| here's a better article on the water issue - how much, etc. I know some people may think it's hype, but it can't hurt to have the info out there for those people who do a lot of bikram/hot yoga.
Study Leaves Athletes With Bottles Half-Full
By VICKY LOWRY
KAREN McGLADE, a 37-year-old schoolteacher from Kent, N.Y., says she has always tried to drink enough water to stay ahead of feeling thirsty when she exercises. But after a study published in The New England Journal of Medicine last month found that drinking too much water can be dangerous, even deadly, Ms. McGlade now wonders if she's on the right course. "I went for an hourlong run the other day, and as soon as I got back to my car, I started guzzling water," she said. "Then I started to think, should I be drinking so much?"
Active people who participate in endurance sports have every right to be confused. The practical wisdom to drink as much water as possible was scratched after the widely publicized study of marathon runners showed a high incidence of hyponatremia, or water intoxication, a condition in which excess water dilutes salt in the bloodstream, causing the brain to swell and push against the skull.
It's a serious problem that can happen during long bouts of exercise, especially in the heat, when people lose salt through their sweat.
Water has always been the elixir of the healthy, heralded as an absolute essential by sports doctors and diet gurus alike. Water fountains are around every corner at the gym, it's sold at yoga studios to be sipped between poses, and it's a staple of sip-top bottles on bike rides, hikes and even walks. But now it seems too much is not a good thing. What's a jock to do?
"Just because too much water is dangerous doesn't mean you should stop drinking fluids," warned Dr. Douglas Casa, the director of athletic training education at the University of Connecticut in Storrs. "Too much water and your brain becomes waterlogged. Too little water and your organs shut down."
So how much water should people drink when they exercise? "Enough to replace sweat," said Dr. William O. Roberts, president of the American College of Sports Medicine, "and not more than that."
Sports medicine experts recommend drinking enough fluids to maintain your body weight. One way to find out how much fluid you need to replenish is to weigh yourself naked before exercise; work out for an hour without drinking; then undress, towel off and get on the scale again. For each pound lost, you would want to consume 16 ounces per hour, Dr. Roberts explained.
In simpler terms, drink just enough to avoid dehydration, and don't force fluids. For example, you don't need to stop and drink at each refreshment station during a marathon. That's why average athletes are more at risk for hyponatremia than elite runners, "who don't have time to drink a lot of water, otherwise they'd lose the race," said Dr. Benjamin Levine, a cardiologist at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and director of the Institute for Exercise and Environmental Medicine in Dallas.
"If you are drinking large volumes of water over the course of the marathon, and your wedding ring feels tight, or you feel puffy, it's probably time to stop," explained Dr. W. Larry Kenney, a professor of physiology and kinesiology at Penn State University and a former president of the American College of Sports Medicine. If your muscles start to cramp, it could be a sign of overhydration. Feeling dizzy? Seek medical attention, Dr. Kenney advised.
Women, especially petite women, are more vulnerable to hyponatremia, but experts aren't sure why. Weight is a factor: "If both men and women drink a gallon of water in the course of a race, the smaller woman dilutes her blood more than the male," Dr. Kenney said.
Women may also be too conscientious about dehydration. "If you ask a male runner how much he drank in a race, he'll say two swallows, while a woman will say two glasses," Dr. Roberts said.
If you are planning to exercise for several hours, consider consuming more salt along the way. This advice applies especially to heavy sweaters and high-salt sweaters; you are one if your face and clothing are crusted white after a workout.
Dr. Mark Tarnopolsky, a specialist in neuromuscular disorders and an adventure racer in Hamilton, Ontario, recommends snacking on pretzels or Pringles (his personal favorite), adding a pinch of salt to a water bottle or consuming sports drinks with extra sodium. (Gatorade's new Endurance Formula, for example, has 200 milligrams of sodium, compared with its regular Thirst Quencher with 110 milligrams.)
Finally, don't panic, Dr. Levine advised. "For the vast majority of exercisers, if they just drink when they are thirsty and accept a mild degree of dehydration - which isn't that terrible and which they may or may not get - they will be just fine."
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 418
Location: New York | My Cats' Mom - 2005-05-13 8:07 AM
I recently attended a workshop with a senior Bikram teacher. At her studios, she does not encourage drinking water in the class. She said that drinking water causes the body to expend energy processing the water & thus takes energy away from you & your practice. Her response to all the exercise physiologists, doctors, etc. about drinking water while you exercise: This is not exercise -- it is yoga.
My Cats' Mom - 2005-05-13 8:07 AM
I recently attended a workshop with a senior Bikram teacher. At her studios, she does not encourage drinking water in the class. She said that drinking water causes the body to expend energy processing the water & thus takes energy away from you & your practice. Her response to all the exercise physiologists, doctors, etc. about drinking water while you exercise: This is not exercise -- it is yoga.
I know who you are talking about . . . I remember during teacher training she said that she discouraged water drinking during class and also didn't allow her teachers to drink water when they taught. In my opinion, that is ridiculous. I sip water occasionally when I'm teaching unheated yoga or pilates simply because I'm talking a alot and my mouth gets dry. I can't imagine teaching a Bikram class with no water.
I think it is dangerous to discourage water drinking during Bikram yoga. Yes, it's yoga but it's also 105 (or more) f-ing degrees in the room. I taught a silent class yesterday that practically brought me to my knees and reminded me of why I'm moving on from Bikram. It was so hot and humid! I don't know . . . I still think most people don't drink enough water and that hyponatremia is far more rare than dehydration. I just hope that the info in the article posted by Maria (thanks for posting it- interesting info!) doesn't let those people think they should drink even less. |
For those interested...
