Water – Is It Enough?
Water – Is It Enough? Our bodies are 60% water, which should make you realize you need to be drinking enough during the day. Dehydration happens quickly, and once it does it negatively affects both your mental and physical performance. Water works under normal circumstances, but when you’re training hard, you need something more. If you’re ready, let’s get to it!
Short On Time? – A Quick Review
| Feature | Water | Liquid I.V. Hydration Multiplier |
| Primary Function | General baseline hydrationand temperature regulation. | Rapid electrolyte replenishment viaCellular Transport Technology (CTT). |
| Electrolyte Content | Trace amounts (varies by source). | High (Sodium, Potassium, and Magnesium). |
| Absorption Speed | Within 20 minutes | Accelerated; utilizes a specificratio of sodium, glucose, and water. |
| Caloric Impact | 0 Calories. Ideal for strict cutting phases. | ~45-50 Calories. Primarily from cane sugar. |
| Recovery Benefit | Flushes toxins; maintains blood volume. | Prevents cramping and replaces saltlost through heavy perspiration. |
| Palatability | Neutral; can be difficult to “chug”in high volumes. | Flavored; often encourages higher fluid intakeduring long sessions. |
What Is Water?
It is a clear, nontoxic liquid that is absolutely essential to life. Technically, it is an hydrogen oxide consisting of an oxygen atom that is bonded to two hydrogen atoms.
It is also tasteless.You can claim you don’t like the taste, but switching from tap water to a bottled or filtered version takes care of that. If you don’t consistently drink multiple glasses a day, you’d better be getting it from someplace else to avoid dehydration. Don’t just give up on it, try a different source!
Why Is Hydration Important?
As noted, when you become dehydrated your mental productivity suffers, which can affect school, work, and your daily life decisions. In addition, your training performance will suffer. Hydration is essential because it acts as a critical component for such functions as regulating body temperature, lubricating joints, and removing waste, and that’s just the start!
Water is a transporter of nutrients to all of your cells, especially muscle cells. Stop for a moment and think about how important that really is. Most every supplement and medication is taken with a glass of water. There’s a reason for that – it acts as a carrier in the body. In the case of your workouts, this helps ease muscle fatigue and improve in-the-gym performance and endurance.
Proper hydration keeps your organs functioning normally, enhances cognitive performance, improves your mood, prevents infections, and keeps the heart from overworking. Hydration is a primary key to the metabolic processes required for recovery and muscle growth. Plus, adequate hydration helps maintain blood volume and pressure, ensuring that your cardiovascular system operates at peak efficiency. Also, hydrogen is a component of ATP, the primary energy source of your muscles, and that comes from water. (1, 2)
What Are The Symptoms Of Dehydration?
If you are dehydrated, it means you’ve lost more fluid than you’ve consumed. (3)
Symptoms of dehydration include the following:
- Feeling Thirsty
- Fewer Bathroom Visits
- Feeling Lightheaded
- Feeling Fatigued
- Muscle Cramps
- Headache
- Dark Yellow, Strong-Smelling Urine
If symptoms are severe, you may experience the following:
- Confusion
- Fainting
- Rapid Heartbeat
Put simply, life cannot exist without water. It’s crucial to remember that we can only go 3 days without it, yet we can go weeks without food.
Water and Cortisol
Maintaining proper hydration by drinking enough water can help manage and lower cortisol (the destructive catabolic hormone) levels. Dehydration functions as a stressor on the body, which can trigger cortisol spikes. Consistently drinking adequate water helps regulate stress responses, while not doing so can cause significantly higher cortisol responses to stress. (4)
Water and Cortisol Recap
- Reduced Stress Response – If you don’t drink enough water per day you risk a 50% higher cortisol response to stress compared to those with higher daily fluid intake.
- Preventing Cortisol Spikes – Staying hydrated helps the body manage stress and avoids unnecessary cortisol spikes.
- Effect of Dehydration – Dehydration acts as a physical stressor, causing cortisol levels to increase.
For any serious lifter or athlete, excessive cortisol levels are one of the worst things that can happen because excess cortisol robs you of your gains.
Is Water Enough – How To Optimize Hydration
Electrolytes are minerals that carry a positive or negative electrical charge. They are found in the cells, tissues, and fluids of the body. These minerals are crucial to a number of key bodily functions. For example, these minerals transport electrical impulses around the body, which gives them a primary role in nerve impulses.
They also promote peak physical and mental performance by helping keep you hydrated. Plus, they regulate the Ph levels in your body.
Benefits of electrolytes include:
- Support Muscular Contractions
- Involved In Nerve Impulse Conduction
- Help Regulate Your Heartbeat
- Promote Optimal Brain Function
Water and electrolytes work together to promote hydration, but water is not a key source of these minerals. Under normal circumstances, this is not usually a problem. However, in the gym (or when exposed to a very hot environment), you need something more, such as specific hydration supplements. What product do I suggest? Find out next!
Suggested Supplements
The product I recommend for this purpose is Liquid I.V. Hydration Multiplier. This impressive product is fast acting and provides the hydration of 3 bottles of water! Plus, it provides 3 times the electrolytes of the popular sports drinks – meaning if you are concerned about staying hydrated, look no further than Hydration Multiplier!
Summary
The answer to the question “Water – Is It Enough?” is: sometimes. Under normal circumstances, if you drink plenty of water during the day, you’ll be OK. However, if you’re in a hot environment, whether inside or outside, or training hard, whether it’s with weights or especially an active endurance-type sport or training program, you will need something more – Liquid I.V. Hydration Multiplier! I suggest stopping by illpumpyouup.com today and stocking up!
References:
- Judge, L. W., Bellar, D. M., Popp, J. K., Craig, B. W., Schoeff, M. A., Hoover, D. L., Fox, B., Kistler, B. M., & Al-Nawaiseh, A. M. (2021). Hydration to Maximize Performance and Recovery: Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behaviors Among Collegiate Track and Field Throwers. Journal of human kinetics, 79, 111–122. https://doi.org/10.2478/hukin-2021-0065
- Judelson, D. A., Maresh, C. M., Anderson, J. M., Armstrong, L. E., Casa, D. J., Kraemer, W. J., & Volek, J. S. (2007). Hydration and muscular performance: does fluid balance affect strength, power and high-intensity endurance? Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 37(10), 907–921. https://doi.org/10.2165/00007256-200737100-00006
- https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/dehydration/symptoms-causes/syc-20354086
- https://ucfhealth.com/our-services/primary-care/how-to-lower-cortisol/