PSA #10 – Perception
Perception – per·cep·tion /pərˈsep SHən/ n. The ability to see, hear or become aware of something through the senses.
This PSA has been niggling in the back of my head since January 27, the Sunday when the mass readings were from St. Paul, 1 Corinthians 12:12-30. This is the passage about how all parts of the body are part of the whole. Now St. Paul was teaching a lesson about the body of the church, but the more I pondered, the more I was seeing the physical human body. Thank you St. Paul for the graphics on eyes, ears hands and feet. I kept coming back to perception, specifically my own perception of my body, and how it can sometimes be skewed so far from center because I’m focusing on a single part and not on the whole.
I cannot tell you how many times I have heard girlfriends say things like “my stomach is flabby” or “my butt is so huge”. “If only my nose was straight.” “I wish I had a bigger-smaller-perkier bustline.” I look at my friends and see beautiful women who are strong, smart and capable. Why don’t they see what I see? Skewed perception because they are giving their full attention to a single part of their physical selves, whereas I see them as whole.
And it’s not just physical perception, its mental perception as well. We often judge ourselves as wives and mothers, and get caught up focusing on the one small thing in a month of Tuesdays that doesn’t go the way we expect, instead of looking at our lives as a beautiful whole. I am especially good at this, and it came to light in a very ugly way over the past two months.
I got laid off from my job. My company has been struggling for several years with falling sales, revenues and work backlogs. I, as the most senior non-owner engineer in the firm (who also happens to have a working husband) was in a vulnerable position, and I’d known for a while that my time was limited. When the blow finally came, I was devastated. Honestly, I spent many weeks as a sobbing, blubbering mess. Even when the interview invitations and job offers were coming in, all I could see was bleakness, all I could think about was that I wasn’t good enough to keep. I was so focused on this one small moment of my life that I was blinded to the wonderfulness of the rest of it!
It’s taken many hours of prayer and reflection to come back to seeing how grand life is, how anchoring faith is. The most important lesson I’ve learned is that the entire tapestry of my life, woven with the fibers of my family and friends, embroidered with threads of love and framed with God’s Grace is a bazillion times more precious than any single tangled moment.
That must be how God sees us.
Keep the Faith.
Next Time: Where Mom Goes the Family Follows
P.S. – yes, I have a new job. :) The kids can stay in school and we aren’t going to starve.
Angela Pea lives in Texas and has been married to Mr. Pea for 27 years. She has two adult daughters, Cherry Ames, who is almost finished with nursing school, and Princess Pea, who resides in Aggieland and is studying to be an orthodontist. Her two teenage sons, The Architect and DirtBike, still live at home, where they mostly eat everything in sight and build bicycles from random parts. She is a practicing civil engineer, occasional college instructor, random knitter, beginner mountain biker, and a secret shoe lover. Angela blogs at Keeping the Faith.
Suscipio PSA #9 – End the Procrastination!
Disclaimer of the Day: I am the Queen of Procrastination.
Right this minute, I have two (TWO!) pairs of pants that need to be hemmed that have been draped over the sewing machine since before Christmas. I also have a baby blanket on knitting needles that has been there for more than a year. I put off scheduling my annual checkup so much that it’s now in April instead of my birthday month, September. I usually file my taxes on April 15, 11:55 pm. Thank goodness for electronic filing!
My point today is to remind us that we cannot procrastinate with our physical health. Time is NOT kind, and is not on our side. We have to do today, this minute, what needs to be done to keep our bodies strong and healthy, which in turn enables us to care for our families. That means putting down the fork, lacing up the shoes and going for a walk. That means getting outside with our kids and playing in the fresh air. That means putting healthy, whole food on the table for our families. That means making choices in every moment that will help us get to the healthy we need to be, the healthy that acknowledges bodies created in God’s image, with all the reverence due to such sanctity.
I’m going to hem those pants tonight.
Keep the Faith.
Next Time: Perception
Suscipio PSA #8 – Fueling Your Body
Disclaimer – I am not a doctor, nutritionist, or professional fitness guru. I am sharing what I’ve learned through research and experience; you all must use your own judgment in deciding what is best for you and your own health, including checking with your doctor before beginning any exercise or dietary program.
