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 / two litres a day? Are you kidding???

It’s really not that much

You should also up this to at least three litres if you are exercising. Spread your water consumption out throughout the day; it’s not healthy to drink too much water at one time. Pick 3 or 4 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 dehydrated. Drink when you’re not thirsty yet.

When you drink all the water your body needs, you will very quickly notice a decrease in your appetite, possibly even on the first day! If you’re serious about becoming leaner and healthier drinking water is an absolute must.

If you’re doing everything else right and still not seeing results, this might just be the missing link!