The secret to weight loss that’s always overlooked: Dehydration & Metabolism

Whether people know it or not, when they are trying to lose weight / fat their main goal to long-term weight management is raising their metabolism (rate in which your body uses energy). What most people fail to realise is that their hydration level directly affects their metabolism.

Water is involved with almost every biological function in the human body, so it makes sense that your body’s metabolism would slow down in a dehydrated state.

When your body does not have adequate amounts of water, your calorie burning machines (muscles) slow down dramatically. Over 70% of your muscle consists of water, so when they are not fully hydrated their ability to generate energy is severely inhibited.

Another important factor to realise is your body’s ability to utilise fat as fuel is also restricted when you are in a dehydrated state. Combine these two factors and you have one slow metabolism.

The list of negative side effects to your metabolism due to dehydration is endless. The effect dehydration has on your body’s metabolism however is often overlooked with many weight loss programs when in fact it should be one of the priorities of any healthy eating plan.

The bottom line is that taking in a sufficient amount of water is the first step in assuring your metabolism is working at its optimal level. You should be drinking a minimum of 2 litres of water each day, ideally closer to 3 litres (or 4 litres if you are exercising or have a manual job)

Your body can’t distinguish between hunger and thirst so when your tummy is rumbling and you think it’s in need of food it could just be telling you that it needs some water so have a big glass of water first and if you are still hungry 15 minutes later then have something to eat. If you’re thinking ‘but my mouth gets dry when I’m thirsty, that’s how I can tell’ then think about this: once your mouth gets dry and you feel ‘thirsty’ you are already dehydrated… therefore your body and your metabolism is already in a sluggish dehydrated state.

Check out this e mail we received today after chatting with Maria on twitter. This is what our job is all about, making a difference to peoples lives and giving them the tools to help themselves. Long may it continue!!!

Hi Andrea,

A little info on my experience with Magnesium Oil as requested by you on Twitter:

I have suffered from lower back & hip pain for about 12 years now due to a herniated disc in my lower back. Earlier this year my GP suggested I see a surgeon about having the offending disc removed & the vertebrae fused. I refused – there was no way I was having that done & I would manage the pain myself. Well 6 months down the track & after many Chiro visits & massages, the only thing that would still give me relief was anti-inflammatories & painkillers. That is until l I got talking to @fitnesswtloss/andrea on Twitter. Just a casual conversation about some hip flexor stretches that Andrea recommended, turned to a conversation about the benefits of Magnesium oil. I knew about Magnesium & was even taking  a few tablets everyday, but I’d never heard about Magnesium Oil – I didn’t even know such a thing existed! So I decided to give it a go – and all I can say is WOW! A week into using it twice a day, I’m off the anti-inflammatories completely! It’s absolutely amazing! At this stage it’s giving me as much relief as the anti-inflammatories were, but I know it’s alot better for me. So, thank you Andrea, your advice has made a huge difference to me.

Cheers,

Maria (xYoMaMa22x)

Are you one of the 81% of  who joins a gym and is fed up within 6 months.

We are making it our mission to show that 81%  that it’s quality not quantity of exercise that really counts together with sustainable and sound nutritional principles.

In the vast majority of the big clubs they are interested in signing you up with contracts that usually tie you in for a year, require 6 months notice of cancellation and allow them to swap or scrap facilities and classes whilst still charging you the same amount.

We believe to get the best results, whether that be increasing fitness or dropping inches

1.    your workouts need to change regularly and increase in intensity

II.     You should establish your goals from day

III.      your trainer should be able to adapt to take into account any injuries or illnesses you may have.

IV.     You don’t have to exercise for 3 hours a day, a good quality programme   of 3 sessions of 40 minutes per week should give you amazing results within 30 days.

V.     When you work out you should enjoy it, feel a sense of achievement and look forward to your next session.

VI.     It shouldn’t be a chore or something you dread , and you should feel comfortable working alongside Mr or Mrs Fitness!

Finally, food shouldn’t be the enemy although you cannot out train a bad diet! You should be given sound nutritional advice, nothing faddy, no natural food groups eliminated, just good wholesome grub!