Did You Know?

Brian Calkins - NSCA-CPT, ACE | Cincinnati, Ohio

One glass of water shuts down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100 percent of people looking to lose weight.

In 37 percent of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is often mistaken for hunger. 75 percent of Americans are chronically dehydrated. Even MILD dehydration will slow down your metabolism as much as 3 percent, so drinking more water may provide you with more energy. Lack of water is the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.

Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80 percent of sufferers.  Now while a general statement like '8-10 glasses of water' is OK for the general population, in physique transformation work we like to be more accurate. 

If you are a 120 pound woman or a 250 pound man, 8-10 glasses of water is too vague.  A 'glass of water' to one person could be a four ounce cup.  To another person it might mean a sixteen ounce glass.  A much better and more precise rule of thumb is .5-.6 ounces of water for each pound of bodyweight.

A mere 2 percent drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen.

Drinking 5 glasses of water daily may decrease the risk of colon cancer, breast cancer and bladder cancer.

Source: University of Washington study, reported in Integrated and Alternative Medicine Clinical Highlights 2002 Aug 4;1(16).

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