football player dirnking water
by William Lower III
As you stand up the room starts spinning and you begin to feel light headed. Before you know it you’re on the floor. Your body starts to cramp up, and you slip in and out of consciousness. You feel nauseated and slowly begin to lose your ability to see. Next your muscles become spastic and then the hallucinations begin. The end is near…
These are the frightening, but very real symptoms of dehydration. The symptoms can be as mild as a headache or muscle cramp, or in extreme cases as severe as death.
Every Sunday I go running and biking for a total of six miles. During my activities, I lose between two to four pounds of water weight, which is between one and three percent of my body weight. Losing just three percent of water causes a major headache, weakness throughout my body, and dizziness. These symptoms can last six hours. This could have been prevented if I just had more to drink.
The first step for preventing dehydration is simply drinking more fluids. Water is the obvious choice. Water has no calories and is readily available but, sometimes water just isn’t enough. Water lacks the sodium, carbohydrates, and electrolytes your body needs for a healthy balance. Many people believe that sports drinks are the best choice to provide the nutrients your body needs. I am not an advocate of sports drinks. These are the better options that will hydrate you during exercise.
1. Coconut water: Coconut water contains all of the same isotonic benefits as a sport drink, but without all of the colorings, additives, and refined sugar.
2. Alacer’s Emergen-C: Emergen-C is a powder you add to water that contains vitamins, minerals and a range of electrolytes.
3. Fruit Juice Mixed with Water: For example orange juice and water is as affective as a sports drink.
4. Water with Lemons: One whole lemon squeezed into water will give it the ability to be absorbed and retained as apposed to just water.