If you weigh yourself before and after an hour or two of exercise, the difference is likely to be fluid loss. However, in events lasting several hours or even several days, measurable fat loss can occur. At a competitive 12-hour indoor stationary bicycle marathon, one athlete took fluids and food throughout the entire competition, and still lost 2.64 pounds (Schweizerische Rundschau für Medizin Praxis, July 2007).
Of this weight loss, 1.98 pounds was due to loss of fat. His calculated muscle weight increased by 1.46 pounds due to damage to the muscle cells, which results in fluid retention in the cells.
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Next time you’re in the supermarket, take a stroll down the infant aisle. No, not to stock-up on Pampers or for that sale on sippy-cups…this walk on the tame side is for you.
If Motherhood hasn’t hit you yet, you’ve probably never ventured into the Gerber area. Yet, even if you’ve got a stash of Mother’s Day cards, visit (or revisit) this land-of-plenty with newborn eyes and with a novel toddler in mind: You.
A brand-spanking-new-view of baby paraphenalia is crying out, practically crawling off the shelves for your attention. The drink of champions (little and large, it seems), the nectar of the stars (athletes and your under-one-year-old), the elixir for all ages, is Pedialyte.
Long distance runners led the trend, beginning way back in the 1980s. Leaps and bounds ahead of the slower starters, marathoners …
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TheFinalSprint.com and I would like to thank the thousands of people who took the time to enter our Chicago Marathon Prediction Contest.
We also sincerely appreciate all of the support from our friends at Ultima Replenisher and thank them for generously awarding our lucky winners with four-month supplies of Ultima’s Balanced Electrolyte Drink; enough to keep them running strong throughout this fall’s marathon season!
Speaking of winners … Congratulations to Eddie (Chesterfield, MO), Liz (Deerfield, IL), Danielle (New York, NY), and Mark (Shaker Heights, OH) for being randomly selected among entrants with correct predictions as this year’s winners!
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A study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill shows that drinking fluids earlier can improve performance more than taking them later (International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, December 2006).
Seven highly-trained male triathletes, aged 18 to 35 years, were tested during two simulated Olympic-distance triathlons. They took a full glass of water at 8, 16, 24, and 32 kilometers, and this was compared to taking the same drink 2, 4, 6 and 8 kilometers later in the event (at 10, 20, 30, and 40 kilometers).
As you would expect, opening swim times for 1500 meters were similar between trials; as were the second event (40-km cycling) times, but the third event (10-km run) times were faster when the athletes took food and drink earlier. Dehydration does not harm an athlete’s performance until he lacks a large amount of water and his blood volume is depleted significantly. That explains why the athletes’ performance was not harmed until the third event of the three-event competition.
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For the last 40 years, sports medicine experts have told athletes in endurance events that they should take fluids frequently during events lasting more than one hour. However, three years ago, a 28-year-old woman collapsed and died after finishing the Boston Marathon. Her blood salt levels were extremely low and she died from a condition called hyponatremia.
A few weeks ago, a policeman training for bicycle duty died of the same condition. On July 26, 2005, sports medicine experts issued a warning to all athletes from the First International Exercise-Associated Hyponatremia Consensus Development Conference.
I have never seen this syndrome in well-conditioned athletes. It has been reported almost exclusively in very thin, less-fit, slower and novice athletes, and is far more common in women. This condition is caused by drinking too much fluid and is not caused by excessive loss of salt in sweat or by exercising. When people with psychiatric problems force themselves to drink huge amounts of water while sitting still, they also can die of hyponatremia, only in this case, it is called water intoxication.
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