I know that you’ve heard this before, but drinking a lot of water is actually one of the few bits of conventional wisdom that is actually true for increased fat loss. One of the biggest assets to helping you burn fat and lose weight is drinking is water. If you are not drinking enough water each day, your nutrition plan will without question be much less effective in transforming your body than if you were drinking enough. Our bodies are approximately made up of 70% water by weight, and it is needed for nearly every body function, including digestive processes. We lose about a liter of water per day just through our skin and lungs (and that amount can easily triple if you are consistently working out). If you’re not getting enough, your body will not be metabolizing fat and digesting food as efficiently. HOW MUCH WATER DO YOU NEED DAILY The average person needs more than the standard 64oz of water to function optimally. Because we are training at high intensity multiple times per week you want to shoot for 80-100oz of water per day. Measuring Your Water Intake Daily: Below is a breakdown of how much water you should drink (not including during your workouts) each day in order to facilitate fat and weight loss per measurement. 2500ml 6-8 Glasses of Water 84oz 4-5 20oz Bottles of water 10 cups of water Watch this video I shot in Thailand that talks about one way you can start to get more water into your body on a daily basis Here are 5 Reasons Drinking Water will Help you Burn more Fat and Lose More Weight Reason 1. Increase Your Metabolism When you are not drinking enough water your body’s metabolism will slow down. Since water is needed for almost all bodily functions, without the optimal amount your metabolism and other systems are not working at full potential. The slower your metabolism the less fat and calories you will burn. Drink more water to help improve your body functions including metabolism. Tip: Drink cold water when you are NOT training, as the body has to metabolize the water to bring down to body temperature increasing your metabolic rate. Reason 2. No Water = Increased Cortisol Lack of water consumption has anti-catabolic effects. When you are dehydration this stimulates catabolic (muscle destroying) hormones and increases the cortisol response to exercise. Cortisol is a fat storage hormone and responsible for weight gain, especially in the abs and waistline Reason 3 – Prevent Water Retention There is a big misconception out there about water retention and that if you if you drink too much water it will cause retention. This couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact it’s the lack of water that causes water retention. The reason is that your body sees the lack of water as a shortage and because of this will go into “survival mode” and will try to retain everything that the body has to offer. When you body is in this “mode” it will automatically store any water that you drink resulting in water retention You can prevent this my providing your with more than enough water it needs and in time it you will flush the excess water out of your body. Remember the lack of water can be a main reason your have retention so drink enough each day. Reason 4 – Prevent Fat Storage Water can help your body metabolize stored fat. When you are not drinking enough water each day your body does not have good enough water supply to perform it’s daily physiological tasks and is forced to take water from your bodies cells including fat cells. If your body is drawing water from fat stores then they are less likely to metabolize and burn off as energy, which results in more fat stores over time. The more water you drink and the better hydrated you are the less fat your body will have to store. Reason 5 – Keytones Keytones, a natural byproduct of fat burning, are flushed out of the body through urine. High water intake is necessary to flush excess ketones through the kidney to prevent the negative effects of their accumulation. By flushing them out, you will improve your fat burning process. Conclusion I hope this has helped you understand the importance of drinking water of you want to burn more fat and lose weight. You will no doubt burn more calories and fat, rid you body of toxins and waster, improve your metabolism and prevent your body from storing fat. Add decreased water retention and increased energy and the your reason for drinking more water on a daily basis is undeniable and must in your overall nutrition. H2O NOTE water does NOT include tea, coffee, juice, alcohol or anything else, which simply ‘has water in it’. If you are training in the gym you should in fact drink MORE than the recommended amount each day, as your body needs to stay hydrated at all times. Tips On When, Where and How You Can Incorporate You Water for the Day – Laura D – Fit to Eat • Immediately when you wake up • While you are getting ready in the morning • To and from work (on your commute) • While you are watching television or a movie • With your meals • At your desk • While you are in meetings • In place of coffee or soft drinks • When you are travelling – on the bus, on a train, on the subway • In your car to and from any destination Keep well hydrated by finding creative ways to incorporate water throughout your day. Here are a few ideas how to make sure you get your 10 cups a day: