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Very interesting article dispelling the modern myth of how we should be drinking 8 glasses of water a day and constantly hydrating when exercising.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-24464774
I know how there are always conflicting articles about health but i personally have never subscribed to this 8 glasses a day thing and really just drink when i feel thirsty.
I do like to drink a lot when i bike, but only because i feel thirsty not out of a sense of 'duty'.
I can quite happily practice intense yoga for 90 minutes in pretty hot conditions without a need to drink water.
He also has an interesting article about how, not only do we not really need to take vitamin supplements, but about how it can actually be dangerous in some cases!
And again, i have never felt the need to take vitamins as i feel that i have a pretty healthy diet.
So, i bet there's quite a range of views on this on here? Anyone like to share?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-24464774
I know how there are always conflicting articles about health but i personally have never subscribed to this 8 glasses a day thing and really just drink when i feel thirsty.
I do like to drink a lot when i bike, but only because i feel thirsty not out of a sense of 'duty'.
I can quite happily practice intense yoga for 90 minutes in pretty hot conditions without a need to drink water.
He also has an interesting article about how, not only do we not really need to take vitamin supplements, but about how it can actually be dangerous in some cases!
And again, i have never felt the need to take vitamins as i feel that i have a pretty healthy diet.
So, i bet there's quite a range of views on this on here? Anyone like to share?
In reply to Kimono:
As long as my piss is as close to as clear as tap water then I'm a happy rodent. However I tend to drink a lot of water at work. Its not that I have to but rather the idea of never passing a drinking opportunity when its there. It could be a long time before I get the opportunity again that day.
Ho, and ditch the yoga for Pilates.
> So, i bet there's quite a range of views on this on here? Anyone like to share?
As long as my piss is as close to as clear as tap water then I'm a happy rodent. However I tend to drink a lot of water at work. Its not that I have to but rather the idea of never passing a drinking opportunity when its there. It could be a long time before I get the opportunity again that day.
Ho, and ditch the yoga for Pilates.
In reply to The Lemming:
Why on earth would i want to do that?
> (In reply to Kimono)
>
> [...]
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> [...]
> Ho, and ditch the yoga for Pilates.
Why on earth would i want to do that?
In reply to Kimono:
Only in anticipation of a big day mountaineering.
If I'm just going for a run I don't bother, though I rarely run farther than 10k.
Only in anticipation of a big day mountaineering.
If I'm just going for a run I don't bother, though I rarely run farther than 10k.
In reply to Kimono: the TV program it refers to is quite good but the usual repetition of stuff to make the show longer.
There's been some debate over the colour if your urine and that it's not that important.
The body regulates its output of urine and sweat depending on how much salt it needs to get rid of to maintain the electrolyte balance. Drinking water without food after sweating lots isn't a good recipie as it says in the article.
I run 13+ miles without water except in the summer when my mouth gets incredibly dry and I can't breathe properly. I suspect that may mean when I'm thirsty.
There's been some debate over the colour if your urine and that it's not that important.
The body regulates its output of urine and sweat depending on how much salt it needs to get rid of to maintain the electrolyte balance. Drinking water without food after sweating lots isn't a good recipie as it says in the article.
I run 13+ miles without water except in the summer when my mouth gets incredibly dry and I can't breathe properly. I suspect that may mean when I'm thirsty.
In reply to hokkyokusei:
I used to get headaches on long walks, I bought a camelback and drink often which helps. Although I suspect the amount of beer consumed the night before may have more of an influence.
> (In reply to Kimono)
>
> Only in anticipation of a big day mountaineering.
> If I'm just going for a run I don't bother, though I rarely run farther than 10k.
>
> Only in anticipation of a big day mountaineering.
> If I'm just going for a run I don't bother, though I rarely run farther than 10k.
I used to get headaches on long walks, I bought a camelback and drink often which helps. Although I suspect the amount of beer consumed the night before may have more of an influence.
In reply to Kimono: I really have no idea how much I drink in a day. Two to three cups of tea first thing in the morning; coffee at 09:30; cup of tea at lunch time; about .75L of watered cranberry juice during the hour I'm at the gym; cup of tea at tea time.
