Staying hydrated

[g-bells]

How do you stay properly hydrated while working outside in 80-90 degree weather?

i drink 2 gallons of water while at work and at night i still find myself being a little dehydrated ie muscle cramping and urinating a bright yellow( sorry if to graphic) any suggestions would be appreciated

[Kralk]

Drink more.

[g-bells]

:p Drink more.

[cheesypeas]

Personally I would worry about the loss of salt, potassium, etc as well as fluid.

As rehydration drinks are pricey for the amount you would need.... I would make my own - using water, salt (1 level teaspoonful per pint) and a small amount of cordial to diffuse the salty taste. I would probably drink about three plain water to one of these.

But I am no expert.. :Angel:

[Reakt]

Might be a 'durr' moment but he is right. Theres not really any other way. If you sweat a lot at work I'd advise adding a small amount of salt to water you have ( about a pinch of salt or two within your detaily water intake). Just so you don't get any salt imbalances which can be dangerous.

Really though theres only a limit to how much water you can intake and it wont just be stored in your body over a longer time period. If you're at a hydrated water level during the day then that level wont stay all night just because you've taken in loads of water many hours earlier. Your best bet is to spread out your water intake through the entire day, night included.

[narcsarge]

Well G, you know where I live and I used to own my own lawn maintenance company down here. I would drink non-stop through out the day. About a gallon every 2 hours. When I was at home, or my real job, I would polish off 2 54oz. jugs of water. To replace any electrolytes, I would down a bottle of Pedialyte. You can pick it up in the baby food section of any grocery store.

[g-bells]

Might be a 'durr' moment but he is right. Theres not really any other way. If you sweat a lot at work I'd advise adding a small amount of salt to water you have ( about a pinch of salt or two within your detaily water intake). Just so you don't get any salt imbalances which can be dangerous.

Really though theres only a limit to how much water you can intake and it wont just be stored in your body over a longer time period. If you're at a hydrated water level during the day then that level wont stay all night just because you've taken in loads of water many hours earlier. Your best bet is to spread out your water intake through the entire day, night included.
not to contratic you but ido drink throught the day and i also down 2-3 32ounces of gatoraide for electrolyte replacement but still am experiencing the above mentioned symptoms, i guess more water , more water and still more water. thanks all for the suggestions

[bcullen]

Do you normally work under these conditions or is this something new?

[narcsarge]

G, dump the Gatoraide and get some of the Pedialyte man. As much as Gatoraide is hyped, it does a poor job of electrolyte replacement compared to the Pedialyte. Now Pedialyte doesn't taste all that good so you might want to mix it in with your Gatoraide or with plain fruit juice. The stuff is designed to be given to kids who get sick and are throwing up or have diarrhea. More electrolytes then Gatoraide.

[Ad McG]

Is this not just tiredness from working a lot in the heat? It sounds like you've got the hydration situation covered pretty wel.

[Cuchulain82]

Is this not just tiredness from working a lot in the heat? It sounds like you've got the hydration situation covered pretty wel.
I concur. If you're drinking as much as you say, then you'd have to be sweating like crazy to be losing that much water.

Re: Pedialyte

Pro football players use pedialyte to rehydrate- the stuff is supposedly the bomb. Give it a shot.

[g-bells]

thanks for the info all, i will give the pedilyte a try

[kensei1984]

If you keep drinking huge amounts of water but still keep on cramping, that may be a sign of electrolyte imbalance, as mentioned previously.

I would recommend magnesium tablets to help with the cramping. See how you go.

[slipthejab]

I can recommend Pedialyte as well. They use it in hospitals all the time. It does have a funky flavor though. Be forewarned. When I worked on an amulance we used it ourselves - it's a great hangover helper. :D

http://www.pedialyte.com/thisispedialyte/variety.cfm

The stuff I normally get is clear... so it looks like the company has improved the marketability of this product... maybe that includes the flavor. It's usually found near the pharmacy section in a drug store.

[narcsarge]

Wow! I actually have made sense here!


"YOU LIKE ME! YOU REALLY LIKE ME!"


