Heroes of Tomorrow Fitness Center

 

Can Too Much Water be Bad for You?

                                  by www.StewSmith.com

 

This week, a concerned Army Reservist asks, “I have heard about people dieing of drinking too much water. Is this possible?”  This is a great question because so many times this issue is taken out of context causing people to stop drinking water altogether. 

 

When you read about people who die or get kidney damage “from drinking too much water” you are only hearing half of the story.  The other half of the story is often overlooked.  These people die or are seriously injured internally from over-hydration with insufficient replacement of sodium, which is called dilutional hyponatremia.   The documented cases are from participants in long distance running or ultra endurance events lasting longer than four hours of continuous, sweaty, activity.  Sports replacement drinks mixed with water are the best source of electrolytes and can be of significant help in avoiding hyponatremia in long distance athletic events or long, hot and humid days of rigorous outdoor work. 

 

Now there have been recent cases where people had drinking contests of water and actually drank more than two gallons in AN HOUR.  I drink a lot of water in a day - maybe a gallon, BUT when done in ONE HOUR you can cause the same reaction as above and dissolve all of your electrolytes, shutting down your major organs and die.

 

However, the regular person in America, does not drink ENOUGH water per day.  Those who does not exercise at all or that rigorously, needs water to lose weight.  If the body does not receive adequate amounts (1-2 quarts a day), you will actually start to retain water causing a net gain in weight and the liver to cease metabolizing fat at a normal rate.  Basically, your metabolism will slow to a point where fat and water is now being store by the body UNTIL it receives the proper amounts of water.  An easy equation with the elements of weight loss is:

Water + Oxygen = Weight loss 

Drinking water plus physical activity where you breathe at a higher heart rate (ie aerobic activity like walking, jogging, swimming, biking, resistance training etc,) will ultimately lead to weight loss.  Not only will you release retained water – ending the bloated and puffy feeling, but your metabolism will burn fat at a higher rate than before you started adding sufficient water intake to your diet.  If you are significantly overweight (50-100lbs), you need to add more water to your diet than the minimum recommended daily amount.  Some experts agree that the intake should be another 6-8 oz. of water for every 10-20 lbs overweight. 

 

The bad news is that coffee, tea, diet drinks, alcohol, and nicotine are diuretics meaning they actually will dehydrate you.  These drinks should not count as your 1-2 quarts a day of daily water consumption.  If you think you maybe retaining water, try adding up to a gallon of water a day and you could lose about five to ten pounds of retained water in a few short days.  I have seen people lose up to twenty in a week by ONLY adding water to their diet. 

 

For people who are above / below average weight see equation for how much water you should drink in a day:

 

1/2 to 2/3 of your body weight (lbs) is how many ounces of water you should drink at a minimum.

 

See these tips and more on fitness at the StewSmith.com Fitness eBook Store and by reading the Stew Smith Article Archives.

 

Thanks for the e-mails. Keep them coming at stew@stewsmith.com.

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Stew Smith is a former Navy SEAL and Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) by the National Strength and Conditioning Association.  He specializes in military and law enforcement fitness, particularly Special Operations units.  Please feel free to email him at Stew@stewsmith.com with any comments or questions.



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Stew Smith's published books can be found in major bookstores and online retailers. They include:

Published Books / DVDs 

Complete Guide to Navy SEAL Fitness (Book / DVD)
Maximum Fitness
 The Special Operations Workout
 The SWAT Workout - From Recruit to SWAT Team Member
The Combat Swimmer Stroke DVD

The Pre-Habit Workout DVD

The Complete List of Stew Smith's eBooks:

 

General Fitness and Nutritional Guides for Everyone

The 90 Day Beginner Guide to Fitness
The Advanced Maintenance and Recovery Program

Reclaim Your Life - The Erin O'Neill Program

Veteran's Fitness - Baby Boomer and a Flat Stomach

The Diabetic Prevention Workout / Diet

The Athlete Workout - Rugby, Soccer, Lacrosse & Football
The Busy Executive Workout Routine

The Six Week Advanced Weight Training / PT Guide
The Perfect Pushup Workout

 

The Special Forces Physical Fitness Workouts
New - Combat Conditioning Workout

Navy SEAL Workout Phase 1  Beginner Weeks 1-6
Navy SEAL Workout Phase 2 - 3 - Intermediate Weeks 1-12
Navy SEAL Workout Phase 4  Grinder PT -  Four weeks before Hell Week

Navy SWCC Workout

The Army Special Forces / Ranger Workout  Phase 1 & 2

The Army Air Assault School Workout

The Army Airborne Workout

USMC RECON Workout Phase 1 & 2

Air Force PJ / CCT Workout

NEW - The Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer Workout - NEW

The OCS, ROTC, Service Academy, & Bootcamp Workouts

Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard OCS Workout

USMC OCS / TBS Workout
The Air Force OTS Workout

The Service Academy Workout (West Point, Navy, Air Force Academy)

The Navy, Air Force, Marine Corp Bootcamp Workout

The Army OCS and PFT Workout
The Army Air Assault School Workout

The Army Airborne Workout
 

The Law Enforcement Physical Fitness Test Workouts

The FBI Academy Workout

The DEA Workout

The FLETC Workout - Ace the PEB / Same as Blackwater's Test

The State / Local Police Academy Workout

The Public Safety Diver Workout
The Fire Fighter Workout
 Border Patrol Agent Workout
ATF Agent Workout

                 
               

          

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click to buy the Perfect Pushup __________________________________________________________________________________________

Some Titles Above available in Print Softcover Format

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