Beat the Heat – Hydration Tips

21 06 2010

Tips in this post taken from an article on RunnersWorld.com which you can view here: Sipping Points.  Although these tips are tailored for runners, I will break them down into applicable tips for all outdoor occasions this summer.

Happy First Day of Summer!  Summer has finally arrived!  Of course, if you live in Oklahoma or Texas or anywhere else in this part of the country it’s been summer for awhile now with temperatures in the 90s since May.  Now that summer is officially here, what big plans does everyone have?  I plan on spending a few extra days at the lake over the July 4th weekend.  And although it’s blistering hot on most days I still plan to get plenty of training in.  For instance, just this last weekend I went out with some Team In Training folks and did a 56 mile bike ride for a children’s home here in OKC, then on Sunday I went out for a short run.  What do these two things have in common?  Sweat, lots and lots of sweat.

If you look at the 7-day forecast for Oklahoma City you will see temperatures in the 95-100 degree range all week long.  Athlete’s all know that hydration is a very important part of athletic performance (although we don’t always hydrate like we should!), but when the temperatures get this hot I think everyone can use a few tips on hydration for the summer months.  Whether you are training for a triathlon, enjoying a weekend at the lake, playing some golf, or mowing the lawn, it is extremely important that you stay on top of your hydration needs.  Take these tips and implement them into your schedule so you can have a safe and hydrated summer!

First, we need to remember how just a small amount of dehydration can impact your performance, athletic or otherwise.  “Being more than two percent dehydrated in warm environments causes a decline in performance,” says Robert W. Kenefick, Ph.D., a physiologist with the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine.  Because of this, it is important to think about hydration before, during and after activities in the heat.

PRE-HYDRATE TO START STRONG AND STAY STRONG
In a study in the April 2010 Journal of Athletic Training, runners who started a 12-K race dehydrated on an 80 degree day finished about two and a half minutes slower compared to when they ran it hydrated. Dehydration causes your blood volume to drop, which lowers your body’s ability to transfer heat and forces your heart to beat faster, making it difficult for your body to meet aerobic demands.

Tip: Drink 8-16 ounces of hydrating fluid one to two hours prior to being out in the heat.  Water and sports drinks are good choices here, but you can even get by with iced coffee or tea.  Just make sure you don’t overdo the caffeinated beverages.  Studies have shown that caffeine has no dehydrating effects up to around 500mg, the equivalent of about 4-5 cups of coffee.

STAY COOL BY DRINKING COLD
In a study published in 2008 in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, cyclists who drank cold beverages before and during their workout exercised nearly 12 minutes longer than those who drank warm beverages.  The drink that was colder lowered body temperature and perceived effort, allowing participants to exercise longer.

Tip: Before going out in the heat, have a slushy made with crushed ice and your favorite sports drink.  Keep in ice chest full of ice cold drinks on hand when you are out in the heat.  Cold drinks keep your core temperature lower making you feel more energetic and not so hot.

STAY ON SCHEDULE
According to a study in the July 2009 Journal of Sports Sciences, when cyclists recorded their plan for hydrating during workouts—including exact times and amounts—they drank more frequently and consumed more fluid mid-workout than their non-planning peers.

Tip: Keep an eye on the clock when you are out in the heat this summer.  For instance, every 15 minutes you may want to consume a couple ounces of cold water or sports drink.  “Drinking smaller amounts at regular intervals can help you absorb fluid more effectively,” says Cassie Dimmick, R.D, “and avoid stomach sloshing.”

BEER DOESN’T HYDRATE
This is more common sense than anything, and I just threw this one in on my own, but remember to mix in some water and sports drink when out at the lake this summer.  Everybody knows that alcohol dehydrates you, so be sure to get a variety of fluids when out in the heat.

SO WHAT SHOULD I DRINK?!
If you are out for under an hour, water should do the trick.  You should probably have 2-6 ounces every 15-20 minutes.

Out in the heat for more than an hour?  You definitely want to mix in some sports drink on long outings in the heat.  Physical activity and sweating removes important electrolytes from your body that water won’t replace.  Have some sports drink such as Gatorade or Powerade to make sure you are maintaining adequate electrolyte levels to avoid hyponatremia.

Finally, once you get out of the heat make sure you replace fluids you lost.  Come inside, get a tall glass of ice water or cold sports drink and rehydrate for your next outdoor occasion.   Thanks for reading, I hope everyone has a fun, safe, and hydrated summer.


