SWEATING IT OUT - Part One

When the heat is on, it's essential to stay hydrated.  Dehydration stresses your body: your internal temperature rises, your heart beats faster, your brain has trouble concentrating, and activity feels harder.  Long hot spells in the summer are an especially hazardous time.  If you often feel fatigued, headachy, or lethargic, you may be chronically dehydrated.

Unfortunately, the thirst urge is unreliable -- it can be blunted by exercise or the mind, so plan to drink before you are thirsty.  By the time your brain signals thirst, you may have lost a dangerous amount of your body weight in fluids.

Children and senior citizens are particularly at risk as they have less sensitivity to thirst sensations.  If you notice someone becoming irritable on a hot day, dehydration may be the cause.
Source: Nancy Clark's Sports Nutrition Guidebook

Next month: How to stay hydrated . . . 


CELEBRATING MY 25th YEAR AS A PHYSICAL THERAPIST . . . THANK YOU FOR YOUR REFERRALS!