I occasionally have a kidney function blood test which indicates no problem and my pee is usually very pale yellow.
I occasionally have a kidney function blood test which indicates no problem and my pee is usually very pale yellow.
In reply to Kimono:
The only times I ever 'hydrate' are when I'm, feeling thirsty.
If you think drinking when you are not thirsty is any doing you any good then you are subscribing to the belief that all you are is a complex bio-chemical bit of meat and fat, and only suitable for turning water into piss.
This hydration' business only started about 20 years ago. It became just another excuse to sell a product no one needed (you can get =suitable drinking water from taps and put it in bottles) and as a result discarded bottled water containers litter every inch of our towns, and countryside.
Before this era of compulsive competitive hydrating-drinking-phenomena, people just went out. Hill walkers carried tap water around in bottles and only drank when thirsty. If they didn;'t carry water they either went thirsty or drank from streams. The hills, tracks and footpaths were not full of collapsed walkers gasping for water, nor were the hospitals full of folk all recovering from the effects of not having supped 8 glasses of water.
'8 glasses a day' must have been one of the most successful marketing messages in decades.
The only times I ever 'hydrate' are when I'm, feeling thirsty.
If you think drinking when you are not thirsty is any doing you any good then you are subscribing to the belief that all you are is a complex bio-chemical bit of meat and fat, and only suitable for turning water into piss.
This hydration' business only started about 20 years ago. It became just another excuse to sell a product no one needed (you can get =suitable drinking water from taps and put it in bottles) and as a result discarded bottled water containers litter every inch of our towns, and countryside.
Before this era of compulsive competitive hydrating-drinking-phenomena, people just went out. Hill walkers carried tap water around in bottles and only drank when thirsty. If they didn;'t carry water they either went thirsty or drank from streams. The hills, tracks and footpaths were not full of collapsed walkers gasping for water, nor were the hospitals full of folk all recovering from the effects of not having supped 8 glasses of water.
'8 glasses a day' must have been one of the most successful marketing messages in decades.
In reply to Kimono:
Don't have time to read the article but I always thought that all the studies on 'benefits of X' and 'how much of X you should be having' were marketing driven and sponsored by manufacturers. Likewise the one for water so I drink only when thirsty, which is not that often and been fine so far!
Not drinking enough water definitely can bring some health issues but I don't see why just following your thirst is not enough - after all we ar lucky enough to have fresh water readily available at all times! Like anything, drinking TOO much water will even kill you (there have been cases...)
If you have a balanced nutrition, vitamins are not essential apart perhaps from ones you can't get from food assuming for some reason your body is not producing enough. Some (eg vit C) is not harmful even in bigger doses (just excreted) but others will cause trouble in high doses (happened to a guy at high school in fact)
Don't have time to read the article but I always thought that all the studies on 'benefits of X' and 'how much of X you should be having' were marketing driven and sponsored by manufacturers. Likewise the one for water so I drink only when thirsty, which is not that often and been fine so far!
Not drinking enough water definitely can bring some health issues but I don't see why just following your thirst is not enough - after all we ar lucky enough to have fresh water readily available at all times! Like anything, drinking TOO much water will even kill you (there have been cases...)
If you have a balanced nutrition, vitamins are not essential apart perhaps from ones you can't get from food assuming for some reason your body is not producing enough. Some (eg vit C) is not harmful even in bigger doses (just excreted) but others will cause trouble in high doses (happened to a guy at high school in fact)
In reply to Kimono:
Risk of hyponatraemia, coma and death with overhydration if taken to the extreme - especially if fat, middle aged, female and running a marathon at a snail's pace.
Caution ++!
Risk of hyponatraemia, coma and death with overhydration if taken to the extreme - especially if fat, middle aged, female and running a marathon at a snail's pace.
Caution ++!
In reply to Kimono:
5 pints playing darts seems to work o.k.
5 pints playing darts seems to work o.k.
In reply to Kimono:
I probably drink 5 pints of tea a day.
I too only drink when thirsty ,or on a hot day on the hill when my body demands it.
Drinking too much in advance would just make me sick when I started moving.