We gather at mass to fuel our souls; we study scripture, read and come together here to fuel our minds and spirits. What are we doing to fuel our bodies? Not just eating Real Food every day, but fueling our bodies for exercise.
Are you supposed to eat before, during or after exercise?
The answer is Yes.
First, the science behind it. Your body is an amazing machine, and it works constantly to maintain a certain level of glucose in your bloodstream. Glucose is fuel – it keeps your muscles moving and your brain processing. Your body changes the food you eat into glucose to power your pretty self. Once your bloodstream is saturated at the proper level, extra glucose is stored in your liver as glycogen.
When you exercise, your muscles go into overdrive, drawing glucose from your bloodstream. Once that source is used up, your liver will change the stored glycogen back to glucose and release it into your bloodstream to keep you moving. Once the liver glucose is used up, your body will start using stored fat to make more glucose for your muscles. Unfortunately, changing fat to glucose is a v-e-r-y s-l-o-w process, much slower than the rate your exercising muscles are screaming for fuel. If you get to this point during a workout session where your muscles have used up all the free floating glucose in your bloodstream, BAM! You hit a wall! You start to shake, feel light headed and break out in a cold sweat. You just can’t keep going.
What? Isn’t the purpose of exercise to burn up fat? Why yes! Yes it is! Just not DURING the actual exercise. Your body can’t convert fat to glucose fast enough to support exercise in the moment that you are actually moving. Fat burning takes place once you stop. Remember how your body keeps a constant level of glucose at all times? Once you’ve depleted the glucose in your body and stopped actively exercising, your body will pull from your fat reserves to balance the glucose level in your bloodstream and to recharge your liver.
You need to fuel your body for working out – give it some fast easy energy that your muscles can pull straight from your blood stream, because they NEED that fuel to function! This doesn’t mean a full meal – this means a snack, preferably one with a balance of carbohydrates (fast fuel, converts quickly to glucose and floods the muscles) and proteins (slower fuel that will hit the bloodstream about the time the carb rush gets used up). I usually have 1/2 of a peanut butter and banana sandwich before I exercise.
For really long workouts, like hiking running or marathon bike rides, you need to top off the glucose fuel tank during the exercise to avoid that muscle crash. Some folks swear by those little gel pack things; I prefer real food. I’ll carry an apple or a granola bar with me and have a bite or two every 30 minutes. Again, not a full meal or complete snack, but just enough to keep the fast fuel coursing through my bloodstream for my muscles to pull from.
It’s also important to have a snack after working out that’s a little higher in protein in order to give your body materials to repair muscles and to do its work replenishing your blood stream and liver from your fat reserves. I usually have a few slices of turkey or a piece of cheese. Some serious runner friends of mine swear by chocolate milk for after run recharging.
There are hundreds of opinions about fueling for working out, and every body is different. You each need to figure out through trial and error what works for you – what lets you get through a workout without collapsing, but still keeps your body burning fat afterward.
Fuel Your Bod. Keep the Faith.
Next Time: An End to Procrastination
Suscipio PSA #7 – What to Do When It HURTS!!
Disclaimer – I am not a doctor, nutritionist, or professional fitness guru. I am sharing what I’ve learned through research and experience; you all must use your own judgment in deciding what is best for you and your own health, including checking with your doctor before beginning any exercise or dietary program.
My rear end hurts today. Achy muscle I don’t want to move kind of hurting. Here’s the culprit:
That’s a kettlebell. I am extremely fortunate to have a gym at my office. It’s the most fabulous perk of all. I used to swing bells every day, but I haven’t touched one in months. Life has been incredibly stressful lately so I thought I’d relieve some tension with my old kettlebell workout. Since I haven’t done a routine with bells in a while, I stuck to baby beginner stuff with a light (22 pound) bell. Mercy my rear hurts today from the presses and lunges I did!
What’s the deal? I work out regularly, so why the heck am I sore today?
