Myths About Perspiration, Fluid Replacement Guidelines, Your Personal Hydration Program

We're on track for the hottest summer on record, and with everybody sweating more, many of you have asked about hydration and fluid replacement strategies. This posting  reviews common myths about perspiration and provides hydration and fluid replacement guidelines to enhance exercise and sports performance and avoid heat related illnesses.  Information comes from authoritative sources including position stands of The American College of Sports Medicine and peer reviewed publications of the National Strength and Conditioning Association.

MYTHS ABOUT PERSPIRATION #1 - The More I Sweat the More Calories I Burn.  FALSE.  Perspiration is part of our body's cooling system, it does not necessarily require burning calories or correlate with caloric expenditures.  Example:  stand outside on a very humid 90 degree day, and you will sweat profusely.  Run indoors in a very dry 65 degree environment, and you may hardly break a sweat. #2 - I Can Sweat The Weight Off.  FALSE.  -Weight loss due to sweating indicates dehydration.  This weight is water that needs to be replaced, it is not the stored body fat that you really want to lose.  In sports like boxing, MMA and wrestling, participants may temporarily sweat off a few pounds to make weight - but will immediately begin rehydration before the exercise event.

YOUR BODY'S HEATING AND COOLING SYSTEM  Whether from exercise, movement or shivering, muscle activity generates heat, which your blood circulates. Your body cools itself by increasing blood flow close to the skin and through evaporation of sweat. Research has shown sweat rates range from .5 to 2 liters per hour with marked differences between individuals.  The amount of sweat varies based on individual characteristics such as body weight, genetics, heat acclimatization, and conditioning, and environmental conditions such as heat, humidity, clothing and equipment.

EUHYDRATION, DEHYDRATION, HYPERHYDRATION   Euhydration means we're at our normal hydration level and weight, and this is the most desirable state.  For most people water is about 60% of body weight when we are euhydrated. Dehydration is easily measured by calculating lost body weight before and after exercise.  Ten to 14 days of training in heat will help you acclimatize and reduce risk of dehydration. Lose 2% of body weight, aerobic exercise performance and cognitive abilities are degraded.  Lose 3-5% of body weight, there is risk of heat related illness.  The rate of sweat production declines and can lead to hyperthermia - overheating of the body and brain.  Life-threatening exertional heatstroke occurs when body temperature exceeds 104 and internal organs begin to shut down. Whether you're working out, running, walking, or even sitting outside in hot humid weather, every pound you lose is a sign that you've lost about a pint of water. Hyperhydration, drinking an excessive amount of water before an athletic event or exercise (more than euhydration), has not been found to improve athletic performance and is not recommended.

GENERAL FLUID AND ELECTROLYTE GUIDELINES NSCA provides the following general guidelines for fluid and electrolyte replacement: Before exercise event:  Drink 16 ounces of water two hours before;  drink 8 ounces sports drink 10-20 minutes before. During exercise event:  Drink a sports drink that contains 30-60 grams of electrolytes and 120-240 grams of carbohydrates per hour to prevent fuel depletion.  Drink 8 ounces of fluids every 15-20 minutes. After exercise event:  Drink 2-3 cups of fluid for every pound of body weight lost. Competitive athletes, marathoners and triathletes will benefit from a more personalized hydration program tailored.

YOUR PERSONAL HYDRATION PROGRAM  Developing your own individualized program is actually easy. ACSM'smost recent position stand on fluid replacement  recommends individualized programs because our sweat rates vary. Weigh yourself before and after exercise to determine your rate of fluid loss due to sweating, and rehydrate accordingly.  If you lose a pound in a half hour, replace it with 16 ounces of fluid per half hour of exercise.  This may vary depending on weather, intensity and clothing, but over time you should be able to make adjustments. Begin to prehydrate a few hours before your exercise event, so that your stomach contents are emptied, fluids are absorbed by your body, and urine flow returns to normal.  Rehydrate during the exercise event to replenish the fluids being lost.

ELECTROLYTES, SODIUM AND HYPONATREMIA Electrolyte and sodium depletion and replacement is more difficult to individually quantify and program because it requires blood testing.  Electrolyte and sodium depletion can cause muscle cramping.   Profuse sweating over time can literally flush sodium out of your body;  if not replaced, a dangerous condition called hyponeutremia resuts.     Most people don't need to be overly concerned with hyponatremia, but participants in extended exercises events, including marathons, triathalons and sports in hot humid weather should consider electrolyte replacement or salt tablets. The concern here is the potential for athletes to overhydrate with water. Interestingly, ACSM has found that sodium replacement does not reduce cramping in triathletes, implying that muscle fatigue and energy replacement may be more important factors.

Do You Need to Change Your Workout?

Whether your goal is to improve performance, slim down, cut-up, bulk-up, reduce risk of injury or work around a problem area, a carefully considered change up in your workout might be just what the doctor ordered.  In this issue, the signs that your fitness program needs a change and the changes that can take you to the next level.

