Although many people tend to undermine the importance and benefits of water, the fact remains that water is an important macro-nutrient of the human body and it is very crucial for maintaining the overall health of a person. Water forms the medium in which the body's numerous biochemical reactions take place. Dehydration can cease all important biochemical reactions in the body and may even cause death.

Drinking adequate amount of water is required to keep us alive and has countless benefits which include - transporting nutrients, flushing out the wastes and toxins, regulating body temperature, maintaining electrolyte balance in the body, and maintaining optimum viscosity of blood. Drinking enough water keeps your skin hydrated and prevents skin diseases (such as eczema, psoriasis, dry skin, wrinkles & spots) most of which are caused due to a dry skin. In fact the list of drinking water is amazingly long.

Exercising increases the basal metabolic rate of the body and therefore, wastes and toxins are produced more rapidly. Drinking adequate amount of water at regular intervals helps to flush out these wastes and toxins from the body which if allowed to accumulate, can lead to aches, pains and make you feel stressed out.

Muscle building requires a high protein diet, the digestion of which produces a lot of toxins and wastes as by-products. Water helps to flush out loads of harmful wastes and toxins from the bodies of body builders and keeps their kidneys healthy. Body builders usually take creatine supplements for improving their muscular growth and development. Creatine is known to improve the cell volume by pumping water inside the cells of the muscle tissues, making them fully turgid and large.

When you are working out to build your muscles, you tend to sweat heavily, losing both water and electrolytes in the process. Electrolytes not only function as transmitters of information to our brains in the form of nerve impulses, but are also very vital for proper muscular functioning. Therefore, if you want to maintain your muscles in the most optimum state, then you must maintain your body in a state of perfect electrolytic balance. For this, your body needs ample supply of water.

It is a myth that drinking water before or during your workout is counter-productive. In fact, the truth is that without adequate water, the synovial fluid present in the space between 2 joints becomes very viscous thereby making movement of joints very painful.

Signs of dehydration include - dry mouth, hoarse voice, a burning sensation in the stomach, headache, sore throat, dry cough and an extremely dry skin. Do not continue with your workout if you continue to experience any of these symptoms even after drinking water and taking some rest. Stop your workout if you feel dizzy, lest you injure yourself.

Ideally, body builders must take at least 2 cups of water two to three hours before exercise and 1 cup of water immediately before exercise; one cup of water for every 15 minutes of the exercise session; and 2 to 3 cups of water within two hours after exercise, and continue taking fluids for 3 to 4 hours even after the workout. Remember that if you are working out in a hot climate, your water loss due to perspiration will be much higher than when you are working out in a comparatively milder climate.