Friday, June 24, 2011

Hydration and recovery (water, headaches, and food)

Just a quick note concerning hydration and recovery during and following your workout. Water is very important not only during the week but also during your exercise time. I don't always drink enough water during the week and will end up end up paying the price later. If you are around me much you know I love Diet Dr. Pepper. I struggle with getting the water I need. This week I have not been sleeping well and have not been drinking enough water.

Today was my monthly weigh-in at Weight Watchers and of course I didn't want to eat before I weighed in so I only ate a bowl of oatmeal when I got up at 6:30 and then went for my 7 miler. I also did a little bit of speed workout. I drank about 8 ounces of Gatorade during this run. In a hurry, I went to the meeting without eating anything (um...I did shower first)-it is now about 9:45. I knew it was not smart to wait to eat until after my meeting and knew I was running a big risk of getting a headache...Well, I lost 1 pound (yay!) but the price was..You guessed it-a killer headache (boo!). I've been in the bed since around 11:00am and just finally started feeling better around dinner time and was able to eat some supper. IF I had consumed the necessary water this week and necessary recovery food following my run today I probably wouldn't have been in the shape I found myself.

As an fyi-I eat 3 meals a day and 2-3 snacks (maybe more). I will try to eat something-even 2-3 crackers or piece of cheese-about every 3 hours so I don't ever get really hungry. I'm not really sure what the "necessary" amount of water is, there are differences of opinions, so I just try to drink a glass every time I'm near the fridge and several at work each day.

So, make sure you drink enough water to keep your body hydrated and eat after you exercise. If you don't know how to tell if you are hydrated follow this simple rule. If your pee is light colored, you are well hydrated. The darker it is, the less hydrated. Pretty simple to tell that way!

Happy Running!!
Oh yeah, Bobby Mack placed 9th in the 10,000meter U.S. Track and Field Championship yesterday. He was in the lead with 2 laps to go. It was very exciting to watch! Good job Sir Speedy!!

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