Tag: hydration

A photo of grass, rocks, and tree trunks framing a green flower that isn’t blooming yet. The flower is on the outside of a fence. It’s a good thing I’m not a plant
ADHD · fitness

It’s a good thing I’m not a plant

Christine HenneburyLeave a comment

This has been an incredibly raw and challenging month but I’ve have been doing my very best to take good care of myself.

Or so I thought.

I’ve been asking for help and accepting offered help way more than usual.

I have been resting regularly and keeping things low-key whenever possible – especially after nights when I’ve slept poorly. (That is happening a fair bit.)

I’ve been sticking with yoga and walks and stretching because any time I push myself harder, even a little, I’m instantly exhausted. I suspect that after a certain point any physical exertion feels like stress to my sad and tired brain and it is refusing to play along. *

I have stuck with my daily writing and drawing and meditating routines even when I didn’t feel like it because they lend familiar shape to my days.

I’ve made sure to stay connected to friends and to sprinkle fun activities throughout my week without getting overwhelmed. I’ve kept my work and volunteer tasks to a minimum.

So, that all felt good, like I was taking charge of the things I could take charge of and letting myself do and be the way I needed to be.

How foolish, hey?

Thinking I had everything well in hand, almost like I was trying to do a ‘good job’ of grieving.**

And all along I was forgetting something something important, something incredibly basic.

A most essential element in caring for a human.

My water bottle (bright green with a black cap) sits on my patio railing. There’s a (still!) leafless tree directly behind it, and in the background there’s a stretch of grass, a few other leafless trees, and my circular swing.
Image description: My water bottle (bright green with a black cap) sits on my patio railing. There’s a (still!) leafless tree directly behind it, and in the background there’s a stretch of grass, a few other leafless trees, and my circular swing.

Yep.

I have been drinking ridiculously little water.

I’ve had a small glass of water with my meds in the morning.

I’ve had A LOT of tea.

And, sure, I’ve been getting some hydration from my tea (it’s mostly non-caffeinated) but it’s not even close to the same as drinking the amount of water I usually do.

And I felt feeling cranky and twitchy and just off as a result.

But since EVERYTHING feels off right now it took me over a week to figure out what the problem was.

In fact, it was only as I was using the water from my water bottle to water my plants one evening that I realized how little water I had actually consumed that day.

(Yes, I had frequently followed my usual habit of filling my water bottle in the morning. I just didn’t do the drinking water part of the routine.)

If I was a plant, I would be drooped over the side of my pot by now.

I guess my tea helped save me from that fate. – I have been feeling pretty droopy though.

For the record: I do NOT recommend forgetting water.

*Yes, I know a good workout would probably be helpful overall and would probably help me sleep. However, I’m listening to my body and it is saying ‘Nope.’ There will be lots of time for more intense exercise later. Also, my ADHD brain doesn’t do so well with the ‘later reward’ business and I don’t have extra energy to put into convincing it right now.

** I wasn’t literally thinking this but, in retrospect, it kind of comes across that way.

fitness

Christine and the Giant Water Bottle

Christine Hennebury4 Comments

I thought I was drinking plenty of water but it turns out that I most definitely was not.

On a day-to-day basis, I mostly drink water and tea with the occasional glass of juice for variety’s sake.

GIF description: A large husky is lying on some grass with its snout submerged in its water dish and it is blowing bubbles from its nostrils. The water dish is resting on concrete.​
This husky has opted to blow bubbles instead of drinking their water but perhaps they absorbed a few drops all the same. GIF description: A large husky is lying on some grass with its snout submerged in its water dish and its paws on either side of the dish. The dog is blowing bubbles from its nostrils. The water dish is resting on concrete.

And I really thought I was having the recommended 8 glasses a day…until I actually thought it through.

If I have a glass of water with each meal and then one or two at other times during the day, I was getting a maximum of 5 glasses a day.

And yes, I know that the 8 glasses is a fairly arbitrary recommendation and I didn’t fall for the idea that ‘By the time you feel thirsty, you are already terribly dehydrated!’ that some ‘experts’ were touting a few years back. If that was the way the human body worked, we would never have survived this long.

But, still, I know that 8 glasses is a good guideline.

And I know that drinking more water can be beneficial for people who are monitoring their blood pressure.

And I just had this sense that the way I felt in the morning had something to do with not getting enough fluid overall.

And I know that my ADHD brain might mislead me about how much water I drink and when I drink it.