Muscle soreness like this is often felt when you begin a new exercise program, change your exercise routine, or dramatically increase the duration or intensity of your exercise sessions. Kettlebells? A shock to my system. Not the same muscles used for mountain biking for sure! This kind of ache is called Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS). It’s not the same kind of fatigue you feel during exercise. It’s also not the sharp, sudden pain you would feel from an injury, like a sprain or muscle tear. DOMS shows up 24-48 hours AFTER the exertion.
DOMS is thought to be a result of microscopic tearing of the muscle fibers, caused by movement that your body isn’t used to. This is especially true of eccentric muscle contractions, or movements that cause muscle to forcefully contract while it lengthens. Examples of eccentric muscle contraction type exercise include going up and down stairs, running downhill, and the downward motion of squats, lunges and push-ups.
So what’s a girl with a sore rear to do? There just isn’t any single, simple way to treat DOMS when it strikes. Here are a few things to try.
Active Recovery: This strategy does have some research to back it up. Performing easy low-impact aerobic exercise will increase blood flow to the sore spots and will help make them less tender. That’s what I did. Walked a few miles at a nice easy pace. I felt better afterwards.
Rest and Recover: If you simply wait it out, soreness will go away in 3 to 7 days with no special treatment. Humph. Not very useful if you, oh, plan to go dancing, or skiing, or even go to work sometime in the next 24 hours.
Ice Bath: Many pro athletes use them and claim they work to reduce soreness. Me? Not so thrilled about plunging my rear into a bathtub full of ice cubes.
RICE: the standard method of treating acute injuries. Use it if your soreness is particularly painful. Rest, ice, compression, elevation. I have this image in my brain of my rear packed with ice and elevated above my head. Not very practical.
Gentle Stretching: Although there’s no research to prove that stretching alone reduces muscle pain and soreness, many people find it simply feels good. I’m one of them.
Advil: Aspirin, ibuprofen or naproxen may help to temporarily reduce the muscle soreness, although they won’t actually speed healing. Advil is my friend. My very, very good friend.
Warm Up Completely before your next exercise session. There is some research that confirms that a thorough warm-up performed immediately prior to new and eccentric exercise produces small reductions in delayed-onset muscle soreness. I will certainly warm up before my next kettlebell workout.
Next workout? Darn Right. Me and that kettlebell were love at first sight all those years ago when we first met. I’ve missed it, and am going to bring it back into my routine. Besides, I still want arms like that chick in the Terminator movie. What other excuse do I need to pick up a 26 pound chunk of metal and swing it around?
Go Put Ice on It. Keep the Faith.
Next Time: Fueling Your Body
Suscipio PSA #6: Exercise Gear
Disclaimer – I am not a doctor, nutritionist, or professional fitness guru. I am sharing what I’ve learned through research and experience; you all must use your own judgment in deciding what is best for you and your own health, including checking with your doctor before beginning any exercise or dietary program.
Modesty Warning!! I’m going to speak [write] frankly today about body parts. Just letting you know in case you’re bashful.
Chafing
Also know as chub rub, heat rash, nipple burn, you name it and someone has a slang term for it. What I’m talking about is friction burn on your tender parts, namely your inner thighs, your bikini and bra lines, your armpits and anywhere else your clothes rub against your skin or your skin rubs against your skin. It’s especially prevalent when we’re overweight. Friends, it hurts. It swells up and turns red. In extreme cases, the skin cracks and bleeds. So not fun.
What can you do? I wear bike shorts or compression pants under my clothing instead of panties for working out. The fabric protects the inner thigh from chafing, and there’s no elastic band to chafe the delicate bikini area. Same on the topside – I highly recommend wearing athletic shirts made from tech fabrics that wick moisture away from your skin and protect it from chafing. You don’t need UnderArmor or other expensive brands – I like the BCG generics from Academy, usually in the $10-$15 range, $7 on clearance!