If any of these statements are true, a change in program is overdue. You've been doing the same exercises for more than 6-8 weeks, the only change has been to increase weight.   Your body adapts to the exercises, you will experience a diminished return on investment in terms of muscle development, and changing body composition (gaining or losing weight). Planned changes, or periodization, can help you break through the plateau.   What's more, continually performing the same exact movements makes you more susceptible to repetitive motion injuries.  Read more here Machines vs. Free Weights You're taking up or increasing participation in a sport or activity (running, cycling, hiking, basketball, soccer, and so on).  Your fitness program can complement and enhance your activities and sports participation, or it can conflict with them.  You may have noticed a particular problem since increasing your new activity, small adaptations to your workout can make a big difference. Your goal or timeline has changed, you may want to get into shape for a vacation or wedding or the beach.  Simply doing more of the same thing may not be the optimal solution;  in fact, you're more likely to see diminished return and experience some sort of injury that prevents you from reaching your goal. You've got a new health issue, to name a few common ones: back, neck or shoulder pain; blood pressure; broken bones; cancer; depression; diabetes; GERD; hernia; plantar fascitis; pregnancy; surgery; tendinitis.   Programs can be modified to achieve results and help deal with most issues. In some cases, exercise can be part of "the cure" or recovery. You're bored or having trouble sticking with an exercise program.  A new routine can be just the thing to motivate you. Of course, it should also be relevant to your fitness goals and level. Ten Changes to Make Today 1.  Get off the Machines They're a great place to start and can be an important part of the program... but if you've gotten stuck in a machines-only exercise rut you're doing more to work the machines than to work your muscle in a meaningful way.  Plus, they may put you at risk of repetitive motion issues.   Read more here Machines vs. Free Weights 2.  Decrease Stability/Decrease Weight/Increase Repetitions Strengthen your core and burn more calories as you workout. Performing exercises standing, on an exercise ball, on balance boards or with suspension training like TRX are a good way to go.  A stronger core can also improve your performance in lifting and many sports and give you a tighter and fitter appearance. 3.  Increase Stability/Increase Weight/Decrease Repetitions Go heavy at almost any age to increase muscle - since muscle burns more calories than fat, you'll begin losing weight while you rest!  Carefully select exercises and pay attention to proper form. 4.  Change the Tempo  Increasing time spent on the eccentric (negative), adding an isometric contraction to exercises, or simply slowing the overall tempo - and increasing the time that the muscle is kept under tension rather than the weight - can help produce gains in strength, endurance and muscle size and break through plateaus.  Longer negatives increase strength and endurance, isometrics help cut and build muscle size. 5.  Plyometyrics   Increase explosive power, reduce risk of injury and have some fun with Plyometrics.  Participants in a well-designed program of stretching, plyometrics and weight training reduced landing forces from a jump by 20 percent, and increased their hamstrings strength by 44 percent.  Plyometrics can also be applied to upper body exercises and sport specific training. Click here to learn about how many sets and reps you should be doing and see program examples at programs.caryraffle.com. 6.  Assess, Correct, Emphasize and Eliminate  Bad posture and movements patterns can reduce performance and increase risk of injury.  A movement and postural assessment like the one on my website can identify which muscles are tight and need stretching and which are extended and need strengthening, and help determine which exercises and stretches to add or remove from your program.  You can learn how to assess yourself at assessment.caryraffle.com. 7.  Change the Mix or Timing of Strength and Aerobic Training  As a rule, if you want to get improve your running speed do cardio before strength, if you want to increase strength or build muscle, do cardio after.  The timing change that has personally helped me the most is to alternate days so that I can go all-in every day. 8.  Work One Side of Your Body at a Time  One side may seem weaker or smaller than the other, but that's only the beginning. Unilateral exercises can help improve core strength, and improve your overall strength by improving "neuromuscular efficiency" - the way your brain "recruits" muscle fibers.  This is time consuming, so you may not do it every time or for every muscle.  Read my article The Brain Train. 9. Superset and Circuit   Combine two or more different exercises for the same muscle group, with no rest in between, such as a chest press followed by pushup, and you can work the muscles longer and harder before tiring or risking injury.  Alternate between front and back of body or upper and lower body so that you don't have to rest in between, you will buirn more calories and increase the number of exercises per session. 10.  Interval Training  Alternating between higher and lower intensity in your cardio workout could be right for you if you have a good cardio base and want to improve performance or increase weight loss.  You'll also burn more calories for a few hours after exercising with interval training.  Read my quotes in this article The Best Interval Training Technique for You, on fitbie.com, from he publishers of Men's health Still Stuck?  Get a Partner.  Join a Class,  Hire a Trainer  If two weeks or more pass by and you've skipped your exercise appointments, your plan isn't working.  Do you need an appointment with a friend or trainer so you don't cancel? Maybe a class? Or a written program to follow and log? Can you keep the commitment to exercise on your own? Do you get bored easily? Will you push yourself hard enough?   Do you need my help?

