Broad Ripple Random Ripplings

Brought to you by:

Everything Broad Ripple Home

Random Ripplings Home

2016 02 19

Column

Converted from paper version of the Broad Ripple Gazette (v13n04)

Gettin' Ripped in Ripple - H2O when it's Cold! - by Laura Minor

posted: Feb. 19, 2016

H2O when it's Cold!

This article is probably coming to you a bit late as winter is likely coming to a close in the next month or so (which my guess is many of you are thankful for). However, the topic idea came to me due to our recent family ski trip to Copper Mountain in Colorado. With the exception of this year, the past two years I fell ill for about 24 hours due to what I believe to be dehydration. If you are a regular reader, you may recall an article last spring addressing my horrible experience with a kidney stone for the same reason during my training for Boston Marathon. So, AGAIN this one is learning from my mistakes. After that incident I have drastically changed my ways of drinking too little water for my activity level.

When most of us think of the word dehydration we typically associate it with heat and summer. But in actuality, the winter moisture can be drained from the body more easily and leave you dehydrated. Here are several facts that I learned about winter dehydration which will hopefully persuade you to drink up when it's chilly!!

In cold weather more moisture is lost through respiratory evaporation. Humans lose 1 pint of water a day through breathing alone, and this increases in winter.
The hormone that triggers our sense of thirst reacts differently when we are exposed to cold weather. So in general, people don't drink as much as they should in the winter.
In order to feel thirsty, your body has a mechanism that is often triggered by sweating, leading to your body demanding more fluid by feeling thirsty. However in cold weather our body reacts differently and you don't feel as thirsty, leading most to drink less water.
When wrapped up in lots of layers it is normally more difficult to tell how much you're sweating and how dehydrated you are becoming.
In a dry or high-altitude setting, your sweat will turn right into vapor instead of forming on the skin. For instance, if you have been skiing and see someone steaming, then their sweat has already turned to water vapor.
In cold weather, your body has to work harder to humidify the air you breathe and to warm it up, meaning that you need to drink more water and eat more if you are outdoors.
In my case to boot, cold weather makes me crave COFFEE which has caffeine. . . which is a diuretic leading to additional fluid loss.
Lastly, if you are engaging in physical activity such as skiing, running, snowshoeing, this exponentially raises the need to drink more water! I recently purchased a "camelback" from a local running store which is essentially a backpack with a water bladder and a hydration hose. It is awesome!

So, don't lay off the aqua in the chilly temps, keep your H2O intake the same if not more than when it's toasty!

Laura Minor owner and operator of So.Be.Fit. Personal Training and Fitness studio located at 54th and the Monon. She is passionate about teaching others how to "FIT" exercise and physical activity into their daily lives, and have fun while doing so! Visit her website at www.sobefitindy.com or e-mail laura@BroadRippleGazette.com

laura@broadripplegazette.com

Brought to you by:

Brought to you by: