Water makes muscles more elastic!

Before you say, “yeah, yeah, yeah I know to drink 8 cups a day and live until a hundred. Boring, heard it all before” and close the page your best bet would be to read on, for what you are about to learn may indeed not only broaden your circle of knowledge, but save your life.

Let’s look at some facts. I am not trying to bring back H.S. biology class. Just want to give you some general ideas. An average human body is 80% water. Muscles however are 75% water. The fact is that muscles loose elasticity with diminishing water content. They get tight and if nothing is done, spasms might develop.

Martial Artists happens to be on the higher end of the water loss, as compared to other athletes. Our sport is highly aerobic, thus highly heat producing. When sweat is excreted to cool the body, water is lost. Let’s not forget about exercise metabolism. Fat is burned, sugar is burned, and protein is converted.

Metabolic products are produced. Some are very toxic. If they are to sit in a body for too long, illness can develop. Our bodies try to prevent it from happening. Toxic metabolites are quickly diluted and excreted. There goes water loss through the kidneys.

Oh, and let’s not forget about shouting. Most martial arts styles yell, like there is no tomorrow. There goes water loss, and a lot of it. Lungs facilitate water loss, just as much as the next guy. Who is “kia- ing” now? Don’t take my word for it. Remember what happens when you speak a lot? Long speeches make the throat mouth and lips dry. That’s what most of us notice, but the train doesn’t stop there. To hydrate those areas, water is drawn out of the muscles.

No wonder your performance suffers.  Remember drinking water is not only necessary to keep the mouth moist, but everything else as well. It is safe to say that most people are dehydrated but don’t even know it. Thirst is not the fist signal of dehydration. It’ may not even be the second. So if you do experience thirst, watch out.
Here are some very common symptoms of dehydration.

Fatigue
Digestive discomfort
Headaches
Constipation
Anger
Etc.

As a matter of fact, some experts related dehydration to more serious conditions, such as:
Ulcers
Obesity
Asthma
Allergies

If you want to know more, feel free to do some research.

Remember an elder person, will experience these symptoms more than a youngster, even if the level of dehydration is the same.

If after reading this you decide to drink more water. Remember pure water is the best choice. Go for bottled or filtered variety. If you are active 10-12 glasses will serve you right.

Tip:

Heard about athletic drinks?
To replace expensive and artificial re-hydration beverages, try this:

Into a liter of water add sea salt and raw organic dehydrated cane juice. These substances are the most natural and pure sources of salt and sugar. They are not refined and contain many useful vitamins and minerals. The pureness of this substances, minimizes the negative effects of salt and sugar that we are used to hear about.  Experiment with taste. Besides replenishing nutrients lost while sweating, this drink helps to prevent water loss, and facilitates water retention in your cells.

About the Author:

Paul Zaichik is the founder of the Elastic Steel method of Athletic conditioning. http://www.elasticsteel.com He transformed many Eastern European Stretching and Gymnastic techniques to meet the needs of the modern martial artists. More and more students are practicing Paul’s techniques, acquiring great strength and flexibility in return.

Studying Exercise Science and Nutrition on the Undergraduate and Graduate level, Paul kept experimenting, combining the modern research with his own experience. Over the years Paul had developed many techniques, to meet individual needs of his students. Collectively those techniques became know as ElasticSteel.

Got questions? Post them on ElasticSteel.com’s Forum and ElasticSteel Team and your fellow Martial Artists will answer them for you in no time. Click here now!

The statements put force in this newsletter had not been evaluated by the FDA or the Main Stream Medical Community and is for investigative and informational purposes only. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Before trying anything suggested in this and future newsletters, Paul Zaichik, ElasticSteel.com and its Affiliates, urge you to seek the advice of a Physician.

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