Drink, Drink, Drink, All Day Long

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This has by far been one of the hottest and driest summers that Eastern Nebraska has experienced in a long time.  Now since we cannot control Mother Nature or her unwillingness to answer us when we repeatedly hope and pray for rain, we can control our game plan on how to deal with it.  Water is the most important aspect when the temperatures reach as high as it has been this summer since our bodies are made up of around 70% water. So it makes sense that with rising temperatures we tend to lose a lot of water before we even know it.  There is only one proper way to hydrate yourself:  drink, drink, drink, drink more and more water.

Dehydration begins when the body only loses one to two percent of water in the body.  This is most commonly known as dry mouth.  This is the first indication that you need to go get a drink of water.  There are no excuses to stop the dehydration processes at this point, especially if you work, or have been outside for any period of time. So how much water should one drink during the day?  The old rule says to drink eight glasses of water a day, but I believe that should be the absolute bare minimum, especially during the summer.  There should not be a certain amount that you should drink; just enough to feel comfortable to everyday activities without having dry mouth.

My simple rule to help keep yourself hydrated is to keep a full 20oz water bottle with you where ever you go.  If you carry this around, it helps trigger your brain to tell you to take a drink of it literally every time you look at it.  You will be surprised how well that works.  So please be careful out there in the hot temperatures.  Do not take the risk by simply forgetting to drink water, as this would be risking the biggest thing ever…your life!

Sugar and Dehydration

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All you weekend warriors listen up; this blog post will teach you the difference on the do's and don'ts for exercise related dehydration.

First and foremost, what is dehydration?

Dehydration is defined as the excessive loss of body fluid.  Symptoms of dehydration include dry mouth, decreased urination, low blood pressure, rapid pulse, and lethargy.  Simply drinking small amounts of fluid may be sufficient if you are suffering from mild dehydration.  More severe cases call for special electrolyte formulas and even a trip to the hospital for an IV if the case is severe.

So how do we not make that trip to the hospital?

Simple, stay away from sugar before, and during your athletic or exercise bout.  Yes, it is a quick fix if your blood sugar drops too low.  However, you shouldn't allow your body to get there in the first place.  More on that in a minute.

You see, sugar is a funny thing.  Many people love it, but it has way too many negative check marks to make it a part of your daily intake.  Sugar can dehydrate you if it gets to very high levels in your blood.  If your kidneys start producing more urine to try and eliminate the sugar and you lose enough fluid, dehydration could set in.

I blame these high sugar “endurance” drinks for your dehydration.  Your body can and will suffer from a blood sugar drop when performing at it's highest level for extended periods of time after consuming these type of drinks.  Low blood sugar symptoms for example are blurred vision, feeling hungry or like you want to vomit, feeling jittery, short-tempered, or if severe enough, could cause you to pass out.  The reason for this is when you consume sugar, your bodies blood sugar levels go up.  To combat this, your body releases insulin to bring your blood sugar back down, and more often than not, it levels it out below where it actually was before consuming the sugar.

So all in all, consuming sugar filled endurance drinks can easily cause dehydration and low blood sugar.  I suggest looking into something of more of a complex carbohydrate formula for excessive athletic events. Something in which the carbohydrate source comes from complex carbohydrates.  The types of carbohydrates will level your blood sugar and give you hours of energy to compete at your highest with no crash and no fear of dehydration.


Sources: www.livestrong.com
www.menshealth.com
www.ISSA.com