Then, there’s your new best friend, Bodyglide
Sore Breasts
Unless you have the figure of Twiggy or are a six year old girl, you need a good, supportive sport bra for exercise. Regular Maidenforms won’t do the job. You wouldn’t think of sending your sons out to play sports without a jock strap, would you? Your boobs need the same kind of support to prevent injury and tissue damage. Sport bras come in a wide range of styles for different levels of exercise – I recommend getting a bra for your most strenuous exercise and wearing it for everything, especially if you’re “abundantly blessed”. Invest some time in finding a sports bra that provides the support your body needs. Try on different brands, styles and sizes. A sports bra should have more coverage and fit more snugly than your every day bra, but it shouldn’t bind or cut. You should be able to get up and move without your bust bouncing. Bounce, though it looks intriguing to the male bystander, just sucks the fun out your workout.
My personal favorite is Enell
Sports bras do their job either through compression or encapsulation, smashing boobs flat or holding them firmly with structurally reinforced rigid fabrics. This bra fits like a vest, with a long row of hooks up the front; it is shaped for compression, and the inner fabric is silky against the skin with no stretch at all, providing encapsulation. I’ll just be straight up here – I am abundantly blessed. The girls have shrunk considerably with my weight loss over the years, but they are still substantial. I can put this one on, and voila! No Bounce! NO BOUNCE I tell you!
Aching Feet
I can’t emphasize this enough, especially if you choose running as your favored form of exercise. You MUST have properly fitted shoes. Properly fitted shoes provide necessary support and flexibility for your feet, legs and back. “Properly fitted shoes” does not mean “so expensive you want to cry” shoes. There are dozens of choices out there that are affordable, and will still protect you from stress fractures and tendon strains.
Go to your local running store and get a proper fitting. They’ll put you on a treadmill to evaluate your gait and then let you try on several styles to find the right one for you. Fittings are generally complimentary, and you don’t have to buy shoes from the running store. Note the brand and style, then hit the internet or your local Academy or DSW and get the same shoe for half the price!
Stankiness
Guess what? Your sweat does not stink! No, really. Sweat on its own doesn’t stink. It’s the bacteria that normally lives on your skin, feeding on the sweat and breaking it down into aromatic fatty acids and chemicals that cause the unpleasant odor. Once the bacteria get engrained in clothing fibers, they can be hard to remove, and yes, they survive the washer and dryer. Your workout clothes can smell nice and pretty like fabric softener when you first put them on, but once you warm up and start to sweat in them, dang if they don’t smell like an old tennis shoe! If you really can’t stand your shirts or shorts any more, there are several things you can do to remove the smell.
Baking Soda
Pre-soak the article of clothing in cool water and wring out well. Make a paste by mixing 1 part baking soda with 1 part water. Generously spread the baking soda paste onto the armpit area (or crotch area of your shorts) and let it sit for approximately 30 minutes. Wash and dry as normal. As an alternative, toss a cup of baking soda into the washer with the load of clothing.
White Vinegar
White vinegar is acidic and helps to cut body oils. Fill a basin with just enough cool water to cover the clothing and add ¼ cup of white vinegar. Let the clothing soak for 30 minutes before laundering as usual. Alternatively, add ½ cup of vinegar to the pre-rinse cycle of the washing machine.
Sunshine
Hang your workout gear on the clothesline in the sun to dry. Sunlight is bacteria’s most vicious enemy. I hang our bike pads and kits in the sun to dry, as wells as The Architect’s and DirtBikes socks, and it does work.
If natural remedies aren’t doing the trick, there are commercial products that will remove the smell. I’ve tried Penguin Sport Wash, which keeps fabrics odor-free by washing away residues, removing dirt and oil, and neutralizing bacteria. (You can safely wash down coats in it, too.) I can also confirm that it will remove blood and grass stains acquired after rolling – with bike – down an embankment.
Sunburn
Always, always wear a broad spectrum, SPF 15 or higher sunscreen if you are outdoors. Always. And make your husband and kids wear it, too! There are special sweatproof varieties that will last through a workout, but they aren’t bulletproof. Reapply sunscreen every hour or two if you’re sweating or swimming. Generic brands are just as beneficial as the name brands. Consumer Reports analyzed generic sunscreens and gave three their Best Buy rating: Target’s Up and Up Sport, Walmart’s Equate, and No-Ad. Be sure to watch the expiration date, because sunscreens DO expire and lose their “screening” powers. They also lose their potentency if exposed to extreme heat, so don’t leave it in the car, and keep it in the cooler at the beach or pool.