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Categories : Fitness, Misc., Nutrition

The Perfect Diet?

16 06 2010

That’s what Runner’s World says anyway.  The article beings by generalizing, “Many runners follow one of two food philosophies. You’re either a carnivore who has meatballs with your pasta, or you’re vegetarian, filling up on tofu stir-frys. But in recent years there’s been growing interest in a nutrition trend that allows you to have the best of both worlds.”  I think this is fairly accurate.  So many current day diets emphasize extremes.  It’s either eat no carbs and all protein or don’t eat any meat and consume only uncooked plant-based food!  Again, that is a big generalization but there is a lot of truth in it.  People really do need a common sense approach to nutrition (whether you are a runner, cyclists, or someone who occasionally goes for a walk around the block) that allows flexibility in eating yet is still a healthy diet.  It seems so simple and that’s really what this article is advocation.

“Nutritionists like Dawn Jackson Blatner, R. D., believe a ‘flexitarian’ diet is about striking the ideal balance: Namely, making plant foods (fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes) the mainstay of our meals, while still eating animal protein—just less of it. Not going completely vegetarian means you still get beneficial nutrients in red meat and poultry (iron, zinc, protein, B vitamins) and fish (omega-3 fatty acids). But by eating less of them, you take in less of the unhealthy stuff, like saturated fat and cholesterol.”

We all need to eat more fruits and vegetables, that’s a universal truth and we all know it.  There is no way to get around that fact besides just going to the grocery store, buying more fruits and vegetables and then eating them.  Or, when at a restaurant order the steamed vegetables as a side.  The article explains, “Studies show eating a plant-based diet can decrease the risk for heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. And research finds that semi-vegetarians have a lower BMI than their carnivorous counterparts.”  “Meat can be a nutritious part of the diet,” says Blatner, author of The Flexitarian Diet. “But limiting the amount we eat is important for health and disease prevention.”

The “Flexitarian Diet” gives a few tips on implementing and maintaining this healthier eating habit.  First, you need to divide your calories into the proper portions.  The Flex Diet recommends that your meals are about 50% vegetables with a good mix of starchy and non-starchy vegetables.  25% protein or meat from very lean sources.  Skip the ultra-fatty beef and get the lean stuff or go with ground turkey (edit: Keep in mind that you need to be reading nutrition labels.  Ground turkey can be just as fatty and the same calories as ground beef if it includes all parts of the turkey.  The healthiest option for turkey is to look for packages that are only made of ground turkey breast and the leanest dark meat.  And remember, when using ground beef go for the leaner beef such as 90/10 or better.).  The final 25% should come from whole grains.  Trade white rice for whole grain brown rice, opt for whole wheat bread over white bread.   It’s fairly simple, make the vegetables and fruits the focus of your meals and make meat and whole grains the side items!

Next, start slow.  Small changes over time are easier to manage and easier to stick with.  Start with one vegetarian meal a day or two vegetarian days a week.  Instead of having a hamburger at lunch have beans and rice instead once a week.  Little changes may not seem like much but they really do add up.

The Flex Diet also asks you to redefine protein.  Meat is not the only source of protein and you don’t have to eat a lot of it to get your protein requirements.  For instance, 4 ounces of chicken breast contains 28 grams of protein!  In addition, legumes, beans and nuts are all great sources of protein that can be substituted for a little meat.

The next tip offered is to try new stuff.  Instead of rice try a different grain such as quinoa or bulgur.  Look for different and more exotic fruits or vegetables that you’ve never tried before.  Buy them when they are in season and they will be cheaper.  Not to mention it’s easy to find a healthy recipe using those ingredients with our friend Google.com!

Finally, we don’t just eat to fuel our bodies.  We eat as a social experience and we need to enjoy what we eat, so don’t get worked up if you want to have a steak for dinner tonight.  Be flexible, have the steak, and over the next few days choose to eat more vegetable focused meals.

This really is a simple and common sense approach to eating healthy.  Don’t give up carbs, don’t give up meat, don’t go straight vegetarian if you don’t want to.  Just be flexible and switch the focus of your meals from meat to fruits and vegetables and enjoy a healthier lifestyle.

For more information and the full article please head over to www.runnersworld.com/flex and check out the book “The Flexitarian Diet” by nutritionist Dawn Jackson Blatner, R.D.


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Categories : Nutrition


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