Camels are known for two things:
- Their humps, and
- Their ability to go for long periods without water.
But do you know the relationship between the two?
And do you know their humps are full of fat, not water!
(But, Stephen, what does that have to do with my fitness and nutrition??)
First, a brief, pain-free chemistry lesson:
Fat molecules are made up of C’s, H’s, and O’s.
(That’s Carbon, Hydrogen, and Oxygen, in case you’ve forgotten ;-)
When you “burn” fat, you release those C’s, H’s and O’s in the form of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O).
So the fat in a camel’s hump is a way to store water when supplies are low.
How this affects you
Humans do the same thing!
If you’re chronically dehydrated, your body holds on to extra fat as a source of stored water.
What you should do
Drink about half an ounce of water/lb of body weight each day.
For example, if you weigh 160 pounds, you should drink around 80 ounces of water a day.
As I’ve mentioned before, my favorite app for tracking how much water you’re drinking is Waterlogged.
