Health and Fitness facts

by Laura Zubrod, Registered Dietician

There is no fountain of youth, no magic pill or potion to make excess weight disappear or to enhance exercise performance. But there is WATER.
Your body consists of 50-65% water. Under normal circumstances, we lose 2 to 3 liters of water a day. Every 11 to 14 days, the total volume of water in our bodies must be replaced. Drinking enough water each day can maintain this balance. If not, every cell and every system in your body may become compromised.
What does water do in your body? It transports nutrients to your cells and carries away waste products. Water serves as a lubricant for your joints. It is part of saliva and other digestive juices. Water regulates your body’s temperature and keeps your skin from drying out.
Water naturally suppresses the appetite. It helps the body metabolize stored fat. Without enough water the kidneys cannot function to capacity and some of their load is dumped into the liver. One of the liver’s main functions is to metabolize stored fat into useable energy for the body. If the liver has to do some of the kidney’s work, it can’t operate at full throttle. As a result, it metabolizes less fat and more fat remains in the body.
Drinking water is the best treatment for fluid retention. When the body gets less water, it perceives this as a threat to survival and holds on to every drop. Water is stored outside the cells causing swollen feet, legs, and hands. Diuretics offer a temporary solution. They force stored water out of the body along with some essential nutrients. Again, the body feels threatened and will replace the lost water at the first opportunity. If you have a constant problem with water retention, excess salt may be to blame. The more salt you eat, the more water you body retains to dilute it.
How much water is enough? On average, you should drink eight 8-ounce glasses every day. That’s about 2 quarts. In Thailand, we need more water (10-12 glasses) because of the hot humid weather. The secretion and evaporation of water on the skin, in the form of perspiration, keeps your body from overheating. This process of perspiring to keep your body cool goes on almost continually, even at room temperature.
An overweight person needs more water than a thin one. Larger people have larger metabolic loads and therefore need an additional glass for every 25 pounds of excess weight. The amount you drink should be increased if you exercise briskly or if the weather is hot and dry. Thirst is not an accurate indicator of your body’s fluid needs. Sip water continuously throughout the day rather than gulping glass-fulls. Pay attention to your urine, it should be pale yellow to clear. Small amounts of dark colored urine indicate your body needs more water.
Are you getting enough water? Record the fluids you have consumed today. Give yourself 1 point for every 8-ounce cup of water, fruit juice, milk, decaffeinated coffee, tea, and soda, herbal tea, and Jell-O. Give yourself ½ point for every 8-ounce cup of fruit, yoghurt, ice cream, or pudding you’ve eaten. Now, subtract 1 point for soft drinks with caffeine, alcoholic beverages (12 ounces of beer, 1 glass of wine, 1 jigger of alcohol), and regular tea. Finally, subtract 2 points for every cup of regular coffee you’ve had. Beverages containing caffeine and alcohol act as diuretics, causing more fluid to be lost from your body than is taken in. Total your points. How do you stand?
4 or less Water depleted
5-7 Fatigue sensitive
8 Doing good. But not hydrated enough for exercise
9-10 Doing a great job
11-12 Protected against Thailand heat and humidity
over 12 Supercharged for fat loss and fitness

Laura M. Zubrod, R.D. will be contributing articles to the Pattaya Mail on topics health and nutrition. A registered dietician and certified personal trainer, Laura is specializing in exercise and sports nutrition and provides nutrition and exercise counselling. Laura completed her Bachelors in Dietetics from the University of Wyoming, USA. She then moved to Dallas, Texas to enter a program combining a Dietetic Internship and Masters degree in Exercise and Sports Nutrition at Texas Woman’s University. Her six-month dietetic internship combined experiences in clinical nutrition, management and food service, and community and government nutrition programs. During her internship she also obtained her Advanced Personal Trainer certification through the National Academy of Sports Medicine. In December, 1996, she finished her internship and moved to Thailand. Laura is a registered dietician with the American Dietetic Association. She will complete her Masters degree upon her return to the US. Laura has written a chapter on nutrition in The Stress Owner’s Manual (Ed Boenisch, Impact Publishers, 1996). The book has recently been published in Chinese and Japanese. Since she has arrived in Thailand, Laura has been busy providing nutrition and weight loss guidance to men and women in the Ban Chang area. She has also been performing diet and fitness assessments, and designing strength training and aerobic exercise programs. In March and April she conducted strength training classes to teach company employees how to use the weight equipment at their new recreation center. She is working with the same company to develop an educational program targeting health risk factors identified by the latest physical examinations. Short sessions will inform employees of dietary and other lifestyle changes that can affect such risk factors as hypertension and high cholesterol. Laura is also volunteering at a hospital in Ban Chang to help educate nurses and patients about low sodium, low cholesterol, and diabetic diets. Laura believes very strongly in the synergistic relationship between diet and exercise and enjoys helping people enhance their quality of life through healthful life-style changes. Laura also enjoys running, strength training, golf, drawing, playing Mah Jong, and reading. She likes living in Thailand and hopes to stay here for at least a few more years. Readers may write Laura care of the Pattaya Mail with questions or special topics they would like to see addressed.