The Importance of Liquids to Physique and Physical Performance

By Stephen Berger

If three quarters of the face of our planet are covered in water, why do we call it Earth? I suppose it is because we live on land, but this does not change the fact that the most significant element of our planet is a liquid. And we can apply the same analogy to our bodies. The fact is we worry about the foods we eat for maximum performance and muscle gains without realising that, just like our bodies, they are comprised of around 70% water. It is without doubt the most important substance around.

If you paid attention in school you would know that chemically speaking the human body is nothing but a bag of water with some minerals in it. In fact, after death and the loss of all fluids and liquids all that is left of a human body is a little pile of four or five kilos of ashes or mineral salts. Everything else is liquid.
Even bones, as solid as they seem, are 25% water. The muscles that drive our physical performance and the brain that directs our movements and permits thought are made up of around 75% water, the blood that carries nutrients around 82%, and the lungs that permit respiration and obtain oxygen from the air we breath are around 90% water.
Depending upon the age and characteristics of an individual, such as proportions of fat and muscle, the entire mass of the body can be made up of 55-74% liquid. Young people generally have more than water in their bodies than old people, and women more than men.
Water is much more important to our survival than food. Of course, eating is necessary for life and even those who most rigorously use fasting as a life tool would still die if they did not eat, but while it is possible to go for some months without food a person would die in only a few days without water.

The Significance of Water
Water is the source of life and the most essential factor in it. The body of a 75kg athlete contains about 50kg of water and in extreme conditions, such as intense training, that amount must be replaced entirely over seven days.
Body water is replaced through drinking, most often water itself, as well as milk, fruit juice, coffee tea and even soups. Fruit and vegetables are our other sources of liquid replenishment.
Studies show that a mere 3% loss of fluid can result in a 10% drop in contractile strength in muscles, or an 8% drop in speed. In general terms, physical performance can drop by 10% with just 2% dehydration.
In a sense, you could consider water to be the natural solvent, because it dissolves substances that are then transported about the body to permit the organs to function correctly.