Hi everyone, Kris Stokes from Custom Fitness personal training studio here, your personal trainer in Amarillo. Today I’d like to talk to you about something very significant to me. If you’ve been following our videos or reading my blogs, you’ll know that one thing I always, always, always emphasize is hydration. Do you think you’re getting enough? Do you want to learn how to drink more and keep your body in check? Give us a call 806-322-3188; our trainers will be happy to help.
As a personal trainer in Amarillo, I have worked with many a client who had no idea how dehydrated they were or even that their dehydration was the root cause of many other ailments. Today I’d like to take a moment to examine what it means to be hydrated and dehydrated and the consequences that come from the latter. This topic is especially important during the 105 degree temperatures that we have in the panhandle currently as well as if you are trying to beat the heat with a vacation. Did you know that places like Colorado Springs are hitting up in the hundreds this summer? Today is kind of cloudy day but it doesn’t mean that people can’t be dehydrated. With the country facing higher temperatures across the board, it is important to stay on top of your water game for health and safety.
One of the biggest problems we run into during the summer is that people go swimming a lot. When they go swimming, they don’t really remember to drink water. It’s actually a common . I used to be a swimming instructor for water aerobics and every class I’d have someone forget to bring water with them or just not drink what they had brought. So we had to handle a few dangerous dehydration issues during those classes.
Today I wanted to share a story with you (that’s why I’m holding my paper here). I had a friend recently come to me with a story about what she had encountered. It was such a mind-blowing story to me that I really needed to share it. I need to let people know how severe this issue can be when you don’t drink water.
My friend is a grandmother of a wonderful little boy about 11 years old. He loves nothing more than to be swimming in the pool or playing outside during the summer; since school has been out, he’s been outside. A few weeks ago, the grandmother got a call from her son asking her to come over because something was wrong with the grandson. She quickly arrives at the house to find her grandson rocking back and forth on the floor, grabbing his head, and talking about how his brain is hurting. He keeps repeating how much pain is brain is in. The grandmother begins asking him questions trying to figure out if maybe he had suffered a head injury the other parents didn’t catch or if this was possibly a stroke. His arms and legs were contracting and releasing involuntarily and in a spastic way. He told her that his arms and fingers were tingling.
The grandmother, obviously quite concerned, kept asking him questions; running through the typical questions that you would ask whenever you try to assess an injury: “What’s your name?” “What day is it?” “Who is the president?”. The boy could answer them but it took a long time for him to come up with his response. He would start to answer, then have to refocus, then try to answer, then forget, then could answer. It was an odd situation. The family felt he was improving over the past hour. They decided to watch him.
The grandmother asked how much water the boy had had that day. The mother responded by saying that he doesn’t really like water, so instead he’d been drinking Dr. Pepper. All week. While he’d been in pool, in the heat, playing, jumping, and running. And all he had nourished his body with was soda.
The grandmother began suspecting he was experiencing dehydration. Two hours later the boy had not yet recovered, so he was taken to the emergency room. The doctor performed their tests. Gave him a bag of saline and before it emptied, the boy was feeling much better. The hospital discharged the family home. The boy tried to sleep, work up about 3:00 AM profusely throwing up and his arms and brain hurting again.
The family took him to the pediatrician for a follow-up. A on-call doc took his case, because his primary doctor was out of town. The on-call doc determined that the boy’s problem was most assuredly dehydration. So, again, they gave him a saline bag and by the end of it the boy was finally back within the normal hydration levels. His demeanor improved, his head no longer pounded, and he could control his limbs. He was sent home and he is now doing much better. Thankfully!
This isn’t just a scary story about children, however.
Adults don’t realize that the same thing can be happening to them. I have lots and lots of people that I work with on nutrition and in that nutrition. During our sessions we talk frequently and in depth about hydration. If you don’t remember anything else from this blog, please know that is is PARAMOUNT that you get at least 50% of your body weight in ounces water everyday.
Example, if you weigh 150 pounds, you have to drink at least 75 ounces of water everyday. if you don’t, your body begins to decline. 2% loss in fluid volume brings you into dehydration. That puts you at 48% of your total fluid volume. If you’re at 48%, you start noticing symptoms of dehydration: a mild headache, maybe lack of focus, maybe fatigue, the symptoms list can go on and on. If you continue to be dehydrated, you’re unable to hydrate yourself or unwilling to hydrate yourself, as the case may be, your body will continues to worsen. These symptoms can exacerbate to the stroke-like signs that my friend’s grandson was experiencing: the brain pain, or tingling and numbness in the arms. If can even become heart palpitations. Your organs will begin to shut down your internal systems because your body requires water in order to function.
We just kind of think of it these days as “I’ve had liquid, so I’m okay”. Wrong. Gatorade, Powerade, tea, coffee, cokes, juices, anything that is not regular water does not count the same as water. Tea and coffee are brewed with water, but once they are brewed the molecules combine. Now your body has to utilize energy to break the two apart and collect the water. That spent energy will contribute to deeper dehydration. There are diuretic effects coupled with tea and coffee as well that will collect the water from these drinks and cause you to void it out rather than being absorbed into your system.
A lot of people are not eating enough vegetables either. Vegetables have a very high water content and they are a great idea to add those 10-15 recommended servings of vegetable to your diet every to help bolster your water intake (as well as a bunch of increased nutrients). I know if you haven’t met with me before, you probably have not heard that amount before. Did your eyes get real big and your jaw drop? Honestly, if you can focus on getting 10 to 15 servings of vegetables in everyday; I’m talking like a fist size or cup size per serving each day, you’re not only going to keep from that dehydration issue but you’re going to help promote better health within your body. You’re going to feel better, have more energy be able to move, tons and tons of great things.
Vegetables are important, but hydration is the key today. This isn’t just about kids. Yes, kids are important, but this is equally applicable to you as an adult. As a role model, you need to be drinking water so those around you remember to do so as well — especially if you have kids. They are looking to you for their healthy habits. Often kids won’t drink water because their parents don’t like. As a person, you need that water in order to survive.
You can freeze your water, you can drink it warm, you can drink it with lemon or lime, or infuse it with fruits, herbs, or cucumbers. Whatever works for you to find actual water appetizing is great. I would recommend staying away from all the little drops or the powder packs that you put in to flavor your water; they provide unnecessary calories and sugars. Instead, opt for actual fruits and vegetables to do the flavoring. That will help you keep dehydration at bay. When you’re going to the pool, make sure that you’re getting out about every 30 minutes to take a drink of water. Really listen to your body. Pay attention to any physical cues your body is telling you throughout the day. If you’re feeling a little funny, have a headache, or start to get tired, try having a glass of water first and see if that makes a difference.
I do hope that if you have people that you know that need to hear this that you would share this with them. Feel free to give share our post or YouTube video or leave a comment. I’d love to hear from you. If you have any questions or are ready to ramp up your nutrition plan, contact the studio for a free consultation. 806-322-3188 or info@customfitness.biz. We can help you keep your hydration up while keeping those pounds down. At Custom Fitness, we are YOUR personal trainers in Amarillo. Have a great day.