As the thermometer creeps above 90 degrees, we all need to focus a little bit more on hydrating properly.
When sports were still on TV, we saw plenty of athletes drinking various sports drinks (like my alma-mater’s Gatorade). What they didn’t show you is that these athletes might take a little sip, but spit most of it out. This is for two reasons:
1) Carb rinsing, to trick the brain into thinking more nutrients are on the way by stimulating taste receptors in the mouth, effectively allowing the body to push itself harder. We won't get much into the details here, but you can read about it here in this great piece by Times sportswriter Jére Longman.
2) These drinks are just plain bad for you, mostly because of the massive amounts of sugar they contain. Here are a few problems with that:
They can upset your stomach because of the rapid influx of sugar into your body.
They can upset your body’s optimum fluid, mineral and hormone balance.
They do not necessarily contain the variety of trace minerals you naturally lose through sweat.
So if sports drinks are bad for you, what is optimum?
One of my favorite books, Born to Run by Christopher McDougall, talks extensively about what Kenyan long distance runners and their strategies. These elite athelets, for example, drink just a few ounces of sweet tea after training, then hydrating with water and eating a normal meal.
If sweet tea isn't much your style, I recommend you try a cold glass of water with just a pinch of Himalayan or Celtic sea salt. These less processed salts contain greater than 50 trace minerals that are naturally found in human sweat. Putting them back into your body in small amounts helps your body adjust progressively.
These trace minerals can:
Facilitate better contraction of muscles and less cramping.
Help nerve conduction.
And thereby lead to better brain function.
As we enter the summer months, hydration is essential to staying healthy, but doing so properly is important.
If you are an established patient or you interested in becoming a patient and would like to schedule an in person or telehealth visit with our clinicians, please feel free to contact our superstar scheduling team at 202.244.8222 or via email at info@quistmd.com. They are always happy to help!
Cheers,
Dr. H