Archive for the ‘Medical’ Category:
Importance of Proper Hydration
Every Tuesday for the last two months I’ve played in a work softball league that starts around 6 PM. Fortunately in the last few weeks our games have been played in relatively mild temperatures, but there was a stretch where the temperatures were pretty high. Well, I’m an outfielder, generally center right or center left (we play four outfielders in our league, which I believe is standard), which means I get to stand in the sun and wait for fat old people to crush balls in my direction.
Anyway, when it’s in the 80s or 90s, even standing perfectly still out in the sun at 6PM will get me sweating and so it’s important to remain hydrated for our two and half long double headers. This usually means just a 1 quart bottle of Powerade or Gatorade (not Powerade Zero Mixed Berry though) throughout the first game.
What happens when you don’t get proper hydration? (we’re talking mild dehydration, not the headaches, muscle craps, death-type of dehydration… don’t ever let yourself get that far) I’ll tell you what happens to me, I get really irritable, sluggish, and my reaction time slows. When you’re playing in a work softball league, you’re really out there to get a little exercise, have a good time, and hang out with your friends. If you’re irritable, sluggish, and your reaction time is slow, it’s hard to have a good time. If you’re losing, it’s even worse.
The first few games of the season I didn’t bring my bottle of Powerade/Gatorade and so I felt like I wanted to go to sleep every time I stepped up to bat. Now, armed with my sports drink, I feel great and have been playing better, enjoying the game better, and overall been happier out there.
Subscribe to the comments for this postSometimes You Need Perserverence, Sometimes Rest
Sometimes it pays to take a break from lifting.
I mentioned a few days ago that I’d be taking a break because my elbow was sore. Well, my elbow and my wrist were both sore and I felt that taking a break would help it. Well, a few days later, I have to report that both are feeling much better. This is despite my setting up a practice golf net on my back deck and still playing softball on Tuesday (we won twice!).
One thing I have learned that is taking a break helps. I was always the type to try to power through adversity. If things hurt or were hard, that just meant I wasn’t working hard enough. If I kept fighting through, eventually it’ll get better and things will go back to normal or even improve. That’s the case for some things in your body, but it’s not for others.
When you are running and you hit that wall, you need to power through. That wall is when your body runs out of sugars and carbohydrates and starts consuming fat. That changeover is difficult but long distance runners overcome it and are able to push through. That’s where you need perseverance.
My elbow was sore because I strained it the wrong way. There was no powering through that and luckily I recognized it. I was disappointed that I couldn’t continue the 100 push up challenge but I think the break will do me good. I’ll start from the first week again, repeating it, and see what happens.
Another benefit of rest is that I really miss going to Body Pump. For the last few weeks it was becoming routine, almost boring (despite changing routines), but I’m looking forward to next week.
Elbow Clicking & Sore
Last week at Body Pump, while I was doing the quad/hamstring track (which consists of a ton of squats), I think I overextended my elbow. On that track, I put the weight bar on my shoulders, and my arms, essentially just keeping the weight steady, were unloaded. I think I was getting a little lazy because I was leaning into my arm, which meant my elbow was over extended and ended up being a little sore when I unloaded.
Now, you may also remember I started the 100 Pushup’s regime last week. I made it through the first week without incident except my elbow started intermittently clicking and was starting to get sore. I mentioned to Nickel, who started his own fitness blog at fit36.com, and he said it could be bone rubbing on bone. I think I just stretched out some tendons and need to just rest it a little.
As such, I think I’m going to take a one week break from the pushups (which is really the only activity that strains the elbows) to see if my elbow gets back to normal.
Top Medical Myths Debunked
I’m a fan of the Brits, they like to tell it like it is, straight up, and with a funny accent. So, when I saw that the Times Online had an article on the top medical myths, I had to click through to read it.
Here are the top myths:
- Having sex can cause a heart attack in men - Whew!
- High blood pressure causes headaches
- Diabetics crave suger
- Women need to examine their breasts - This is a big one I had to comment on. They say that self-examinations aren’t sensitive enough to lumps, so don’t rely on it. Get regular checkups.
- Diets cut cholesterol
- Headaches alone can be a sign of a brain tumor
- You shouldn’t mix antibiotics and alcohol - Wow! I thought this reduced the effectiveness, but apparently it doesn’t with the only exception being metronidazole. Another related myth is that you should finish your course of antibiotics - that makes no difference! (but you already paid for the antibiotics, might as well use them)
- Your tiredness may be caused by anaemia - just sleep more.
- Flu jabs give you flu - Flu jabs refers to vaccinations, those Brits have crazy words huh?
