Hydration Needs, Kidney Function and Natural Bodybuilding Training Performance. What is Hyponatremia

 Article Description: With proper hydration being critical to
the natural bodybuilding, this article describes what happens if
the bodybuilder doesn't drink enough fluids. How much fluid is
needed and how to determine how much you need. The kidney
function on the body's regulation of fluids. The condition of
Hyponatremia and the results.

Hydration Needs, Kidney Function and Natural Bodybuilding
Training Performance. What is Hyponatremia?

By Kevin Doberstein CFT Copyright 2005 Nature Boy Bodybuilding

As a rule, most trainees don’t drink enough fluids while
training. To make matters worst, the further the trainee becomes
dehydrated the more impact it has on performance. The heart rate
starts to elevate, the blood starts to thicken and the body’s
temperature will start to rise. This especially true if you are
training outdoors during hot temperatures. Heat exhaustion can
start to develop. And if you continue to push it, it can turn
into a heat stroke in severe cases. Even a slight decrease in
body fluid (dehydration) can jeopardize performance. 

Water makes up 55 to 75 percent of your body weight. Your blood
is 90 percent water. If you become dehydrated the blood will
thicken and also slow down and become less efficient for
processing. Water helps the body store energy by gathering with
the glycogen. Your muscle tissue is made up with 70 to 80
percent of water. With water making up a majority of your total
body, you can see how important staying hydrated is to
performance.

Calculating you body’s hydration needs.

It is rather a simple way to determine how much you need while
training. Before working out weight yourself without clothing.
Then weight yourself again in the same fashion after working
out. If you lost weight this means you didn’t drink enough
fluids to maintain. For example if you weighted 200 pounds
before working out and after weighted 198 pounds you have lost 2
pounds of fluid weight. To make up the 2 pounds of missing fluid
weight you will need to drink 32 ounces of fluid additional to
what you are already taking in. In respect to body fluids, you
want to replace 100 percent as a rule to aid the body in
processing. 

What is Hyponatremia?

Taking in too much water at one time brings on this condition.
The over hydration of blood causes very low blood plasma sodium
levels. The imbalance causes the rapid flow of water into the
brain. Severe cases can result in seizures, comas and death.
Athletes trying to dilute the urine enough to hide drug
detection sometimes use the practice of excessive drinking of
fluids. In general, excessive drinking of fluids and or sodium
loss can cause Hyponatremia. 

Kidney Function and Body Hydration.

The human kidneys are bean shaped and about the size of a closed
fist. Twenty to twenty-five of the blood that is pumped through
the heart flows through them each minute. They are comprised of
three sections. The outer area is the cortex. Under that is the
medulla. And inside the medulla is a hollow chamber called the
pelvis. 

The kidneys regulate your body’s fluids by increasing or
decreasing the flow of urine. If your body becomes dehydrated it
will hold back the production of urine and the amount that
excretes will be dark color. If you become somewhat over
hydrated it will increase the production of urine. And this
urine will be clearer.

The kidneys also work to control normal levels of sodium and
other electrolytes. Electrolytes are ions like sodium, potassium
or chloride help regulate the flow of water molecules across the
cell membrane. This is done through the urine. If the body is
becoming dehydrated the kidney will filter out the sodium from
the urine and keep it in the body to help retain water. If the
body becomes hydrated it will excrete the sodium through the
urine.

Overall the kidneys play a vital role keeping body’s fluids in
balance. Especially after intense exercise or extreme climatic
conditions like very hot weather. 

Resources:

Fred Hatfield PhD. 2004 Fitness The Complete Guide Bob Murray,
PhD Preventing Dehydration Bob Murray PhD Hyponatremia in
Athletes. John W. Kimball, 1983 Biology

Feel free to use this article as long as this bio and the links
must be working.

By Kevin Doberstein CFT. Nature Boy Bodybuilding.
"www.nature-boy-bodybuilding.com" Other articles about
bodybuilding you can check out "Platform shoes to build
Gastrocnemius (calves)"
(http://www.nature-boy-bodybuilding.com/id192.html) A study on
using strength shoes and plyometrics to build calves. Also a
thesis on "Escalating Muscle Glycogen Stores"
(http://www.nature-boy-bodybuilding.com/id191.html) Proclaimed
as the natural steroids for the natural bodybuilder, using
carbohydrates for fueling muscle for workouts and recovery.