Choose Wisely

I have been sitting here at work trying to figure out what to write. I'm supposed to leave in five minutes but my boss won't let me until I publish a blog post for today (he's just so darn super, isn't he). I guess it's a good thing; he's trying to make me realize that now is the time to take my future seriously, and I guess he's right. The problem is that I have written about the three things that have been bugging me lately. My mom's need to watch Dr. Oz everyday, my family's and friends' lack of motivation to do anything, and my family's lack of exercise due to the heat (or so they say). Nothing else has really been on my mind. I even tried looking at the Daily News that the American Dietetics Association (ADA) sends out everyday. There really is nothing of blog writing caliber on there today except for the new BMI calculator that still makes you calculate your BMI (here's an article if that interests you). All in all, let's just say I have no clue what I am going to write about, so here goes nothing.

After seeing that video of Giavanni Ruffin, I started to research the preacher that makes that video so inspirational, Eric Thomas. He just wrote a book, "The Secret to Success". Now, usually I don't buy into self-help books because honestly, I feel like the advice in all of them is common sense. But after researching Thomas, I began to really want to buy that book. So, I did.  I read the entire thing last night too (meaning, I stayed up until about 3 am). Now, what Thomas said in his book is pretty common sense, but his stories with all of his principles and rules on how to become successful really hooked me. This man ran away from home at the age of sixteen and was homeless for 2 years. I can't really give the story justice--my writing is not that great--but if you are feeling like reading an autobiography of an exceptional person, please read this book.

There were some of his principles that really stuck with me that I hadn't realized that I already did them this summer. One in particular was "choosing friends is a matter of life and death". Thomas stated that the people you associate yourself with are the people who are going to have the greatest influence on your life. You have to associate yourself with people who "believe in something and are passionate about their beliefs". People who are as determined and motivated as you to get where they want. People who are going places. Recently, I deleted a lot of friends on Facebook, even people who I considered my closest friends in high school. I spent the first half of this summer trying to get my friends to take their futures seriously but if you have ever seen the Jersey Shore, well, then you know how some of my friends think (okay, maybe they aren't as ridiculous but you get the picture). I didn't want that for myself. I want to be healthy and motivated, determined and knowledgeable. I wanted this summer to be about growth in my field, not just about relaxing and not caring about anything. My friends didn't provide me with that so I dropped them. Even though they may see it as rude and selfish of me, I think I did the right thing. I mean, it was pretty selfish (they don't get to see my obviously great personality anymore), but it was what I needed to stay motivated. Now more than ever, I am motivated to do anything and everything I want to do. Best of all, I am not tied down by friends who don't understand that I would rather stay in and study to become a certified personal trainer than drink in a tent in someone's backyard so that her mom doesn't see.

What does this have to do with nutrition? Well, I guess it's the "What to Believe" part of this blog. Believe in yourself and don't be your own enemy. If you notice that there's a group of people bringing you down, distance yourself from them. In the long run, it will do you more good than harm. Mental health is just as important as the health of your body, so take care of that too. Now, it's 15 minutes past my clock out, so I'm going to end this. I PROMISE tomorrow's post will be about nutrition. Maybe a recipe?

I'm Thirsty

The past few weeks, I have heard way too many people say it is too hot to exercise outside. Even if it is just a half hour walk, my mom is the first person to use the high heat and humidity that has been engulfing our summer air here in New Jersey to stay inside and watch Dr. Oz (we already know how I feel about that). My cousins and I are the first generation to be born here in America, so for my family (native to the scorching hot Dominican Republic) to say it is too hot to go outside is just ludicrous. So why the excuse? Why the sudden need to use bearable weather (at least for our family) as means to stay inside? Obviously a lot of factors go into this. Laziness is one of them, but again, I already wrote about that. Another factor is the sports drinks industry, and here's why.

For the past 20(ish?) years (I don't know exactly, I'm only 19), the sports drinks industry has been marketing that humans need to say "ahead of the thirst" to be properly hydrated during exercise. Really, they just want you to drink their product before, during, and after your exercise. You need to be putting electrolytes back in your body and giving yourself the proper hydration because you "lose" so much of it with sweat that it could be potentially dangerous! (Please reread that sentence with a bit of sarcastic humor in your voice.) I'm going to bring up a newly published article at bmj.com (literally published like, today). Written by the awesome Timothy David Noates, this article brings up how and why being overly hydrated is more dangerous than being dehydrated. I bet you didn't see that one coming.

Let's start with dehydration. When does dehydration become a serious health risk? Well, once the total body water content drops 15% or more is when. How much time does it take for your body to decrease in 15% of its total body water content? Well, it actually only takes 48 hours in a desert with absolutely no water! So now you might be asking why is it that many distance runners and athletes collapse when it is just "too hot" outside to be exercising? Here's the common misconception. Because of marketing of sports drinks, many think that dehydration is the cause of an athletes' collapse but, that usually isn't the case. Commonly, a collapse due to exercising in the heat is because of exercise-associated postural hypotension, or low blood pressure due to exercise. That, my friends, has very little or just about nothing to do with hydration.

Now we can go on to hyperhydration, or water intoxication. An increase in total body water by just 2% can lead to serious health risks like edema (when there's excess water in cavities and tissues of your body). A greater increase can cause hyponatremic encephalopathy, a really scientific way to say cerebral edema, or excess water in your brain. If untreated, this can cause death by respiratory arrest. Less severe (but still pretty severe) health conditions also caused by hyponatremic encephalopathy can be confusion, seizures, and coma. 

The truth is, humans have evolved to regulate their body temperatures during long bouts of exercise in dry heat (how do you think our ancestors hunted?). We don't need to replenish and regulate our fluid balances during exercise at all really. When you feel thirsty, it's because you probably broke a sweat (yay, you burned some calories! CONGRATULATIONS!) but it is no need to drink something. At least, not yet.

What I really wanted to say, was that when it is really hot outside, you can still go out and run/jog/walk/ whatever in this heat. You won't faint from dehydration. You might sweat a lot, but all of that water loss can be replenished at your next meal. Don't fear the heat, embrace it! And if you do feel dizzy or nauseous, lay on your back with your feet higher than your head!

T.D. Noakes Article