Importance of Maintaining Adequate Hydration

Today I had a scary and interesting event... I went to the local rec center to see when the open gym occurred...  It turns out that I timed it well and that there was an open gym for volleyball.  My thought was that this was fortuitous... I played on a competitive intramural volleyball squad in college (think decent high school level) after I stopped playing D1 basketball.  I need to exercise.  I found out when the future open gyms will occur.  Win Win Win...

The problem is that I was not prepared for the lack of a working water fountain at the gym.  They had a water fountain, but the pressure made it very difficult to consume enough... I have been drinking copious amounts of water as part of my current diet...  Internally, I acknowledged that I should be careful and listen to my body...

We played for about 2 hours...  I was fine (very out of shape but fine) and played decently for the first hour.  Then after a particularly long and grueling point I felt light headed...  Being on the 1200 calorie diet I have felt light headed before and the doctor said it was a possible side effect of the diet and the medications.  Being a former athlete I didn't think too much of it...  Yes I am tired at this point.  Tired is good.  I pushed on.  Getting water in between the matches, but never enough...

Through the next hour I got more and more light headed with less and less physical effort on my part.  Eventually I decided that my body was telling me something and stopped playing...  I should stress that while tired I didn't fell spent.

I sat down and the lightheadedness didn't dissipate...  I eventually worked up the energy to stand up and walk to my car.  When I went outside my eyes were extremely sensitive to the light... driving home I felt distant.  I probably shouldn't have driven...

Once home I had 5 almonds drank a 16oz bottle of water and a diet fresca...  I had another 5 almonds and another bottle of water and took a shower...  The whole time my eyes were sensitive to light, I was light headed, and my arms and legs felt week. 

After the shower I laid down and had another bottle of water.  When my wife got home I was still feeling pretty shitty and I called my doctor from Jumpstart Medcine, Dr. Sean Bourke.  Talking to me over the phone I answered a series of questions and he concluded that it wasn't a heart arrhythmia or something worse.  He conclusion, dehydrated and possible low of salt and potassium.  His prognosis, drink a large mug of chicken borough, half a banana and eat my next meal sooner rather than later.

I highly recommed Jumpstart. I have a special offer for anyone in wanting to try Jumpstart in Redwood City or Mountain View: $25 off your first visit (just print it and bring it to your appointment).

Having followed doctors orders I am feeling well enough to write this blog post.  I will continue to play volleyball (after today I don't think my body is up for basketball just yet...), but in the future I will bring LOTS of water to the gym with me.  Also, I will try to be more aware of my body so that I don't push myself to that point again.

It was a scary event... If you take one thing away from this post... take this...  Always drink lots of water prior, during, and post exercise.  Listen to your body.

Originally posted 2008-05-06 16:24:26. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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11 comments ↓
#1 4 Excuses to Not Exercise and 4 Ways to Change That | Health, Fitness, Exercise, and Weight Loss (47 pounds in 7 weeks) on 06.11.08 at 5:26 am

[...] biggest excuse – I’m too out of shape and it’s too [...]

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[...] It’s good to have Personal Workout Rules. Fit36 discusses his, what might be yours? I had rules that I stuck to, but now I have to take care of my body and foot. So I guess my number one rule is to listen to your body. [...]

#3 Post 4th of July Roundup | Health, Fitness, Exercise, and Weight Loss (55 pounds in 10 weeks) on 07.06.08 at 5:08 am

[...] my own scare with dehydration it’s imperative to remember to Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate! Sheamus informs readers that being [...]

#4 A Review of The Golf Doc by Ed Palank | Golfing Books, Clubs, and Courses on 08.01.08 at 6:02 am

[...] and overheated. This book addresses ways that you can stay cool on the course and reduce the risks of dehydration. There are some very solid tips here that absolutely any golfer can put to immediate use. For [...]

#5 Taco Bell Fresco Menu on 08.18.08 at 5:04 pm

[...] time was short, it didn’t make sense to skip dinner. I didn’t want to risk her having dehydration issues like WeightLadder did earlier this [...]

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[...] 2. You’ve got to stay hydrated. [...]

#7 How to Stay Healthy When You Are Dieting | Health, Fitness, Exercise, and Weight Loss (68 pounds in 20 weeks) on 09.11.08 at 5:30 am

[...] Drink enough water – but not too much – [...]

#8 guinness416 on 12.28.08 at 1:21 pm

I did the CN tower stair climb a few weeks ago (highest structure in the world etc etc), and was pretty aghast that they weren’t letting people bring drinks with them for the climb. I’m one of those people who drinks a LOT while working out, and did “listen to my body” – but still had to wait til we got to the top. Not happy.

#9 larry on 08.31.09 at 3:54 pm

This is a great article after the experience I just put my body through this past weekend. I was at the tail end of a biggest loser contest and still had a few pounds to go. It turns out to be the hottest day in awhile and in my attempt to lose 3 to 5 pounds I ended up losing 11 and being delirious. I respect and fear for athletes who have to routinely weigh in for their matches, rounds, etc.
The Specific Chiropractic center emphasizes healthy weight and proper hydration. It is just odd what we will attempt once to see what it is like in the eyes of our patients and athletes.

#10 Rahim on 08.31.09 at 6:51 pm

That’s happened to me before. Not so much to the extent that I had to call the doctor, but I’ve almost passed out a few times due to hunger or dehydration. It happened when I was 14 and ever since, I make sure to fill up on water.

#11 Rahim on 01.01.10 at 4:58 pm

That was a close call. I did something similar when I was 15 and I played basketball in the middle of the summer on an empty stomach. I’d never passed out or felt light headed before that so when it started happening, I thought I was dying…lol. I can laugh about it now but it was serious business at the time.

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