:rolleyes:

[koolaid]

Not quite the topic at hand but i find after a work out nothing hydrates me faster than a glass or two of aloe vera juice (its nicer than it sounds plus rediculously good for you)

[harhar]

Not quite the topic at hand but i find after a work out nothing hydrates me faster than a glass or two of aloe vera juice (its nicer than it sounds plus rediculously good for you)
I think you mean koolaid

[Sparkle]

Pedialyte is the worst substance ever created!!!! I bought two bottles of it and threw it away after trying to drink about 16 oz of it. I couldn't take more then one sip at a time in fear of throwing up. Then I tried mixing it with some strong fruit juice and I could chug it down, but then the weird taste kicked in and I felt sick for a good hour. I couldn't even look at the bottles while I threw them away!

Y-U-C-K !

If you can stomach the stuff then power to you!

[Su lin]

I struggled yesterday with hydration- I must have drunk 2-3 litres before training- did an hours body combat then went straight into kung fu, after half an hour of which I felt faint and had to go and get some air.Its pretty warm at the moment but wonder if it was dehydration making me feel odd as had eaten a decent amount of good food yesterday?
Felt pretty dreadful this morning, and had drunk another 2 litres or so when I got home from class.

[Ad McG]

These 2 seem pretty good:

Gookinaid sports drinks (contains sugar) (http://gookinaid.com)

Ultima replenisher (no sugar) (http://www.ultimareplenisher.com)

Both seem to be better than the usual sodium dumps that are excuses for electrolyte replacement drinks.

[TheCount]

I struggled yesterday with hydration- I must have drunk 2-3 litres before training- did an hours body combat then went straight into kung fu, after half an hour of which I felt faint and had to go and get some air.Its pretty warm at the moment but wonder if it was dehydration making me feel odd as had eaten a decent amount of good food yesterday?
Felt pretty dreadful this morning, and had drunk another 2 litres or so when I got home from class.

I said it before but try adding a little salt to your water. If you are drinking 3 litres of water and nigh on fainting after ~1.5 hours training then evidently there is some other issue.

One thing that can cause dizziness and fainting is lack of salt (sodium mainly I think..). They do this for marathon runners.


If you are working your body too hard also it might eventually say no. Check your pulse regularly during your classes.

Calculate : (210 - age) *0.85 and this is the guide for the maximum your pulse should ever be that. If you aren't keeping up then you may need to reconsider what you are doing.


You might just be prone to fainting or else you have an as of yet undiscovered issue that could be lowering your training tolerance (blood pressure, cholesterol..).

Hope thats helped a bit

Edit: You may also be suffering a 'crash' whereby your body has exhausted available energy. Try having a couple of high complex carbohydrate meals about 3 and 5 yours before the start of your classes. A high energy drink also before the second might help you out.

If you have issues with the Meal Thing then a High Carb MRP might do it

[TheCount]

Felt pretty dreadful this morning, and had drunk another 2 litres or so when I got home from class.

Yep, I know, another long post.

What is your diet etc. like? What did you eat after training? When you say dreadful do you mean as in muscle ache, pain while moving, difficulty getting out of bed OR excessively tired, feel like you've been through a metal roller, slightly disorientated and feel sick in the gut?

If its the first then you are lacking sufficient vitamins (B12 among others) and protein to allow the muscles to recover. Also you may lack potassium which can cause cramps. Solution is a high protein post workout meal within an hour of leaving your class. Something like chicken with some pasta to bulk it out (low fat, good protein) or a whey shake. Glass of milk before bed for good effect.

If it's the second then probably you are lacking energy stores: fat, carbohydrates etc. General lack of nutrition. Solution is just to eat more 'solid' food. What is nice is 100g of oats with 30g of mixed nuts crushed with a tablespoon of sugar. Mix it together with enough milk to make it pleasant and go for it. Its about 400 calories with a fair bit of healthy fat, complex and simple carbs. Should help you a tonne.

