want2bhot said:
Ok, I was just wondering...I have been drinking about 3-4 liters of water a day, very strict on my water intake....I had a friend tell me that I am hurting myself by drinking to much water....that it washes away all the minerals and vitamins that I am taking in.....I WAS IN SHOCK....IS THIS TRUE...I HAVE NEVER HEARD THIS BEFORE.....Now, this is coming from a person that does not drink water or diet or exercise, and is built like a house...luv her to death, but the crap she tells me just pisses me off.....
Has anyone heard this before???????????
Tell her she is hurting herself by not drinking enough water, not exercising and not watching what she eats...
I was just talking about this in my log, weird.
Yes, I agree with Jens, it was last seen here around Marathon time.
... I posted this awhile back... for reference
"How much water did you drink today? If you can’t answer that question, then most likely it wasn't nearly enough. If that's the case, you're surely slowing your training progress and performance.
Think about this: your muscles and brain are 75% water, blood is 82% water and your lungs are 90% water. By volume, a 200 pound bodybuilder is composed of over 60 quarts of water, of which 10 quarts may be used per day of heavy training. If you're serious about your training, you can expect to fully replace your entire water store within a week’s time. (Colgan, 19)
Athletically speaking, the primary purpose of water is to maintain cellular hydration which in turn can increase muscular endurance and thus overall performance. In addition to aiding in the digestion process, water has the ability to rid your body of toxins through dilution and flushing of your cells. It also acts as a cooling agent to keep your internal temperature in check. (Misner, 2)
Okay, now before you put this article down and immediately commence to sucking down a couple of quarts of good ‘ol H2O, there are a few things you need to know. Water should be consumed continually throughout the day, with meals, before working out, during your workout and immediately after your workout. Remember, to maximize performance you must not allow your cells to enter a dehydrated state.
Exactly how much should you consume is an ongoing debate, but in consideration of your weight, calorie expenditure, activity level, and lean body mass vs. fat mass we can come up with a few guidelines. At a minimum you should be consuming 64 ounces every non-training day and 128 ounces every training day. As previously discussed, your mileage may vary, so individualize!
I often get asked if sports drinks, fruit juice, coffee, tea, or diet Coke can substitute for water. My response is not only no, but hell no! (Oh yeah, before any smart ass e-mails me and asks if beer counts, that answer is also no.) Caffeinated and alcoholic beverages probably do more to dehydrate you rather than to hydrate your cells regardless of how much you slug down, and pre-sweetened drinks can wreck havoc on insulin response if not timed correctly.
It's not that these other beverages should always be avoided, it’s just that they don't count towards daily water intake. In fact, you should augment your minimum daily water intake if you consume alcohol, caffeine, or thermogenics. Add at least half a glass of water for each serving of these items.
There's a caveat about water that's rarely discussed: purity. Have you ever heard of cryptosporidium, carbon tetrachloride, or trihalomethane? Most likely you haven’t, but your liver has. These contaminants are the byproducts of water treatment used to kill off bacteria growth and all of them have been linked to cancer, low fetal weight, central nervous system defects, and cardiac damage. (Turner)
If you're lucky enough to escape consuming these invisible compounds, don’t think you're out of the woods. A host of toxins, including geologic mineral deposits, fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides and even water additives like fluoride and chlorine will likely whack performance at some level, and this is only the beginning. (Downey)
On average, most local water authorities test for around 35 different toxins, which isn't even a drop in the bucket (pun intended) when you consider that there have been over 60,000 identified potential poisons lurking in municipal water supplies throughout the US. (Colgan, 21) Unfortunately, most water jurisdictions don't have the available resources, training, and equipment needed to test for more than a handful of these little bastards.
There are two good options here to avoid 95% or more of potential water pollutants: distilled water and reverse osmosis filtration. You could install one of those home filtration kits, but be on the lookout as a good filter is also a costly one. Generally speaking, if a filter only costs a few bucks, then it'll only filter out a few of those nasty impurities. If you're going to lay down some hard earned cash, you should find a filter that's certified by the NSF (see
www.nfs.com for further research) and be sure to read up on the actual impurities which a particular filter can destroy. (Schardt)
I have a tough time suggesting any of those fancy-schmancy bottled waters. Most bottled waters are nothing more than conditioned tap water. (Schardt) Some have minerals added to them, others are carbon filtered to remove any odors, but all pale in comparison to distilled water. They usually run about a dollar for a pint whereas a gallon of distilled water can be had for about 75 cents at any grocery store. Read the labels, then do the math.
One last thought before any nay-sayers start chiming in about the lack of minerals in distilled or filtered water. If you're using water to get your daily supply of minerals then think again brother, because you're sadly missing out. The only way to get a complete day’s supply of vitamins and minerals is to supplement. No water source will do this for you.
In short, find a clean source of water and drink lots of it."
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I am really interested in alternative medicine as well (yet still a novice). This is the original article if you're interested 
