On Tuesday I found out just how important it is to drink water. It was my girlfriends birthday so I decided to go to hot yoga with her, something she had been wanting for a long time. Sure enough I end up racing around in the morning and don't drink enough water before hand. What followed was one of the strangest experiences of my life.
I began strong keeping up with the flow, but eventually started to become more sluggish until nearing the end I just laid down and was unable to continue any of the postures. With about 20 minutes left in the class I began to notice some tingling in my hands. I did not think much of it but it soon grew to a full on numbness (pins and needles). Next my arms started to get numb as well and my thumbs involuntary contracted to press against my pointer and middle fingers. At this point I knew something was awry, but with only 4 minutes left in class and the teacher encouraging me I pressed on.
After the class was finished I tried to drink from my water bottle but found I had to fight to open my hand. In the changing room one of the other participants asked if my hands were alright and offered me some electrolytes telling me it was dehydration. What happened next was incredible, within 5 minutes of drinking some more water and electrolytes my hands were back to normal, just feeling a little bit sore. I ended up going to Ultimate afterwards and running for a good three hours but ensured I brought a bunch of water. It turned out fine as I was able to drink a bunch of water and not have any hand problems at all (which would be devastating while trying to throw a frisbee!).
In any case a word of advice to you all! If your hand every really hurt, drink a bunch of water and if you plan on doing a lot of exercise/sweating a lot (I soaked an entire towel through at hot yoga!) MAKE SURE YOU HYDRATE YOURSELF ADEQUATELY! This means drink water before, during and after! Speaking of sweating and hydration, how hot is it where you all live right now? The forecast for tomorrow where I am from is a measly high of 16°C (60°F). A new puzzle will be up soon, don't worry :)
a life lesson learned the hard way. you should know better next time. keep it up mate! nice post
ReplyDeleteYes, water is extremely important! Good thing you were among people when it happened, or you might have suffered some serious problems.
ReplyDeleteGiven that an average fit person can only absorb water at the rate of 16-24 fluid ounces per hour, there is a reason that person offered you electrolytes and not just water.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.hammernutrition.com/knowledge/hydration-what-you-need-to-know.299.html?sect=advanced-knowledge-section
I've experienced dehydration a few times in my life, granted not as severe as what you went through but I know the sluggishness quite well from it.
ReplyDeletethis advice comes in handy when i have almost 36° degrees in my city
ReplyDeleteMaybe I should bring some of that to work... slaving away in a 110 degree kitchen (43 Celsius) really takes a lot out of you and this might help
ReplyDeleteYeah I felt that before.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely some very good advice, nothing is worse than dehydration during exercise.
ReplyDeleteWater is one of the most important things for exercise.
ReplyDeletei've taken a yoga class before. its pretty fun.
ReplyDeleteSounds fun
ReplyDeleteBeen there before, even started spots every where. The longer I went without water the more spots appeared. It's strange how you don't really feel it as it is happening though, kind scary.
ReplyDelete@zemzero - That was the most terrifying thing for me. What I realized is that had I been in an area without fresh water (stranded on an island or something) I probably would not notice my dehydration until it was too late. Crazy stuff.
ReplyDeletedrinking water is good to clean out the toxins and to rehydrate somewhat, but you also want to fuel your body, get some serious electrolyte action going, powerade, gatorade, stuff that has vitamins and electrolytes to refuel not just clean out toxins. but water is in abundance so balence it out with the other drinks.
ReplyDeleteI'm going the day afther tomorrow to Turkey where its 41°C :) so thanks for the tip
ReplyDeleteEssential advice, friend. Nice post.
ReplyDeleteOh my god, you have no idea how hot it can get here in FL. In the summer it EASILY reaches 90 degrees fahrenheit. And you never get used to it.
ReplyDeleteahh dehydration is scary! good think you got some electrolytes!!!
ReplyDeleteUltimate Frisbee is great.
ReplyDelete72 degrees here, not bad. Be careful, always stay properly hydrated!
ReplyDeleteThat's the advantage of have a liter water bottle; it just becomes compulsive to drink any time you have idle hands, without fear of running out when you really need it.
ReplyDelete60.8 degrees Fahrenheit in the middle of summer....oh yeah!
ReplyDeleteand you should always drink before you're thirsty or smth.(i think i learned that from Jarhead^^)