[Emil]

I hate to kind of rain on Kralks parade (although he is banned, so what the hell), but drinking more than that might actually have a counter productive effect. There is quite a cool cheat to lose weight -0 drink lots of water. I drink 3 litres every day. By drinking lots of water, the body gets tricked into thinking it needs to lose more, and hence, it gets rid of more water. Therefore, you have tricked your body into thinking it is dehydrated. If you want to stay hydrated, the best thing to take are drinks like Lukozade, or whatever works best for you.

Regards

Emil

[g-bells]

i have been drinking a little pickle juice throughout the day and it has seem to stop the cramping, tastes like a tod's arse , but it works :cool:

[Su lin]

Cheers Count! :)

[hawkfish]

I have a similar problem with night cramps and muscle aches even though I try to drink a lot of water each day. I just started drinking V8 in hopes that it will help balance my electrolytes.

Nutrition info for V8 (http://www.v8juice.com/nutrition.aspx)

It says that it has potassium and magnesium and it also has some anti-oxidants too.

[Su lin]

i have been drinking a little pickle juice throughout the day and it has seem to stop the cramping, tastes like a tod's arse , but it works :cool:


Pickle juice??? :confused: Sounds nasty!

[Apotheosis]

Not quite the topic at hand but i find after a work out nothing hydrates me faster than a glass or two of aloe vera juice (its nicer than it sounds plus rediculously good for you)

That is a laxative...

[g-bells]

Pickle juice??? :confused: Sounds nasty!
it is but it has been working for me, the salt content is high so my ph to sodium levels must have been way off

[Su lin]

Hmm I dont actually have much salt in my diet, thinking about it. I never add any to my food,I have soy sauce with my dinner usually, but that's about it.If I do have a bit of salt I can taste it for ages and makes me feel a bit rough.

[Sparkle]

i have been drinking a little pickle juice throughout the day and it has seem to stop the cramping, tastes like a tod's arse , but it works :cool:

You know what tastes like tod's arse! Pedialyte! I'm still ticked off at it. I bought two bottles of the stuff! It costs about six bucks a bottle!

I would take pickle juice over Pedialyte any day of the year :yeleyes:

Man that stuff was horrible. Doesn't take like anything when you put it in your mouth, but once you swallow . . . . ugh*

[narcsarge]

I warned you all about the taste of Pedialyte! Tastes like a mule's hind quarters but it is truly effective. Never did make reference to the price though but that is why I suggested mixing it in with Gatoraide or fruit juice :D ! I may have to give the pickel juice a shot one of these days though I am a bit dubious on how much it helps with your electrolytes.

[Shadow_of_Evil]

How do you stay properly hydrated while working outside in 80-90 degree weather?

LOL. You poor people and your cold weather :p
It's sure as hell colder than the 120+ I was working in last year ;)

[Sparkle]

How do you stay properly hydrated while working outside in 80-90 degree weather?

LOL. You poor people and your cold weather :p
It's sure as hell colder than the 120+ I was working in last year ;)
5
Do you work with a lot of humidity as well? Yesterday morning it was 96 degrees outside in the shade and 96% humidity for a good part of the day before it rained. The sun was out for a lot of it too (Florida is weird like that, it'll be pouring rain with the sun out) There is a difference between working in dry heat and working in muggy, nasty heat : P.

[Shadow_of_Evil]

I work in both ;) Depends on the season. Last year it was raining and it was JUST under 120degree while I was working. But you're right, there is a big difference.

[Sparkle]

I work in both ;) Depends on the season. Last year it was raining and it was JUST under 120degree while I was working. But you're right, there is a big difference.

Damn man, props to you. The major difference is usually an extra gallon of sweat. What kind of work do you do and what part of the earth are you located that has such a horrible climate : P?

[koolaid]

That is a laxative...

Im pretty sure its not, you can probably get aloe vera juice with stuff added in for the effect of it but Ive never noticed it to have that effect.

And the bottle recommends 2-3 glasses per day.

If it were a laxative it would most likely say on the label

[Shadow_of_Evil]

What kind of work do you do and what part of the earth are you located that has such a horrible climate

Film work for anthropologists, archeologists and various mining companies in the central regions of Australia. Most people don't think it gets that hot in Australia, but that's because most people havn't really been in those regions. WE had a thermometre with us and it was easily in excess of 120. At one point it went over 130 in our Land Cruiser when were were in the middle of a 6 hour drive back to a landing strip. The aircon had blown up on the car and we were out of water. I gave my remaining water (about half a pint) to the driver and fainted after about 4 hours. ;)
I came to once we arrived at the airport.