Exercise is an integral part of a healthy lifestyle and just one of the things you can do to be a good steward of your body. Investing in gear will keep you comfortable and help prevent injury.
Get a Good Bra! Keep the Faith.
Next Time: What to Do When It Hurts
Suscipio PSA #5: Move It, Sweetheart!
Do you exercise? If so, why do you exercise? For me, vanity is the number one reason. I spent many years of my life overweight, and those years weren’t kind to my body. I want to get back my toned thighs, and I really want to have muscular arms like that lady in “The Terminator”. There are a lot more reasons than looking good to take up exercising though. The health benefits of regular exercise and physical activity are amazing!
Benefit No. 1 – Exercise can help you lose weight
If you are trying to lose weight, exercise is non-negotiable. You must burn more calories than you eat, and exercise is the way. It doesn’t matter what kind of exercise you do, when you engage in any physical activity, you burn calories. The more intense the activity, the more calories you burn. You don’t need to set aside large chunks of time for exercise to reap weight-loss benefits, either. You can get more active throughout the day in simple ways — by taking the stairs instead of the elevator or revving up your household chores. Run with the dog, chase the kids. Just get up and move.
Benefit No. 2: Exercise combats health conditions and diseases
Being active boosts high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or “good,” cholesterol in your body and decreases unhealthy triglycerides. This one-two punch keeps your blood flowing smoothly, which decreases your risk of cardiovascular diseases. Staying active can also help prevent or manage a wide range of health problems and concerns, including stroke, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, depression, and arthritis. Controlling health issues is why I originally started exercising. Physical activity FORCES my muscles to use up the sugar in my body, which in turn keeps my diabetes under control. Moving daily keeps my muscles strong, toned and limber, which helps ease arthritis pain.
Benefit No. 3: Exercise reverses the detrimental effects of stress
Mercy. Some days I’m just begging for mercy, pleading for relief from the stresses of my daily life. Yes, I LOVE my life, being a wife, mother and employee. Some days, though, the demands can be overwhelming. Jumping on the treadmill or the elliptical for 30 minutes at lunchtime can blow off tension by increasing levels of “soothing” brain chemicals like serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine. What’s even more fascinating, though, is that exercise may actually work on a cellular level to reverse stress’s toll on our aging process, according to a 2010 study from the University of California—San Francisco. The researchers found that stressed-out women who exercised vigorously for an average of 45 minutes over a three-day period had cells that showed fewer signs of aging compared to women who were stressed and inactive. Working out also helps keep us from ruminating “by altering blood flow to those areas in the brain involved in triggering us to relive these stressful thoughts again and again,” says study coauthor Elissa Epel, an associate professor of psychiatry at UCSF.
Benefit No. 4 – Exercise can lift depression
Other research suggests that burning off 350 calories three times a week through sustained, sweat-inducing activity can reduce symptoms of depression about as effectively as antidepressants. That may be because exercise appears to stimulate the growth of neurons in certain brain regions damaged by depression. What’s more, animal studies have found that getting active boosts the production of brain molecules that improve connections between nerve cells, thereby acting as a natural antidepressant. Exercise can be used to complement—not substitute—drug treatment for depression.
Benefit No. 5: Exercise boosts energy
Do you find yourself winded after carrying the groceries to the car? Does scrubbing tubs or mopping floors leave you panting and drenched in sweat? Regular physical activity improves your muscle strength and boosts your endurance. Exercise and physical activity deliver oxygen and nutrients to your muscles and trains your cardiovascular system work more efficiently. When your heart and lungs work more efficiently, you will have more energy to go about your daily chores.
Benefit No. 6: It improves learning and keeps the brain fit
Exercise increases the level of brain chemicals called growth factors, which help make new brain cells and establish new connections between brain cells to help us learn. Even mild activity like a leisurely walk can help keep your brain fit and active, fending off memory loss and keeping skills like vocabulary retrieval strong. Interestingly, complicated activities, like playing tennis or taking a dance class, provide the biggest brain boost. Complicated activities also improve our capacity to learn by enhancing our attention and concentration skills, according to German researchers who found that high school students scored better on high-attention tasks after doing 10 minutes of a complicated fitness routine compared to 10 minutes of regular activity. I’ve discovered this with my youngest son, DirtBike. He is dyslexic and has mild attention deficit, and we’ve figured out that letting him [literally] run or bike around the block in between blocks of study times helps him sustain his focus.
