If you are someone that enjoys exercising
you must stay Stay Hydrated. Drink fluids (water) all day long. Try drinking 8-10 ounces of fluids every
2-3 ½ hours daily. Water helps flush the fat and toxins out of your body, while keeping the skin (largest organ in
the body) looking great. Despite the popular trendiness of drinking electrolyte sports drinks, you probably don't
need them. As the name implies electrolytes are substances in the body that act like electrically conductive
mediums for muscle contraction and nerve conduction.
The problem is sodium
(an electrolyte) concentration in sweat ranges from 0.46 to 2.3 g/L. The average American takes in about 4 to 6 g daily. Well
enough to replace what would have been depleted during exercise. Potassium, magnesium and calcium (the other important electrolytes)
do get lost in sweat, but at such a slow rate, it has no effect on the average person who trains for only 30-60 min daily.
Electrolyte imbalances due occur if:
- Intense continuous exercise is employed
for over 5 hrs
- Exercise has begun in a dehydrated state
- Vomiting
and diarrhea have occurred.
Here are some simple tips: drink
at least 1pt of fluids 2 hrs before any activity that causes sweat to occur. During the activity try taking big gulps of very
cold fluids. Studies show that gulping colder fluids actually increases absorption. A very simple way to determine whether
or not you have enough fluids in your system is to check your urine. Don't worry! I'm not going to suggest drinking
your own urine like some people do. I can't even imagine! A well hydrated person will have a clear, light yellow
color in their urine. A dehydrated person will have a very dark, brown color in their urine. The dark color means your kidneys
are working over time to flush out wastes from your system.
You might
ask what all the fuss is about. A dehydrated person might experience the following:
- Reduced blood and plasma levels: the heart works harder to supply muscles with nutrients (read The Greenies article to find out why plasma levels are so important)
- Increase blood
lactate levels: high lactate levels causes muscle's to fatigue and subsequently forces people to stop exercising
- Reduced muscle blood flow effects high power muscle movement in sports
Water as a cell Volumizer... Studies show the contractile proteins actin and myosin are only able to fully contract
when muscle cells are well hydrated and actually display weaker contractions by not being optimally alligned when dehydrated.
Water acts as the perfect cell volumizer.
Antioxidants
Supplements may be harmful....
Exercise causes an increase in oxidative stress along
with free radicals (molecules with an unpaired electron that can damage DNA and normal cell production). There is also a defense
mechanism in the body that increases antioxidants naturally. If antioxidants are supplemented in the form of
sports drinks after a hard workout, the body has no need to manufacture it's own. Leading to a decrease in normal
antioxidant levels in the body. THE TAKE HOME MESSAGE YOU DON'T NEED TO SUPPLEMENT WITH ANTIOXIDANTS!
Again, water is the best fluid out there and it's free!!! I choose the brand name
that has lasted for years in my house, good old fashioned tap water. Tap water goes through more stringent
testing than the fancy bottled water people pay $2.00 a pop for. Here's to your health!
such as flows down to us from springs and snows of our mountains...it should be our drink at all times...if we constantly
drink even malt liquor made from barely or wheat, our health would be injured more or less thereby" - Brigham Young (1801 -1877)