So, I decided to do an experiment.*

a lab coat, safety glasses, and a blue cap covering their hair uses an eye dropper to add liquid to a series of large test tubes filled with blue liquid. Beakers and other science-related containers filled with containing the same liquid sit on their work surface. A microscope sits nearby.
This scientist is doing a far more elaborate experiment than I am. Image description: A scientist wearing a lab coat, safety glasses, and a blue cap covering their hair uses an eye dropper to add liquid to a series of large test tubes filled with blue liquid. Beakers and other science-related containers filled with containing the same liquid sit on their work surface.

I know that part of my issue with remembering to drink more water is that I have to interrupt whatever I am doing in order to refill my glass or water bottle. Any interruption in my work day has the potential to lead me down a rabbit hole of other tasks so I try to avoid extra stops in my work flow. (Hyperfocus plays a role here, too, but it is mostly a conscious decision not to avoid possible distractions.)

So, I decided to buy a large water bottle that I could fill up in the morning and then sip all day until it was gone. By getting a large bottle, I would avoid having to stop what I was doing in order to get more water and I wouldn’t have to track how many times I had refilled my glass/bottle.

I thought about buying one of those bottles with the time recommendations down the side but I couldn’t get one locally and I wondered if the time markings would get on my nerves. After all, it doesn’t matter if I drink a specific amount by 11am and I know myself well enough know that I might resist drinking it all, just because I don’t like being bossed around, especially by inanimate objects.

As you can see, the bottle ended up buying is enormous.

It’s 2.2 litres and I cannot sip from it, I have to swig which lends a fun pirate-y feeling throughout my day, me mateys.

GIF description: A light brown guinea pig in a pirate costume turns its head and the word ‘Arrrrgh!’ appears in white beneath it. The background features some ship elements and a red light that flashes on before the caption appears.​
I am not as much of a guinea pig as this one because I am running my own pirate experiment instead of being subject to someone else’s science. This guinea pig is adorable though. GIF description: A light brown guinea pig in a pirate costume turns its head and the word ‘Arrrrgh!’ appears in white beneath it. The background features some ship elements and a red light that flashes on before the caption appears.

As I write this, I am on Day 10 of my experiment and I will definitely be continuing.

Since increasing my water consumption, I have a greater feeling of well-being overall.

I feel better when I wake up, less groggy, and my movements are easier. (I feel more fluid! Ha!)

I’m drinking fewer cups of caffeinated tea and some days I haven’t had any caffeine at all.

I haven’t been having as many snacks. I still snack when I’m hungry obviously** but I think I have reduced my number of ‘unconscious boredom’ snacks.

Of course, I’m sure some of this is psychosomatic but, truthfully, I don’t care. This experiment has been all upsides so far.

At this point, I know there’s big question in your mind and it goes something like this:

“That’s all good, Christine, but do you have to spend half your day going to the bathroom now?”

Nope. Pretty much the same as before.

(Which kind of makes me think that I really needed this additional water.)

So, I’ll be sailing on with this experiment for the foreseeable future.

Yo-ho-ho-ho and a (giant) bottle of water!

The photo shows my giant water bottle, a white mug (with yellow interior) containing ginger tea, a banana, a slice of cinnamon bread on a star-shaped plate, a week-sized pill-sorter, and a notebook opened to a white page covered in sketches of robots in yoga poses. A pen and pencil sit next to the notebook.​
A glimpse of the start of my Sunday (I’m part of an online
art group that has tea/coffee ‘together’ each week, hence the photo.) The photo is of the corner of my wooden kitchen table and shows my giant water bottle, a white mug (with yellow interior) containing ginger tea, a banana, a slice of cinnamon bread on a star-shaped plate, a week-sized pill-sorter, and a notebook opened to a white page covered in sketches of robots in yoga poses. A pen and pencil sit next to the notebook.

*I am VERY excited about my ability to do these kinds of experiments in the last few months. It’s all due to the mental space my increased ADHD meds are giving me. More on that in another post!

**I am strongly pro-snack. I cannot be swayed on this point.

water bottles Water, water everywhere but how much should I drink?
sports nutrition · weight loss

Water, water everywhere but how much should I drink?

Sam B12 Comments

Sigg canteen
Description: Sigg canteen

If you’re interested in fitness and nutrition, the answer used to be obvious: lots and lots. If you saw a diet counselor or a sports nutritionist, they often had the same question: How much water are you drinking? And it was never enough.

We were told not use our body’s cues, that these were unreliable, By the time you’re thirsty, they said, you’re already dehydrated.

