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Wednesday, August 08, 2007

Tips on dealing with heat ( and is Gatorade good for you?)

Dos and Don'ts for Extreme Heat

Do:
Drink a lot of fluids, even if you aren't thirsty.
Avoid caffeine, alcohol, or sugared sodas because they can make fluid leave your body faster.
Stay indoors if at all possible.
Go to a mall, movie, or friend's or relative's home if your air-conditioning goes
out. See if there are heat-relief shelters nearby for the night.
Buy a fan to move air around, even if it's air-conditioned air. But remember, air-conditioning is best above 90 degrees.
Wear light-colored, loose clothing. Don't overwrap babies; put a shade over them instead.
If you go out, do it early or after dark.
Cut down on exercise. Bonanno has shortened his workouts considerably. "It's not even really cool enough in the morning," he says.
Stay in the shade.
Move slowly.
Wear a wide-brimmed hat.
Check on elderly neighbors or relatives. ......READ MORE

"There are three words to take note of here: intense, duration and hot. If you are doing light exercise or doing nothing at all (couch-warming) - then Gatorade is a big waste of money. In this situation (and arguably in any typical workout) water is perfectly adequate. Gatorade provides sodium and potassium. If you are sweating heavily you will lose these two minerals in your sweat. However - I believe you would need to be doing a serious amount of exercise (hours) before loss of these minerals will become a problem (this is a different story if diarrhea and vomiting are involved). If you drink a whole bottle of Gatorade you are consuming about 56 grams of sugar -- this is not required in a normal sedentary lifestyle -- and in this situation it could be considered "bad" for you." READ MORE

2 comments:

khany said...

salam hammad,

did you know that a banana is also a very poor substitute for water!!
haha. no offense bro.

i also think that these 'exterme heat' protocols are fairly overblown given the general audience they are addressed to.

am i the only one who feels that there is something wrong when we feel obliged to tamper with our daily routine at the first encounter with mild discomfort?
visit a friend if your air conditioner breaks down! give up exercise! hello?!
with such an attitude i feel a fasting person would be similarly recommended to stay in bed all day long.

there are virtues to be gained from enduring hardship and remaining steadfast. we need some balance.

yaser.

Din said...

w'slaams,

Your right! Banana is a poor substitute for water. I think Gatorade is used by a lot of people as substitute for water and thats what the artilce eldudes to...

Well maybe some of these are over blown but you cant throw the baby out with the bathwater...most of the advice in my opinion is good advice...