Archive for the ‘July 2011’ Category
Can water help my chronic muscle soreness?
Tuesday, July 5th, 2011
Have you been feeling tired and sore after your workouts? Not getting the speed during your runs? Taking more breaks during the baseball game? You might be dehydrated.
Dehydration is rampant during the summer months in athletes and even sedentary people working at a desk in the air conditioning. Most people underestimate the amount of water that they lose sweating, breathing and even going to the bathroom. If you don’t replenish those fluids, your body will start to function more slowly — even if you don’t feel thirsty. That’s because most people don’t have a reliable thirst reflex and try to eat solid foods when they are thirsty (which is why most experts tell you to drink more water when you are trying to lose weight).
When you body runs low on water, one of the first places it will start to conserve fluids in is your muscles. You’ll start to feel more sore and tight because the byproducts of burning energy will start to build up in the muscle, increasing the acidity of the area. This type of soreness usually doesn’t want to go away despite stretching or icing.
As your body continues to dehydrate, you can also start feeling dizzy and overheat. Heatstroke and other heat related injuries are serious — people die each year from heat related injuries. If you start to feel like you’re overheated or can’t cool down, stop physical activity and make sure you seek medical attention right away.
The amount of water needed by each person varies quite a bit. A good starting place is eight 8 oz glasses of water per day. You can substitute flavored waters for water, but cannot count pop, juice, alcohol or coffee. If you drink any of those fluids, add an equivalent amount of extra water because they act as diuretics. If you notice that your urine is almost clear, you are probably drinking enough water. If your urine is yellow or darker, keep increasing fluids until it lightens up. It’s okay if you urinate more frequently as you increase your water intake. It will balance out as your body adapts in a few days.