Andy’s Nationally Published Articles :: Playing Smart in the Summer Heat
Due to a hectic morning schedule, Jose’s Saturday run had been pushed to the afternoon. Now 6:32pm, and five miles into a ten mile run, Jose finds himself lying in a ditch in the middle of nowhere. Lying there, he wondered how or IF he would get home. Just then he hears a rusty pick-up truck rumbling down the road. Still on his back, Jose starts waving his arms to get the driver’s attention. The pick-up slides to a stop and an old farm hand steps out. He walks slowly over to the ditch and looks down at Jose with a blank face. Jose begs for a ride home. The farm hand answers that he is not going Jose’s way, but offers him a generic brand diet cola. The farm hand drives off and Jose, still lying in the ditch, drinks the diet cola and in about five minutes is able to get up and struggle his way home.
Arkansas is a beautiful playground of rivers, lakes, trails and parks. However, the combination of summertime heat and high humidity can make outdoor activities potentially dangerous. The most common heat related problems are heat exhaustion and heat stroke. These problems come on quickly so knowing their symptoms is crucial. The most common symptoms are light-headedness, extreme shortness of breath, nausea or muscle cramps. If you feel these symptoms find shade, water and help as soon as possible.
However, avoiding heat related problems is as easy as playing smart.
PLAYING SMART
The most important factor to beating the heat is to avoid dehydration by drinking enough fluids. Although this is common knowledge, surveys suggest that most people live in a continuously dehydrated state. For example, the average salesperson within two Fortune 500 corporations was found to drink only 3.1 eight once glasses per day, which is less than half the MINIMUM recommended amount. Research has shown that being as little as 1% dehydrated can decrease your mental and physical abilities by 10%. Let yourself become 2% dehydrated and mental and physical energy drops by 25%. Once 5% dehydrated you become nauseous, dizzy, and sick, and any further dehydration usually requires hospitalization.
On the other hand, drinking enough water to become optimally hydrated has real advantages for the outdoor enthusiast. Not only is the risk of heat related problems significantly decreased, but research has found optimal hydration can increase physical performance by 47%, as well as, significantly increase your ability to concentrate, think creatively and make quality decisions.
Playing Smart Inside
For people who work indoors, at a desk or in a car, optimal hydration can be had by drinking half your body weight in ounces of water daily. For example, if you weigh 200 pounds, then you need to drink 100 ounces of water daily to achieve and maintain optimal hydration.
Playing Smart Outside
However, when being active outdoors there are several factors that need to be considered when determining your fluid requirements. Some of the more important factors include the intensity and duration of the activity, the ambient temperature, humidity and cloud coverage, and how acclimatized your are to the heat. For example, hiking a hilly course on a sunny, humid day in August would require considerably more water than that same hike in the fall or spring.
Although sweat rates and, therefore, water requirements can vary person to person, recent research gives us some good guidelines. It is estimated that for a 150lb person who hikes, runs or exercises at a moderate pace in a hot climate would need to consume sixteen ounces of fluid during the two hours leading up to the activity, and then six to eight ounces of fluid every fifteen minutes during the activity to maintain optimal hydration. If you are heavier than 150lbs, or work intensely you would need to drink more.
An often overlooked aspect of achieving optimal hydration is how you re-hydrate after activity. Poor hydration post activity can zap your energy level for up to three days. However, determining how much water you need after exercise is easy. Simply weigh yourself in the buff before and after activity. The weight you lost is almost entirely water loss. To regain optimal hydration simply drink sixteen ounces of water for every pound you lost.
The human body is amazing in it’s ability to adapt to the heat, but we have to do our part. When it heats up this summer remember to play smart.
Andy Core is a professional speaker who helps busy people beat stress and live life with maximum energy and health. To have Andy speak to your group call (479) 582-2639 or go to www.fittraveler.com.
©2003 Core Wellness All Rights Reserved
| 