What made it worse was the fact that I'd managed to recieve a rather large cut down my face a couple days ago and out in the desert infection is a big thing. Needless to say after that VERY long and VERY sweaty drive it got severly infected and I had to go to hospital...after the 7 hour delay at the airport of course due to a bird hit on the plane. Oh and after the 2 hour flgiht home, the delay at the home airport and the long drive from the airport home.
What a lousy week it had been ;) Still...paid awfully well. :D

So, anyhoo...80-90 degree weather sounds like a treat to work in ;)

[Sparkle]

Hell man, there is no way you would be able to do any good, hard physical labor in that type of weather : P. Especially not eight hours straight. Heck, moving a cinder block would seem like good hard labor in that kind of weather. It probably would take a ton out of you just sitting in the shade in that type of weather. Hell with that man, I'll stick to complaining about my 90 - 98 weather and enjoy the winters : P.

[narcsarge]

Hell man, there is no way you would be able to do any good, hard physical labor in that type of weather : P. Especially not eight hours straight. Heck, moving a cinder block would seem like good hard labor in that kind of weather. It probably would take a ton out of you just sitting in the shade in that type of weather. Hell with that man, I'll stick to complaining about my 90 - 98 weather and enjoy the winters : P.

Translation for those not familiar with the U.S.


Gainesville Winter = Air conditioning set to "OFF"!

:D

****Kidding Sparkle, you do actually get into the 30's and 40's! ****

[Sparkle]

Translation for those not familiar with the U.S.


Gainesville Winter = Air conditioning set to "OFF"!

:D

****Kidding Sparkle, you do actually get into the 30's and 40's! ****

Exactly man! And it's no lie either! We don't even turn the heat on here. Sometimes it gets down in the 20's though and it sucks for work because we can't wear any type of gloves to do our job. You put it perfectly : D.

"Enjoy the winter" can translate to "turn air conditioner "OFF" and have the electric bill decrease a little bit ; D"

[g-bells]

please you southern boys don't know what temperature and climate changes are. a couple of weeks ago it was 85 and humid and that night through the next day it was 4o and raining. :p

[Sparkle]

please you southern boys don't know what temperature and climate changes are. a couple of weeks ago it was 85 and humid and that night through the next day it was 4o and raining. :p

I didn't think I was claiming to :p . All I know is that right now it's hot as hell. I went to go and buy some running shorts to keep cool and it's helped a little bit. I hate when my clothing gets drenched in sweat and I have to feel it cling to my thighs, now I don't have that problem but a 208 LBS guy who is working in work boots, high socks, and shorts shorter then his under armor tights and a tool pouch is a little weird looking : P.

[TheMadhoose]

Pediatricians in Scotland swear by coca cola which was been left to go flat ie loose its gas. top pediatricians say its way more efefctive than electrolyte solutions in combating dehydration cases.

[Suhosthe]

Pediatricians in Scotland swear by coca cola which was been left to go flat ie loose its gas. top pediatricians say its way more efefctive than electrolyte solutions in combating dehydration cases.
Hmmm. Never heard that before, and it sounds distinctly dodgy given that coke contains caffeine and functions as a diuretic; exactly what you don't want when you're dehydrated.

This site (http://www.corwinmedical.com/ParentInfo/infant_care.htm), however, suggests the use of flat caffeine-free cola (and a variety of other sodas) in children over 15 months who have experienced an episode of vomiting. It seems that generally, warm, flat coke is suggested to relieve the symptoms of nausea, not as a method of rehydration.

In my opinion, cola has no redeeming qualities, and I find it really easy to get hooked on, too, which is odd, because I don't even really like it.

[CosmicFish]

In my opinion, cola has no redeeming qualities, and I find it really easy to get hooked on, too, which is odd, because I don't even really like it.
It does have one actually. Lets just say that, once upon a time, I had a pocket full of really shiny coins. :D