If you’re like me, you’ve carried stylish non-disposable water bottles everywhere with you. I own the one pictured on the left. I love it. But I confess that I feel virtuous drinking water and that sometimes I drink water when I’m bored in a meeting, not always because I’m thirsty.

Intuitive eating? Maybe. But intuitive drinking? Maybe not so much.

And drinking lots of water is often touted as a sure way to lose weight.

WebMD has a water based weight loss diet. They report:

“Research has also shown that drinking a glass of water right before a meal helps you to feel more full and eat less. “Many people do find that if they have water before a meal, it’s easier to eat more carefully,” says Renee Melton, MS, RD, LD, director of nutrition for Sensei, a developer of online and mobile weight loss and nutrition programs.

One study, for example, found that people who drank water before meals ate an average of 75 fewer calories at each meal. That doesn’t sound like a lot — but multiply 75 calories by 365 days a year. Even if you only drink water before dinner every day, you’d consume 27,000 fewer calories over the course of the year. That’s almost an eight-pound weight loss.”

But now it’s not so clear.

First, came the marathon deaths due to over hydration. These were usually women, often beginning runners, non elite athletes, who stopped to drink at every water station thinking they were doing their bodies good. The deaths resulted from hyponatremia, a sodium imbalance that results from drinking too much water.

From Shape Magazine’s article, Is it possible to drink too much water?

“Clinically called hyponatremia, it’s a condition in which the level of sodium — an electrolyte that helps regulate water levels in the fluid in and around your cells — in your blood is abnormally low. When this happens, your body’s water levels rise, and your cells begin to swell. This swelling can cause many health problems, from mild to severe, and can result in death. Hyponatermia has been in the news for the past few years after a study in the New England Journal of Medicine listed overhydration as a serious health issue of some runners at the Boston Marathon. “

You can read about the dangers of overhydration here  and here.

You can also read  Krista Scott Dixon’s Waterlogged: Interview with Dr. Tim Noakes. 

Second, came the research that showed that the “8 glasses per day” recommendation is just false. It was based on a bad research funded by the manufacturers of bottled water. See the CBC’s 8 glasses of water a day ‘an urban myth’

“The common advice to drink eight glasses of water a day doesn’t hold water, say nutrition and kidney specialists who want to dispel the myth. “What drove us to drink two litres of water a day?” asks an editorial in this week’s issue of the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health. The recommendation was driven by vested interests rather than health, suggests author Speros Tsindos of the department of dietetics and human nutrition at La Trobe University in Victoria, Australia.”

“What drove us to drink 2 litres of water a day?” was published in the Australia New Zealand Journal of Public Health. It begins by noting that the Saharan nomads do just fine with very little water in a very hot and dry environment.

A Scientific American piece Fact or Fiction: You Must Drink 8 Glasses of Water a Day? concludes: “There is no clear evidence of benefit from drinking increased amounts of water.” They say that the recommended amounts of fluid that we hear quoted were meant to include liquids from all sources, including those foods such as fruits and vegetables, as well as beverages such as milk and coffee. A National Academy of Science panel in 2004 wrote that “the vast majority of healthy people adequately meet their daily hydration needs by letting thirst be their guide.”

Third, came controversy over maintaining a reasonable metabolism and the over consumption of water.  Listen to Matt Stone here. Read Pee All That You Can Pee? How Much Should You Drink? a guest post by Stone over at Krista Scott Dixon’s Stumptuous.

Read Cheeseslave’s 10 simple tips to raise your metabolism:

“1. Don’t Drink When You’re Not Thirsty: This sounds like common sense but most of us don’t follow it. We drink too much water because we think it’s good for us. We drink lots of coffee and soft drinks for the stimulant effect. We drink too much alcohol to relax.

None of these things are bad as long as they are done in moderation. You don’t have to avoid coffee or alcohol. Just watch how much you consume. Drinking too much and drinking for reasons other than thirst lowers your metabolism.

Limit the fluid intake, increase your body temperature, boost your metabolism.”

Me, I figure my body probably can sort this one out on its own and I’m going back to drinking when I’m thirsty.

cycling · diets · eating · Guest Post · sports nutrition

It’s all about the fuel! (Guest post)

cdaigle4 Comments

image

I ride a Rocky Mountain hybrid and my spouse and I enjoy biking every time we can. Our minimum ride (the “quicky”) is a 30 km ride. But we often go for longer rides and have done as much as 110km in a day. We are not as serious about biking as a lot of readers of this blog are but we take it seriously enough. We have some bags for our longer runs and take what we need with us: water, snacks, tools, a spare tube, sunscreen, long sleeved t-shirt, money and a credit card. I am also fully equipped to ride to the office with a wonderful clip-on sturdy bag that can carry my books and binders.