PRE-HAB/POST-REHAB: Reduce Risk of Injury. Speed Recovery. Prevent Reinjury

Are you or someone you know in treatment for an injury? Have you completed treatment and entered the post-rehab phase? Are you healthy now but headed towards your next injury?

Nagging pains, problems, and injuries involving muscles and joints are an inevitable fact of life. Joint replacement surgeries are increasingly common. The good news is that a carefully designed fitness program can actually reduce the risk of injury, speed recovery, prevent re-injury --- and can even help athletes improve performance. Choose the wrong exercises, however, and you could be setting your self up for future problems.

COMMON PROBLEMS:  What To Do.  What To Avoid.

The case histories below present a few common problems that can be observed and addressed in a fitness program, and some suggestions for each. You may have to make some changes to adapt your program to these phases, but you can still have a program that is effective and fun.

Case History #1 - Rounded Shoulders
Likely Injury: Rotator Cuff, Impingement, Biceps Tendonitis
Add to program: Chest stretch, reverse fly, scaption, close grip row, external rotation/rotator cuff strengthening
Avoid: Overhead shoulder exercise, incline chest press, front row, behind neck exercises
Case History #2 - Knock Knees
Likely Injury: ACL/MCL Tear, possibly knee or hip pain, frequent ankle sprains
Add to program: Side Lying Leg Lift, Single Leg Press/Squat, Hip stretch, IT Band Stretch
Avoid: Adductor
Case History #3 - Externally Rotated Feet (Feet Turn out)
Likely Injury: Plantar Fascitis, Achilles Tendinitis, calf cramps, frequent ankle sprains
Add to program: Foam Roll and stretch calves, toe raises, side lying leg lift, single leg press/squat
Avoid: Calf raises


Case History #4 - Arched BackLikely Injury: Low Back Pain, Disk injuries
Add to program: Planks, lower body and back stretching, unstable exercises
Avoid: Excessive hip flexion and abdominal flexion (sitting, leg raises, crunches)
Case History #5 - Poor Balance
Likely Injury: Slips and Falls, Hip Fracture
Add to program: Single leg exercises, core strengthening
Avoid: Extended periods of sitting.

PRE-HAB AND POST-REHAB TRAINING PROGRAMS

In many cases, proper training can prevent injuries before they happen and improve athletic performance. It may not be possible to reduce the risk of accidents, but you can train to reduce injuries from other sources such as falling, poor posture, and muscle imbalances. The Prehab Academy includes an assessment, to help identify areas in need of attention, and programs designed to carefully get your body back into a regular training routine while preventing a recurrence.

What Not To Do - The Six DO NOTS of Weight Loss

1.  Don't Starve - Watching your calories is good, starving yourself and skipping meals actually works against you. When you skip meals or reduce your calorie intake too low, your body thinks you're starving and goes into "survival mode." It actually lowers your metabolism so that you burn less calories. Instead, plan on increasing exercise and reducing caloric intake so that you have a daily "calorie deficit" of 500-1000 calories. At this rate, you should lose 1-2 pounds of fat per week. The American Dietetic Association and American College of Sports Medicine consider this level optimal for long term weight loss. 2.  Don't Do Just Cardio - Aerobic exercise is great for burning calories while you're doing them and for a short time later. Strength training has the added advantage of building lean muscle - which means your metabolism increases and you burn more calories ALL DAY LONG! Ideally, do a combination of both for best results. 3.  Skip the Small Muscle Exercises - The larger the muscle, the more calories it will burn when you exercise. Legs, Back and Chest exercises give you the most bang for the buck, while small muscles like shoulders, arms and calves burn very few calories. Multi-joint exercises like those shown on the chart below give you the biggest bang for the buck, and can hit smaller muscles in the process.  Skip These Small Muscle Exercises Emphasize Big Muscles/Multi-Joint Exercises Biceps, Triceps, Shoulder Press, Lateral Raises, Front Raises,   Calf Raises  Squats, Lunges, Pushups, Pullups, Chest Press, Rows,  Lat Pulldowns  4.  Cut the Down Time- Organize your strength workout into circuits so that you get more training volume and keep your heart rate up by reducing idle time between sets. Examples of circuits include lunge/pushup/pullup with no rest in between and chest press/row/squat. I've got some circuit training programs on my website at programs.caryraffle.com.   5.  Don't Go in Without a Plan - It is proven that having a plan and schedule lead to better results. Where, when, how often will you exercise and what will you do in every exercise session? Base your plan on goals that are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely. 6.  Don't Get Hurt - Overtraining, inappropriate exercise selection, and poor setup technique can lead to an injury that derails your program - or worse. Give each muscle group a day off between strength training sessions. Identify problem exercises for you with the mini-self assessment on my website assessment.caryraffle.com. Be careful with technique in getting in setting up weights or getting in and out of machines. It is easy to get hurt grabbing for a weight in the wrong way or squirming in and out of a machine without adjusting it properly.  If you've had a long break or are new to exercise, check with your doctor first. If you need help getting a safe, appropriate, efficient and effective program off the ground, I can usually get someone on routine in as few as five sessions.