The bottom line…
Exercise and physical activity are a great way not only to manage your weight, but also to feel better! It can improve your mood, decrease tension and help your mind stay sharp. Your body – and your brain – needs exercise. As a general goal, aim for at least 30 minutes of physical activity every day. If you haven’t been exercising on a regular basis, start slow with walking at a brisk pace, say five to six minutes at a time. Increase the time every few days until you have worked up to a full 30 minutes. And remember, it doesn’t matter what kind of exercise you do; it only matters that you get up and DO IT!!
Move Yourself! Keep the Faith.
Suscipio PSA #5: Stop the Insanity!
Angela | Keeping the Faith
Disclaimer – I am not a doctor, nutritionist, or professional fitness guru. I am sharing what I’ve learned through research and experience; you all must use your own judgment in deciding what is best for you and your own health, including checking with your doctor before beginning any exercise or dietary program.
Greetings! Yes, I know I hinted at talking about Exercise this week, but honestly? I’ve done enough tossing of facts and figures the past several weeks. Moreover, my own heart needs a little pep talk, and this little ditty is needed more than an essay extolling the virtues of exercise. I’ll get back with you on that next week.
The Pea Family has had a rough week. It’s been over-full with the boys’ school events, work deadlines for myself and Mr. Pea, the looming worry of sequestration (Mr. Pea is employed by a defense contractor), Miss Kasey’s visit to the vet for spaying, math tests, a Spanish project, plumbing problems at our rental property, Princess Pea’s fender bender, tax preparations,…the list goes on and on.
Remember back in PSA#2 when I said that the physical act of losing weight really is as simple as eat-less-move-more-repeat and that the mental and spiritual aspects are a bit more complicated? Complicated doesn’t begin to describe my ongoing struggles. I’ve been working on getting healthy for a long time, but when I get stressed and tired, I still turn to food for comfort! Oh yes, I’m turning to God first in prayer, but that incredible yearning for physical yummy-food comfort still makes me nuts. My brain knows better than this! Once I head down that path and succumb to the chocolate/cheese/bread/ice cream bender, Olivia, my Inner Brat, starts yelling at me. “Epic Fail!”, or “Oooooh, You’re SO BAD!!”; or even “You’ll never succeed at this – you’re getting fat again!” [yeah right…as if fifty pounds are magically going to appear overnight]. The Self-Bashing has begun.
Self Bashing = using negative terms to refer to yourself, your behavior, or your actions
Since I’m pretty sure I’m not alone here, let’s get this straightened out, Miss Olivia.
STOP IT.
RIGHT THIS INSTANT!!
First, the greatest cheerleader in your life is you. Not your Mom, not your BFF, not your husband or boyfriend, not me. It’s all you, Sweetie. You live with yourself twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. You know yourself better than anyone else on the face of this planet.
You cannot go through your days slapping destructive, negative labels on your forehead every time you miss a workout session or eat something fattening.
They’ll get tangled in your hair and leave sticky goo on your face.
Would you berate a little kid for eating a poptart, shaking your finger in his face and calling him a failure? Would you tell your Mom “You’re a bad person” if for some reason or another she didn’t run a mile yesterday? Would you scream at your boss for eating a donut? No, of course not.
Then why the heck do you treat yourself that way?
You are a sentient creature, perfect in your creation, and you have a free will. This means that you are good, beautiful and complete simply because you exist. Because you breathe, walk, talk and think, you are the most amazing being in God’s creation. You are not a failure because you ate x-number of calories yesterday. You are not bad because you put something sweet in your mouth. You sometimes use your free will to make a poor choice, but you are not bad. You are NOT a failure.