However ,I do notice that my piss is beyond yellow quite often after the bike /hill.
So....
I probably drink 5 pints of tea a day.
I too only drink when thirsty ,or on a hot day on the hill when my body demands it.
Drinking too much in advance would just make me sick when I started moving.
However ,I do notice that my piss is beyond yellow quite often after the bike /hill.
So....
In reply to Kimono:
I find if I don't keep on top of my hydration on the hill, by the time I feel thirsty I can get cramps. So I have to take preventative measures to make sure it doesn't get that far.
I find it way too easy to say "I'll drink in another 10 minutes". I need to get a hydration bladder...
I find if I don't keep on top of my hydration on the hill, by the time I feel thirsty I can get cramps. So I have to take preventative measures to make sure it doesn't get that far.
I find it way too easy to say "I'll drink in another 10 minutes". I need to get a hydration bladder...
In reply to purplemonkeyelephant:
I think taking care to stay properly hydrated during an activity (especially intense or in the sun etc) is a must and in those cases it can be tricky or impossible to follow your thirst but for going about our daily life I don't see why people get so obsessed by it.
I guess if you are having a busy/stressful day at work you can actually forget to drink much so might be good to have it at the back of your mind but again I take the 'X glasses a day' to be just a message to get you to question your drinking habits and nothing more. To be honest it's quite obvious that people of different body types and sizes, different activity patterns, nutrition etc will need different amounts of water.
It has become an obsession to many though, expecially women, some are ALWAYS carrying a plastic water bottle with them, probably sleep holding one too
I think taking care to stay properly hydrated during an activity (especially intense or in the sun etc) is a must and in those cases it can be tricky or impossible to follow your thirst but for going about our daily life I don't see why people get so obsessed by it.
I guess if you are having a busy/stressful day at work you can actually forget to drink much so might be good to have it at the back of your mind but again I take the 'X glasses a day' to be just a message to get you to question your drinking habits and nothing more. To be honest it's quite obvious that people of different body types and sizes, different activity patterns, nutrition etc will need different amounts of water.
It has become an obsession to many though, expecially women, some are ALWAYS carrying a plastic water bottle with them, probably sleep holding one too
In reply to Kimono: I have never really understood hydration. Our body is pretty good at regulating this side of things. When we dehydrate, we feel thirsty. And we feel full when we have drunk enough. It isn't rocket science.
I used to be fairly agnostic about the perils of mild dehyration and the scare stories around hyponatraemia, but a good mate of mine actually suffered hyponatraemia this summer and is still getting back to fitness.
He'd been laying a patio on one of the hottest days of summer and as a good citizen been careful to keep drinking all day. The next day, more of the same, but with a 2 hour run thrown in, again thinking 'best be well hydrated.' The next day he collapsed at work - he was also given CPR breaking a couple of ribs in the process. The combination of drinking lots and sweating more had diluted his salts too far.
He'd been laying a patio on one of the hottest days of summer and as a good citizen been careful to keep drinking all day. The next day, more of the same, but with a 2 hour run thrown in, again thinking 'best be well hydrated.' The next day he collapsed at work - he was also given CPR breaking a couple of ribs in the process. The combination of drinking lots and sweating more had diluted his salts too far.
In reply to purplemonkeyelephant:
I invested in a 50l Camelbak on Thursday and was very happy with its maiden voyage.
Hardly noticed I was wearing it.
No more bottles annoying me.
I invested in a 50l Camelbak on Thursday and was very happy with its maiden voyage.
Hardly noticed I was wearing it.
No more bottles annoying me.
In reply to SteveRi:
But isn't that confusing the effects of simple dehydration with that of the fact that he also lost salts? So he should have consumed salts with his water (e.g electrolyte drink or simply salt with his food) as well as drinking the extra water that he did?
When excercising, I'm always sure to drink regularly and not just when I'm thirsty. Maybe I'm a little on the paranoid side, but I do believe in the whole "if you feel thirsty then it's too late" theory when doing reasonably intense exercise. But no, I don't drink 8 glasses a day normally!
