One of the body’s most essential
nutrients is water. You can’t
live without water for more than
a week, while you can go without
food for approximately six weeks.
So, water is vital to your health
and life. It’s vital, just
like oxygen when we breathe.
The
average adult is 55-75 percent
water. This varies from person
to person depending on their age,
height, weight, and gender. Lean
muscle tissue holds more water
than body fat. Males with more
muscle have more water than females.
Younger individuals have more
water than adults. A newborn baby’s
weight is usually 75 percent water.
Water
does so much more than satisfy
your thirst. When you feel thirst,
your body is already dehydrated.
It’s a warning sign that
your body needs more water to
perform its duties. Nearly every
function of your body uses water.
It regulates your body temperature.
Water is used as transportation
for many nutrients and oxygen
to your body cells and to carry
away waste products. Water is
the main part in bodily fluids
like saliva, blood, amniotic fluid
and urine. It prevents constipation
by softening stools, cushions
joints, and protects body organs
and tissue.
In
order for your body to perform
and function normally, you need
an ongoing supply of water. In
other words, drink lots of water.
How much water does your body
need? The average adult loses
about 10 cups of water a day through
urination, bowel movements, breathing
and perspiration. Your body doesn’t
store an extra supply of water
like other nutrients, so you need
to replace the water that you
lose throughout the day. Based
on a 2000 calorie diet your body
needs about 8 cups of water a
day. Most people get 8 –12
cups a day through drinking water,
other beverages and foods. To
see if you are drinking enough
water, check your urine. If it
is dark in color, you are not
drinking enough water. Thirst
is another sign of whether or
not you are drinking enough water.
Proper
water consumption is key to weight
loss. It has no calories, so you
can drink as much as you want,
while supplying your body with
one of its main nutrients. If
you are retaining fluids, this
is a sign that you are not drinking
enough water. The more water you
drink the less water retention
you have because the body is being
properly fueled. So drink lots
of water because it is truly a
needed nutrient for life.
What
is a calorie?
Simply put, a calorie is a measure
of heat energy; specifically the
amount of heat necessary to raise
the temperature of one liter of
water one degree Centigrade. Calories
taken in as food are used for
energy (as in resting metabolism
or exercise) or if unused, are
stored (as fat). The body can
then use stored calories for energy
when calorie consumption is not
sufficient.
Calories
add up, and very quickly! We know
that every calorie we eat that
isn’t used for energy is
stored as fat. For every 3,500
calories that you eat beyond what
you use for energy, you will gain
one pound of fat. On the other
hand, creating a calorie deficit
of 3,500 calories a week allows
you to lose a pound of fat in
a week. To put this in perspective:
cutting out only 1,750 calories
per week (or 250 calories per
day) will amount to a weight loss
of 26 pounds in a year!
If
you take in too few calories,
that is, less than what your body
needs to support its resting systems
and functions, you can put your
body in an unhealthy state. Your
body needs food energy for normal
everyday functioning. A sensible
approach to losing weight is to
reduce your calorie intake 500
to 1,000 calories below your daily
expenditure. By including exercise
as a part of your daily routine,
you will still be taking in the
appropriate amount of calories
for necessary body functions,
yet create a calorie deficit which
will promote the loss of body
fat.
What
is Body Composition?
What
does it mean? More importantly,
what does it mean to you? Basically,
body composition is exactly what
it sounds like – the stuff
of which you are composed. Do
you know what you’re made
of? Let’s take a look.
Most
body composition analyses divide
body composition into two components:
body fat and lean body mass. We’ll
start with body fat. A certain
amount of body fat, about 3 percent
of total body weight, aptly dubbed
essential fat, is necessary to
sustain normal body functions.
Women have an additional 9-12
percent essential fat that is
considered sex-specific, and is
associated with normal sex hormone
functioning. Dropping below 3
percent body fat for men or 9-12
percent for women is considered
unhealthy and can be dangerous
or even life threatening.
What
is a healthy amount of body fat?
This depends on who you are and
what you do. The healthy, fit
range is from 18-22 percent for
women and from 12-17% for men.
Athletes on strict training and
diet regimens may have as little
as 14-18 percent body fat for
women and 6-12 percent for men.
Having over 30 percent body fat
for women and 20% body fat for
men increases the risk of disease
and is considered obese. If your
body fat percentage is higher
than the healthy, fit levels yet
is lower than the obese levels,
you may benefit from a healthy
diet and exercise, but are not
at health risk related to body
composition.
Now
that we’ve covered the basics
on body fat, let’s move
on to what’s left, which
is collectively termed “lean
body mass.” Lean body mass
includes everything in your body
except fat – muscle, bones,
organs, fluids, etc. By exercising
regularly and eating a healthy,
balanced diet, it is possible
to achieve and maintain a desirable
ratio of fat to lean.
Resistance
training can increase muscle mass,
which increases your lean body
mass. And, since your muscles
are what give your body shape
and form over your skeleton, building
strong, healthy muscles can make
you look good, too!
Another
benefit of increasing lean body
mass is that it can help your
body become a better calorie-burning
machine! It’s true –
by increasing muscle mass, you
will increase your resting metabolic
rate (RMR) and burn more calories
all day long! How is this possible?
Because muscle tissue contains
little organelles called mitochondria,
which, put simply, are little
energy producing machines. The
more muscle tissue you have, the
more mitochondria you have. And
yes – you’ve got it
– the more mitochondria
you have, the more calories you
burn!
Fat
cells, on the other hand, do not
have any such amazing abilities.
In fact, body fat above the level
of essential fat is considered
storage fat and is actually a
source of fuel that can feed the
mitochondria and help keep your
body running. A certain amount
of storage fat is also important
for cushioning and protecting
the bones, muscles and organs,
and for temperature regulation.
However, high levels of body fat
can adversely affect temperature
regulation, as well as overtax
the body’s organs and systems
over time.
A
last point to note is that your
body weight is about 60-70 percent
water, with muscle tissue being
70-75 percent water and fat 10-15
percent water. Women will be slightly
less hydrated than men, due to
the higher level of essential
fat.
Water
is essential to life – it
is present in all of your body
fluids and tissues. In blood,
water transports nutrients and
oxygen to your cells, and picks
up waste products for elimination.
In sweat, water helps cool your
body, and in saliva and digestive
fluids it helps break down the
food you eat. Water is even a
key ingredient for healthy, radiant
skin!
While
height and weight are valuable
numbers to know, your body composition
will tell you much more about
your overall health, and it gives
you some insight into what is
going on inside you!
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Jordan,
P., ed. (1995) Fitness: Theory
& Practice. Aerobics and Fitness
Association of America.
Clark,
N. (1995) Water: the Ultimate
Nutrient. Physician and Sports
Medicine, 23:5: 32g-32h. Jordan,
P., ed. (1995) Fitness: Theory
& Practice. Aerobics and Fitness
Association of America. Clark,
N. (1995) Water: the Ultimate
Nutrient. Physician and Sports
Medicine, 23:5: 32g-32h.