We just came back from a 77 km ride and are both seriously exhausted. Why? What happened?

Yes it is 39 degrees with humidex. We left early to beat the heat but that was tough because at 10 o’clock, it was already pretty hot and the sun was shining in all its glory. But that was not the problem. The problem was: we made a rookie mistake! We did not fuel properly!

It does not matter how hot it is. It does not matter how fit you are. It does not matter what bike you ride. It does not matter how fast or slow you go. It does not matter how old you are. It’s all about the fuel!

We had plenty of water. That was not the issue. But water is not the fuel needed for such rides. Water is some kind of fuel and sufficient for a “quicky” but one needs more than that for a prolonged ride.

First step to our rookie mistake: a light breakfast low on protein. It was hot early and who feels like a hearty breakfast on days like this? I had fruits and 1/3 cup yogourt with sunflower seeds. Eric had raisin bread and fruits with one Ensure (dental surgery aftermath). We both had lots of carbs but very little protein.

Second step to our rookie mistake: we took only water with us. We had 3 litres of water between the two of us. We did not have any energizing drink with salt/sugar and other nutrients (yes, I consider salt a nutrient).

Third step to our rookie mistake: we thought we were going out for only 50 km so we did not bring snacks. We usually carry nuts and dry fruit bars when going for longer than 30 km.

Fourth step to our rookie mistake (which is connected with the previous one): we thought that 50km would take us to lunch time in Fonthill at our favorite fry truck in the area which boasts the best poutine in Southwestern Ontario. The plan was to ride 40 km to the truck, have a poutine, and ride the 10 km left back home.

At about 30 km into the ride we had a choice of turning left or right. Right was taking us back to Fonthill too quick and left was a small detour that would make the ride 50 km, what we were aiming for. The small roads in that area are populated by farms and there are no cornerstores or garages where to buy fuel. We were on our own with our water. A series of other detours (caused by us not wanting to ride on gravel roads because it hurts my wrists too much) made the ride much longer.

At about 50 km, we hit our wall: Muscles burning, slight headache, slight nausea. We were drinking water like mad but still that was not enough. I was hungry and my body was screaming for fuel. At some point I thought: “Man! I am pushing like crazy and yet riding at only 9 km/h on a flat road!!!” You should know that my normal cruising speed is between 22 and 25 km/h. Eric asked: “Are we that out of shape?? Our tires seem to stick to the road!” He even checked the tire pressure! The pressure was fine but we were not.

The problem was we ran out of fuel. Badly. No energy left, whatsoever. Well, a little I guess since we made it back. But at some point, walking my bike up a hill, I did feel like I was going to collapse, right there on the spot. We made it back to Fonthill and the fry truck after riding 56 km. We did not run out of water before getting there. But water was not enough. We were lacking proper fuel. This was remedied partly by purchasing one litre of iced tea (probably not the best but I can’t stomach energy drinks and sports drinks) and more water for the remaining 11km.

And then we did ourselves in… we had our poutine (after all, we deserved it by then, right?). Yummy as ever (did I mention it is the best poutine in Southwestern Ontario?), but poutine is what it is: it feels like a brick in your stomach once you have feasted on it. And that it did. I did have some chicken breast alongside it and Eric had a burger. But this further improper fueling just made everything worst. The last 11 km were long and hard. I normally ride 11 km without even thinking about it. Earlier today, I was thinking about every push on the pedals… and about the brick in my stomach. Improper fueling is what caused all this.

One shower later and trying to recuperate (I think it will take until tomorrow morning) I muse about this experience. Lesson learned: if it is not a “quicky” we got out for, bring proper fueling. Because a planned 40 km can morph into a much longer ride. Nobody needs to hit a wall as we did. All we have to do is plan ahead and care enough for our bodies to feed it what it needs: nutrients that will fuel it with the energy we need to enjoy whatever it is we engage in. Exercise should be fun and will be fun if we fuel properly.

It’s all about the fuel!

Christine is a feminist continental philosopher who lives with spouse and cat in the Niagara Region. Biking and training are favorite activities as is gourmet cooking and reading gore thrillers when she travels to conferences, taking a break from writing her monograph on Nietzsche.