Hydration - Beat the Over/Under
Hydration – Beat the Over/Under
Everyone has had the experience. You are cruising on a run, or blasting through a tough workout when suddenly something seizes. If your like me it always seems to happen in your right calf. Sometimes it’s a subtle twitch that is incredibly annoying, other times it is a full blown inversion of the muscle. If you’ve experienced it you know exactly what I am talking about. You look down at your leg and see your calf trying to make its way into the middle of your leg, desperate to escape whatever self-inflicted punishment you have chosen to put yourself through.
Face it, cramps suck.
In order to avoid this painful interruption during future training or competition we hydrate like mad, but is simply drinking water enough? Or should we be doing more with less? Recently amid all the talk about hydrating early and often a silent voice has popped up to warn us of over-hydration, also known in the scientific community as hyponatremia. According to the folks over at Competitor group (the wonderful people who bring us the Rock n Roll Marathon series) this problem is more common than we think. In fact it is “one of the most common medical complications in long-distance training and racing.” (running.Competitor.com) What is it though and how do you avoid it? Hyponatremia is the result of low sodium levels in the blood. This problem is most common for slower and newer runners / athletes who are attempting longer distance events. The reason is that these individuals run at a markedly slower pace making it easier for them to consume water on a much more regular basis. So drinking too much water can lower our sodium levels and lead to over-hydration problems. The easy answer would be to simply consume sports drinks that also contain sodium. The easy answer though may not be the correct one either. It turns out that hyponatremia can also occur from over-drinking sports drinks according to the folks at Competitor group.
So now what?
Not enough hydration leads to cramping and fatigue as well as a marked drop in performance, while over-hydration can lead eventually lead to such things as seizures and brain swelling (ouch). There has to be a middle ground and we may have found the answer. Oral IV recently was given to a group of individuals at the Chicago Spartan Race who were suffering from cramps. The lead medical responder from Amphib Medics in charge reported that 15 minutes after providing individuals with Oral IV he saw a “75% improvement in how they were feeling and all of them were back on their feet, ready to finish the race.” But how does this help with over-hydration? Weren’t we just talking about how you can drink too many sports drinks and end up with over-hydration? True but here’s the important thing to remember, Oral IV isn’t a sports drink.
Oral IV is a proprietary formula that is comprised of complex crystalloid electrolytes. This formula aids in the proper hydration of the bodies cells by maximizing current hydration methods. Unlike sport drinks currently on the market which have high levels of sodium mixed in with large quantities of sugar and flavor aids, Oral IV contains no artificial flavors or ingredients and is made up of crystalloid electrolytes that serve as an aid to your hydration methods. While Oral IV should not be used as a supplement to replace your current hydration practices, its formula and ingredients can be used to help maximize those hydration methods and aid in the proper balance of hydration and other needed minerals/electrolytes that the body needs to avoid both dehydration and over-hydration.
Oral IV has already started a movement across #oralivnation of individuals wanting to take advantage of its unique properties. Get yours today and find out why so many people, from pro athletes to weekend warriors, and even the hardcore late nighters, are using Oral IV as their #gamechanger.