Published By Nutrition with Kimberly & Newport Boxfit
To understand how the right foods can help you after exercise, it's important to understand how your body is affected by physical activity.
1. Water Helps to Maximize Physical Performance
If we do not stay hydrated, physical performance suffers. Dehydration can have a noticeable effect if you lose as little as 2% of your body's water content. Although with a good work out we can lose up to 6-10% with sweating. This can lead to altered body temperature control, reduced motivation and increased fatigue. So, if you exercise intensely and tend to sweat, then staying hydrated can help you perform at your absolute best. Muscles are made up of about 60% water.
2. Drinking More Water Can Help With Weight Loss
Drinking plenty of water can help you with weight loss. This is because water can increase satiety and boost your metabolic rate. Drinking water before meals is the most effective. It can make you feel fuller, so that you eat less. It is actually best to drink water cold, because then the body will use additional energy/calories to heat the water to body temperature.
3. It lubricates the joints
Long-term effects of not drinking enough water can reduce the joints' shock-absorbing ability, leading to joint pain.
4. It delivers oxygen throughout the body
Blood is more than 90 percent water, and blood carries oxygen to different parts of the body.
5. It regulates body temperature
Water that is stored in the middle layers of the skin turns to sweat when the body heats up. As it evaporates, it cools the body.
6. It helps maintain blood pressure
A lack of water can cause blood to become thicker, which then increases blood pressure