Not specifically on topic, but I had a horrible time on a long time trial in June on one of the hottest days of the year. Thanks to horrendous traffic, I turned up very late so didn't have time to stash spare bottles and consequently ended up getting very dehydrated during the ride. I eventually got hold of some water but drank it too quickly and propmtly vomited it all up. I later learnt that this was because I had lost salts so my body couldn't absorb water.
But isn't that confusing the effects of simple dehydration with that of the fact that he also lost salts? So he should have consumed salts with his water (e.g electrolyte drink or simply salt with his food) as well as drinking the extra water that he did?
When excercising, I'm always sure to drink regularly and not just when I'm thirsty. Maybe I'm a little on the paranoid side, but I do believe in the whole "if you feel thirsty then it's too late" theory when doing reasonably intense exercise. But no, I don't drink 8 glasses a day normally!
Not specifically on topic, but I had a horrible time on a long time trial in June on one of the hottest days of the year. Thanks to horrendous traffic, I turned up very late so didn't have time to stash spare bottles and consequently ended up getting very dehydrated during the ride. I eventually got hold of some water but drank it too quickly and propmtly vomited it all up. I later learnt that this was because I had lost salts so my body couldn't absorb water.
In reply to andymac:
Blimey, that really is a camel-back!
> (In reply to purplemonkeyelephant)
>
> I invested in a 50l Camelbak on Thursday and was very happy with its maiden voyage.
>
> I invested in a 50l Camelbak on Thursday and was very happy with its maiden voyage.
Blimey, that really is a camel-back!
In reply to higherclimbingwales:
Didn't sound right when typing.
It's 50 (something)
> (In reply to andymac)
> [...]
>
>
> Blimey, that really is a camel-back!
> [...]
>
>
> Blimey, that really is a camel-back!
Didn't sound right when typing.
It's 50 (something)
In reply to Byronius Maximus:
That's true, but hindight's a wonderful thing. Not sure I'd have been overly concerned about monitoring my blood salts whilst working in the garden. He's not a dumb guy and it just shows it can happen out in the real world.
That's true, but hindight's a wonderful thing. Not sure I'd have been overly concerned about monitoring my blood salts whilst working in the garden. He's not a dumb guy and it just shows it can happen out in the real world.
In reply to Kimono: ha ha 50L thats how much my car fuel tank takes
No you shouldnt dehydrate whilst exercising, it reduces performance, reduces mental function and leads to more injuries and accidents. Obviously carrying too much water is not ideal. Consider getting a water purifying pump, they are very light and can make almost any water safe to drink (not seawater)
No you shouldnt dehydrate whilst exercising, it reduces performance, reduces mental function and leads to more injuries and accidents. Obviously carrying too much water is not ideal. Consider getting a water purifying pump, they are very light and can make almost any water safe to drink (not seawater)
on the topic of vitamins etc, I sometimes take some multivitamins as few days before and after a strenuous event e.g. half marathon, welsh 3000s, etc just to make sure my body has everything it needs, but regularly taking vitamins reduces your bodies ability to absorb those vitamins from foods so in effect making you slightly dependent on them. I dont think its much of a risk to take them occasionally though as most are excretable via the kidneys e.g vitamin C / ascorbic acid. Some like vitamin A can be dangerous in very high levels e.g. eating a lions liver (as you do)
In reply to owena:
There are two big questions around vitamins pills (questions which overlap).
The first is to do with the bioavailability of vitamins in pill form. Just adding a vitamin to a food or pill does not guarantee that your body can absorb that vitamin (and not in the amount anticipated). Various nutrients and dietary components interfere with the bioavailability of vitamins. Thus the requirements for vitamins cannot be considered independently, and must be evaluated in relationship to other nutrients and compounds consumed by an individual.
This leads to the second question which is to do with how nutritionally complete a diet is. Supplementing with vitamins is a journey in to 'nutritionism' and this carries several assumptions; that we already know all the important nutrients and their functions, that the function of an isolated nutrient (even in a synthetic form not occurring in nature, e.g. folic acid) is exactly the same as its function in food, and that there are no competitive or synergistic effects between the thousands of chemical compounds found in one bite of real food.
Eat real food.
