27th December 2010

Water.

                     England are 400 for 5, beating Australia by 300 runs, and still clocking em up! Record partnerships and scores more than ticking over. I know I'm being cynical but every time one of my teams does well, I always clock it up to the other side being rubbish. I suppose that comes with following Hull City! They won again yesterday, 2-0 up by half time and cruising, they drop to 2-2, City fans waiting for the obvious, but up pops the villain Jimmy Bullard, off the bench for only his 4th game this season to score the winner in the last kick of the game. My knee is feeling better, been doing a few stretches but apart from that haven't been out of the house. Family and telly. City at home tomorrow, and as I live about 5 miles from the KC Stadium, it's a good hours walk but one I enjoy, listening to the build up on the radio, watching the rest of the crowd making their own way until evenyually you are part of a throng. Expecting well over 20,000 tomorrow with a holiday feel about the place, just after a good away win, we'll probably lose 3-0......
         The walk home will be more difficult as it will be dark, cold, and I'm meeting a few mates in Zoological Pub for a couple of pints of guinness,  self imposed, no sympathy etc. On my beer scooter though, it doesn't seem to take long at all!
          I tell myself whilst I start the third pint that Guinness is high in Iron. Iron is important as it is used by the red blood cells to transport and store oxygen. A very important mineral although daily requirements are unusual as it is more for women than for men: 15mg for women whilst we need only 10mg. It comes in red meat and greens, especially spinach, and whilst you don't normally need to take supplements, I will be taking an extra amount in the run up to the Parish to counteract the extra training done. I probably don't have to, it's just another one of those psychological things that push you over the finish line. There is a lot of oxygen to be transported in those 85 miles!

         Dieting and water. (Sorry, got sidelined England 444or 5 at the close!)Now as we all know, the body is mostly made of water. It needs water to replace the water we use, and that's a lot. Of water. During sedentary periods we lose water through the lungs as you can see when you breath out during cold weather. During exercise your body loses more water through sweat as the body tries to stay cool. Water is used to transport nutrients and dispose of waste. Water lubricates the joints and tissues, and water is vital in digestion.
        Now, the fact is, you only have to lose 2% of your body weight in water to be de-hydrated, and unfortunately for us, the only time you know you are dehydrated is when it's too late. Your blood is largely water, and dehydration causes it to thicken and make the heart work harder to get the blood around, so uses more water to transport more oxygen as you're burning more calories, and its an ever inreasing situation which eventually results in dizziness, muscle cramps and major fatigue.
        Carry water around with you. The body requires water but has no way of telling us. As a consequence we can often feel hunger pangs which mean we require liquid instead of solids. This is a primeval urge from when we were hunter gatherers, and we got a lot of water from wild berries and fruits our ancestors used to eat. If you feel hunger pangs, try a drink first before food. After a while you get to tell what you really need, and that urge to nibble on something goes away, and helps towards the healthy eating in the process.
         There are a couple of ways to tell if you're getting enough liquid during and after exercise. The colour and amount of urine. Not enough, or it's too dark, drink more. The other is weight, as you lose water during exercise so weight pre and post exercise will vary and need to be replaced, although if you are taking in at least a couple of litres a day it should be more than enough.