What you do before you workout is as important as what you do when you get started. Before you workout set the tone to ensure you have a healthy workout.
This article will focus strictly on hydration. The way to set the tone is to make sure
you are properly hydrated. Think about how important that statement is. Each year we hear about or see on television the tragedy of student athletes and pros dying from dehydration while working out in hot temperatures. Deaths that could be avoided.
Drink water before a workout. Chugging it down just before you begin wont produce the results you want. It is best to drink water through out the day around 16 to 20 ounces a few hours before you begin.
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. If you are dehydrated during your workouts you reduce your body's ability to transfer heat, while making your heat work harder, making it difficult for your body to meet aerobic demands.
Cold Drinks Whether your workout is strictly running or a combination of exercises you want to consume cold drinks prior to your workout. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise published the results of a 2008 study. What they learned was cyclists who drank cold beverages before and during their workout exercised nearly 12 minutes longer than those who drank warm beverages. By cooling the body down the heart does not work as hard, the body transfers heat more efficiently and the you can do a better workout.
Severe dehydration Symptoms:1. Extreme thirst
2. Lack of sweating
3. 3. Little to no urination. Urine can be a dark yellow
4. Very dry mouth and mucous membranes
5.
Over drinking water can be dangerous, athletes need to have drinks that provide electrolytes and sodium or risk Hyponatremia.
HyponatremiaThis is water poisoning and it can be fatal. Water poisoning is when the athlete has many of the same signs as dehydration but they have flushed all the sodium from their system. Adequate sodium balance is necessary for transmitting nerve impulses and proper muscle function, and even a slight depletion of this concentration can cause problems. Studies have shown that high intensity athletes can lose up to 2 grams of salt per liter of sweat. Replacing this during the event is critical to performance and safety.
Symptoms of Hyponatremia: The symptoms are similar to dehydration, nausea, dizziness, cottonmouth and should be paid attention to.
Treatment of Hyponatremia:Drink a sodium containing sports drink or eat salty foods.
Drinks besides water:During your workouts have more than just water, have sports drinks with sodium and electrolytes. Celery based drinks and vegetable based drinks are a good source of electrolytes and sodium.
Exertional Heat Stroke:This is the most serious of heat related illnesses. Athletes are moer at risk to suffer exertional heat stroke. The difference between exertional heat stroke and regular heat stork is that ahletes continue to sweat despite the core temprature.
Diagnosis or Exertional Heat Stroke:
The body core temprature is 105 F with diminished mental status such as confusion, disorientation and clumsiness. If these symptoms are ignored the athlete may collapse and enter into a coma. Should any of these signs be present cooling the patent and http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifemergency treatment are essential.
An ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of cure. When you work out and reort to fall camp, use common sense and know how to protect yourself from dehydration and heat illnesses.
Learn more about protecting yourself from dehydration and heat illness when you work out.
Preventing Environmental Heat Illnesses