What would you say to a child who has made a mistake? You’d forgive them, help them clean up the mess and then get on with the day. That is exactly how you should treat yourself. Pick yourself up, clean up the mess and move on. If you need help getting up, then ask someone. If you need help with the mess, ask someone. Poor choices are part of the weight loss game. They’re going to happen. Learn from them.
“Experience is what you get when you don’t get what you want.”
I’ll repeat it again – the physical part of losing weight is actually quite simple and very easy to do – eat less, move more, repeat. The mental part is a bazillion times more complicated. The mental part starts with loving yourself, deciding to care for the body God made, making it healthy and strong. It continues with loving yourself, developing good eating habits and exercising. It ends with loving yourself and reaching out to others to share that love.
Love God above all else – love your neighbor as yourself. As Yourself. YOURSELF.
Love Yourself. Keep the Faith.
Suscipio PSA #4: Hydration
Angela | Keeping the Faith
Disclaimer – I am not a doctor, nutritionist, or professional fitness guru. I am sharing what I’ve learned through research and experience; you all must use your own judgment in deciding what is best for you and your own health, including checking with your doctor before beginning any exercise or dietary program.
Hydration. Hydration. Hydration. You’ve all heard about it and have surely read about it, but do you really understand why?
Why is hydration so important?
Your body depends on water for survival. Water makes up more than half of your body weight. Your muscles need water to stay limber and strong, your organs need water to do their work, your joints need water in order to move smoothly. Your body is like a giant battery, with electrical impulses flying from your brain to your nerve endings…and water is the conductor. Water is essential for good health.
One of the problems with water is that you lose it just as fast as you drink it. You lose it when you pee, sweat, or even breathe. You lose water even faster when the weather is hot, when you exercise, or when you’re sick with vomiting or diarrhea. The water in your body must be replenished on a continual basis, or you get dehydrated.
That battery metaphor? What happens to a battery when it gets old and cracked and the conducting stuff inside drains out? (I know you’ve all seen corroded batteries inside forgotten toys!) Yeah. The battery doesn’t work anymore. Now think about your body as a battery…how well is it going to function without its water conductor?
Not at all!!
When you get dehydrated, you slow down. You feel sleepy, irritable and get a headache. In its natural, hydrated state, your brain has the consistency of very wet sponge. If you let it dry out, you won’t be able to think or react quickly.
Dehydration = Your batteries are running low!!
You have to keep your body battery charged by staying hydrated. Drink up. At least 8, 8-ounce glasses of water a day, more if you’re exercising, even more if it’s hot outside. You can tell if you’re drinking enough if your pee is clear or very, very light straw color. If your pee is yellow, you aren’t hydrated enough. (Or you’ve eaten asparagus.)
Water is the best option for staying hydrated, and most of your fluid intake should come from water. Skim milk, fruit and veggie juices, herbal tea and decaffeinated coffee can also contribute to your daily fluids. Caffeine will dehydrate you if you drink large quantities of it, say five to seven cups of coffee or soda a day. Sports drinks can also provide the water we need with the benefits of electrolytes when exercising intensely in the heat, or when we’re sick. Be sure to read labels on sports drinks carefully before you use them. Most contain extra calories in the form of sugar and are pretty high in sodium, as well.
Have trouble remembering to drink water? Here’s how I do it.
■ Keep a bottle of water with me during the day. It’s on my desk, between the keyboard and the screen. I have to scoot it over every now and then to see something, and when I touch it, I drink at least 8 ounces.
■ Start and end the day with a glass of water.
■ Drink a quart* of water an hour before every exercise session and a quart after. And a quart (or two) during, especially if it’s exceptionally hot.
■ Drink a glass of water every time I pee. It sets up a sort of never-ending cycle that guarantees my hydration level!
*I drink water by the quart for exercise hydration. You may not need this much. I live in north central Texas where it is extremely dry and very, very hot in the summer. I once weighed my workout clothes, shoes and bike pads before and after a long bike ride, just out of curiosity. There was a 2.5 pound gain, which equates to a little less than half a gallon of sweat, not even counting whatever evaporated along the way.
Drink some water. Keep the Faith.
Next Week – Move It, Sweetheart!
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