H2O

A key ingredient in maintaining optimal function and balance throughout the body is water. It helps transport other nutrients to the cells, maintain the function of blood, and eliminate wastes from the lungs, skin, and colon. Water also plays a major role in hormone regulation and balancing acid-alkaline levels in the body. More importantly, water is like your car’s radiator, cooling the metabolic reactions that create heat in your body. For example, muscle contraction produces large amounts of heat, which must be cooled by water. If this regulation did not occur effectively, your temperature would rise to a level that would destroy your enzymes and other protein-based substances and you would function very poorly or, worse, could die. The water literally absorbs the excess heat and carries it to the skin, where it is dissipated through evaporation and sweating.

About 60 percent of the body is made up of water, with different areas accounting for various percentages. For example, about 80 percent of your blood, heart, lungs, and kidneys are water; your muscles, intestines, and spleen are about 75 percent water. Even areas like your bones, which are 22 percent water, and fat stores, 10 percent water, require a specific level which, if not maintained, results in poor function.

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Very slight reductions in water can have adverse effects on training and competition. That’s because dehydration can lower blood volume. This reduces blood flow to the brain, muscles, organs, glands, and other areas. Lower blood volume causes other problems too, including:

 

 

 
  • Reduced oxygen and red blood cells going to the muscles
  • Reduced transport of nutrients, including glucose, fats, and amino acids
  • Reduced removal of carbon dioxide and other byproducts of metabolism
  • Reduced transport of hormones that help regulate muscular activity
  • Reduced regulation of lactic acid and lactate
  • Reduced cardiovascular function
  • Reduced effectiveness of muscle contractions
  • Reduced effectiveness of the sweating mechanism

In addition, lowered blood volume raises the heart rate, which negatively affects athletic performance, as indicated by poor MAF Test results. Muscle cramps are also associated with dehydration, along with sodium loss.

For the same reasons, dehydration can affect your brain, creating moodiness and reducing memory. It can also influence perceived exertion, making an average workout feel more difficult. And those athletes relying on eye-hand coordination (tennis, ball sports, etc.) can also be adversely affected by dehydration. Other symptoms of dehydration include headache, dizziness, high heart rate, and dry mouth. But these indicators are also felt after you’re dehydrated.