Hello friends!
Fall is only nine days away as you read this! Although I say it’s my favourite time of year, by the time the first snow falls I say that ‘now’ is my favourite. How fortunate we are to live in a climate that offers us the full spectrum of seasons.
As the weather cools I think we shift back into routines if you have children or perhaps you’re a student yourself… I like to fashion myself a student of life with no graduation date.
I try to educate myself with the knowledge that serves me at that particular time, fuel… whether it’s actual nutrition, intellectually or thought-provoking conversation, and/or often spiritual.
That grounding I so often speak of. I find I can get pretty wobbly when things get too busy for me to hop off the hamster wheel and just exhale.
The Oxygen studio offers such a loving and caring environment that I can’t help but put my self-care first, the members remind me every day, by showing up and sharing space with me.
I love my life. I’ve been saying it for years. So amazing that it’s the mantra we now say every day.
Conversations recently turned to nutrition again. What to eat before a workout, a long run, post-exertion. A complex topic, as everyone is different.
You tend to know what works for you. Maybe fasting is your gateway to a restart, or low carbs, or plant-based. No-one can tell you what makes YOU feel YOUR best. We ALL know for certain… REAL food is ALWAYS the way to go.
What about electrolytes?
Water sometimes doesn’t cut it if you’re sweating a lot. Our body secretes sweat as a cooling mechanism, the taste implies that it’s just salt, yet it is so much more; sugar, potassium, calcium, magnesium and of course sodium.
Let me google that for you: Sweat is mostly water. ... Dissolved in the water are trace amounts of minerals, lactic acid, and urea. Although the mineral content varies, some measured concentrations are: sodium (0.9 gram/liter), potassium (0.2 g/l), calcium (0.015 g/l), and magnesium (0.0013 g/l).
It is said, by whom, I have no idea, that in order to stay hydrated, we should drink half our body weight in ounces of water.
I eat lots of fresh fruits and veggies, they help fill that quota, but the colour of your urine is a great way to know if you’re getting enough.
Headaches? Usually dehydration. If you’re thirsty, it’s already too late, you have some catching up to do.
In our infrared room, we sweat more than a typical workout. It’s essential we top up again, and that can be tricky.
Pouring salt on our foods isn’t necessarily the best choice. I rarely use supplements but do love a good e-load tablet or packet I can add to my water. It aids in recovery and performance (in my humble opinion, remember I’m not certified in anything, but life experience and trial and error).
Finding out what works for YOU can take some time. But you’ll know it when you find it.
A smoothie before a workout or maybe just a banana. Maybe you can carb load before a big road race, I can’t.
Maybe you can enjoy your favourite home-made snacks or baby food while in the midst of a long run… YOU know YOU! If it feels good, and it fuels you to keep moving, do it!
Trust it, change it when it stops working.
It’s your life after all… it’s waiting… Live it now!
