Exercising in hot weather and the body’s need for salt
Posted May 31st, 2007 at 11:00 AM by Jamal Walker
Section: Nutrition, Hydration, Health & Fitness, Exercise
Fatigue during hot-weather exercise is caused by lack of water, salt, sugar or calories. Of the four, exercisers are most ignorant of their sodium needs. A study from The University of Otago in New Zealand shows that taking a salty drink prior to competition can help an athlete to exercise longer and harder. (Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, January, 2007; and Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine, January 2007).
Athletes who took the salty drink had larger blood volumes and greater endurance. Salt makes you thirsty earlier so you drink more, and salt in your body holds water so you have more water available to meet your needs.
In 1942, James Gamble of Harvard Medical School was hired to establish guidelines for soldiers fighting in the very hot climate of the South Pacific. He found that the only mineral needed for exercise in hot weather is sodium, found in common table salt. As a result of his studies, salt tablets were recommended for people who worked or exercised in hot weather, but since they caused stomach problems and because of concerns about high blood pressure, salt tablets were abandoned in the 1970s.
Salty drinks taste bad, so it is easier to meet your needs with salted foods. If you plan to exercise for more than a couple hours in hot weather, drink one or two cups of the liquid of your choice each hour and eat a salty food such as salted peanuts. Of course, athletes can also use sports drinks, such as Gatorade or even non-carbohydrate electrolyte replacement drinks that do not contain carbohydrates (such as: nuun and Camelbak Elixir) as a means for replenishing sodium.
This post is written by Dr. Gabe Mirkin, M.D. and used with permission. Dr. Mirkin is board certified in Sports Medicine and has practiced for over 40 years. He has completed more than 40 marathons and was a talk show host of a nationally-syndicated radio program for about 25 years. For more articles by Dr. Mirkin, please check out: www.DrMirkin.com
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Tags: blood volume, camelbak elixir, endurance, gatorade, harvard medical school, hot weather, hot weather exercise, hydration, james gamble, New Zealand, nuun, peanuts, salt, salt tablets, salted food, salty drink, sodium, sports drink, The University of Otago, thirsty, water
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The Final Sprint
While the need to take care of Sodium for the athlese is their, but in case of common who has high blood pressure, has also to be carful so that the B.P does not alter significantly.
June 3rd, 2007 at 11:04 am