> on the topic of vitamins etc, I sometimes take some multivitamins as few days before and after a strenuous event e.g. half marathon, welsh 3000s, etc just to make sure my body has everything it needs, but regularly taking vitamins reduces your bodies ability to absorb those vitamins from foods so in effect making you slightly dependent on them. I dont think its much of a risk to take them occasionally though as most are excretable via the kidneys e.g vitamin C / ascorbic acid. Some like vitamin A can be dangerous in very high levels e.g. eating a lions liver (as you do)
There are two big questions around vitamins pills (questions which overlap).
The first is to do with the bioavailability of vitamins in pill form. Just adding a vitamin to a food or pill does not guarantee that your body can absorb that vitamin (and not in the amount anticipated). Various nutrients and dietary components interfere with the bioavailability of vitamins. Thus the requirements for vitamins cannot be considered independently, and must be evaluated in relationship to other nutrients and compounds consumed by an individual.
This leads to the second question which is to do with how nutritionally complete a diet is. Supplementing with vitamins is a journey in to 'nutritionism' and this carries several assumptions; that we already know all the important nutrients and their functions, that the function of an isolated nutrient (even in a synthetic form not occurring in nature, e.g. folic acid) is exactly the same as its function in food, and that there are no competitive or synergistic effects between the thousands of chemical compounds found in one bite of real food.
Eat real food.
In reply to Shani:
I had a massage the other day and the boring, old git, that is to say the therapist informed me that there is very little Vit C or Zinc in our diets and it was a good idea to top up with those two alone and to do so througout the day.
I have been meaning to check out the truth of this but have not yet.
I had a massage the other day and the boring, old git, that is to say the therapist informed me that there is very little Vit C or Zinc in our diets and it was a good idea to top up with those two alone and to do so througout the day.
I have been meaning to check out the truth of this but have not yet.
In reply to andic:
Don't get me wrong, there are genuine reasons why some people may be advised to supplement, but I think many of us have lost sight of where vitamins and minerals actually come from; FOOD!
There is an argument that modern soils are impoeverished by industrial farming and so the vitmain and mineral quality of foods is similarly in decline.
> (In reply to Shani)
>
> I had a massage the other day and the boring, old git, that is to say the therapist informed me that there is very little Vit C or Zinc in our diets and it was a good idea to top up with those two alone and to do so througout the day.
>
> I have been meaning to check out the truth of this but have not yet.
>
> I had a massage the other day and the boring, old git, that is to say the therapist informed me that there is very little Vit C or Zinc in our diets and it was a good idea to top up with those two alone and to do so througout the day.
>
> I have been meaning to check out the truth of this but have not yet.
Don't get me wrong, there are genuine reasons why some people may be advised to supplement, but I think many of us have lost sight of where vitamins and minerals actually come from; FOOD!
There is an argument that modern soils are impoeverished by industrial farming and so the vitmain and mineral quality of foods is similarly in decline.
In reply to Shani:
Yes that was his argument for the zinc and that Vit C content deteriorates when fruit is picked etc.
You certainly do have a point tho' I dont think you can get away with living on crap and just top up with vitamins.
> (In reply to andic)
> [...]
>
> There is an argument that modern soils are impoeverished by industrial farming and so the vitmain and mineral quality of foods is similarly in decline.
> [...]
>
> There is an argument that modern soils are impoeverished by industrial farming and so the vitmain and mineral quality of foods is similarly in decline.
Yes that was his argument for the zinc and that Vit C content deteriorates when fruit is picked etc.
You certainly do have a point tho' I dont think you can get away with living on crap and just top up with vitamins.
In reply to SteveRi:
Sorry, I wasn't being critical and didn't mean to accuse him of being dumb - as I say, a similar thing happened to me. I'm just saying that drinking enough water only seems to be one part of 'hydration' (I'm sure someone who actually knows what they're talking about will correct me soon!).
Sorry, I wasn't being critical and didn't mean to accuse him of being dumb - as I say, a similar thing happened to me. I'm just saying that drinking enough water only seems to be one part of 'hydration' (I'm sure someone who actually knows what they're talking about will correct me soon!).
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