Electrolyte replenishment

[willsaw4beer]

Take some high potency vitamins, drink plenty of water, and eat greasy salty foods. I've worked 10- 14 hr days hard labor in foundries and heat treat, temps 120 degrees plus and that's pretty much how you survive...

 

[warjohn]

I was starting to get cramps a couple weeks ago. I have been eating 2 bananas and drinking a gallon of water each day. No more cramps. I have also been eating a lot of watermelon but I don't know if that makes any difference.

 

[eastside]

shot blocks

i like to use the clif 'shot blocks'. i used to long distance paddle in hawaii, so have tried a lot of different products. those power gels are gross and a lot of the time when you're working, you don't have time to stop and eat something. the blocks are handy, there's like six or eight in a pack and you can take 1 or 2 every hour or so. they definitely help. drink with water/gatorade and good too go. definitely recommend diluting gatorade, as it can cause stomach cramps once you reach a certain fatigue point. i will be using them on the fireline in the next couple days...hopefully

 

[FATGUY]

chocolate milk - whole

Interesting. I saw a thing on TV where they compared the replenishing abilities of sports drinks to chocolate milk. At the start of the test, I thought it would be a no brainer, gatorade all the way. All were shocked when chocolate milk came in VERY close to gatorade.

 

[Freehand]

Water intoxication death

You guys ever heard of this?You gotta check out this link.............:jawdrop:



http://www.9news.com/news/watercooler/article.aspx?storyid=63262

 

[stinkbait]

I have worked in 100 degree weather chopping brush with a bush axe on a survey crew, and the best thing I have found are Sqwinchers.

 

[HimWill]

We used to have Squincher at work,works pretty good but too much sugar for most people.All the suggestions for increasing your Potassium are right on the nose.Either natural like bananas,or with the Medi-Lyte tabs(or Thermotabs) and the various electrolyte mixes if you can find one with a low sugar content.All the sugar does for me is make me thirsty,it doesn't quench your thirst like plain water for me.

 

[2dogs]

I have worked in 100 degree weather chopping brush with a bush axe on a survey crew, and the best thing I have found are Sqwinchers.

Squincher is a better product than Gatorade IMO, just harder to find.

Shot blocks...yeeech. They make me want to puke.

If I could I would live on ice tea with lemon (or black Rockstar), (with bacon), but it makes me cramp up. +1 on the vitamins.

 

[dancan]

Power bar with lots of protein or peanut butter banana sandwiches , lots and lots of water , power aid works for me , take frequent breaks and drink water and eat food to feed the engine.
I was told by a rescue worker (hikers,campers,hunters etc) that they pack jello packets and mix with water for themselves and the one they rescue .

 

[2dogs]

Power bar with lots of protein or peanut butter banana sandwiches , lots and lots of water , power aid works for me , take frequent breaks and drink water and eat food to feed the engine.
I was told by a rescue worker (hikers,campers,hunters etc) that they pack jello packets and mix with water for themselves and the one they rescue .

Yep, instant sugar high. Jelly beans or Sport beans disolved in hot water works well too. Just don't try to sustain yourself on the stuff or you'll turn into a diabetic faster than you can type Husquvarnia... Huskytunia...Hussec, well you get the idea.

 

[2dogs]

One thing I have to be careful of is eating too much at lunch. I get really sleepy if lunch is heavy or even if I eat the right stuff but just too much of it. I do better to snack all day and try and grab a power nap, say 20 minutes, for lunch break. I can sleep anywhere/anytime.

 

[fsfcks]

Your body looses salts when it sweats - both sodium chloride (aka table salt) and potassium chloride, and other trace elements. That is wjy bananas work - they are a potassium source. Drinking too much plain water can dangerously lower your blood potassium levels. Of course it is also possible to take too much salt too. Everything in moderation!

 

[gallegosmike]

I forgot, apples are a great restorative for the body. When I cut firewood on hot days. I take half a dozen apples for me and my father. Every other time that I refuel. I refuel myself with a apple too... After eating a apple, you'll feel a good burst of strength that last quite awhile. As said before, bananas are also great too. And I take some with me too.

 

[willsaw4beer]

+1 on apples and bananas. Peanuts are a good snack also.

 

[sbhooper]

When I was in Iraq, there was an infinite supply of gatorade at the chow hall. The recommendation was to mix it 50/50 with water if you drank lots of it. Supposedly, if you drink nothing but gatorade straight, it is not good for you. I drank one once in a while, but usually just drank water.

 

[Jaxx]

Water, G2, and Electrolyte. Sometimes my legs will start cramping at the end of the day. A magnesium oxide caplet takes care of that..

 

[Jacob J.]

Yep... Ice cold water doesn't absorb as fast in to your system, and can "shock" your body when your workin' in the heat...

So I've been told... not sure if there is any truth to it... but I only drink ice cold drinks at the end of the day...

Gary

Haile Gebreselassie lost a marathon once because he grabbed a cup of cold water instead of a cup of ambient temperature water about a 1/3 mile from the finish line...he cramped up and came in fourth.

 

[Jacob J.]

i like to use the clif 'shot blocks'. i used to long distance paddle in hawaii, so have tried a lot of different products. those power gels are gross and a lot of the time when you're working, you don't have time to stop and eat something. the blocks are handy, there's like six or eight in a pack and you can take 1 or 2 every hour or so. they definitely help. drink with water/gatorade and good too go. definitely recommend diluting gatorade, as it can cause stomach cramps once you reach a certain fatigue point. i will be using them on the fireline in the next couple days...hopefully

We have lightning coming so you better be ready...we have fire in our park right now.

 

[euroford]

There is a product called Emergen-C..........it has all the minerals,vitimins,and salts a sweaty chainsawyer could need.You mix it with plain water and it bubbles up.


We used it religiously in the torrid corn seed fields of Nebraska and Iowa-a real life saver

end of thread. this stuff is a miracle worker. won't go up a big climb without the stuff.

(btw: to me a big climb isn't a tree, something more like el cap, zion, the diamond, fisher towers... if you know what i'm sayin. standard operating procedure.)

also: plants love electrolytes!

 

[Gypo Logger]

I think eating huge salty meals before and during work causes early fatigue and dehydration. The body cannot utilize inorganic sodium, or any other inorganic mineral for that matter.
I'm always amazed at how some people equate caloric intake with strength.
If your're stuffing your chowder hole during hard work, the bloods in your digestive system,as opposed to your muscles and cardio vascular system where it should be.
It's a lean horse for a long race. Also, watercress seems to be a veggie that has almost everything we need for minerals etc. Check it out.
http://www.watercress.co.uk/health/chart.shtml

John