Avoid That Hot Yoga “Hangover”!
Have you ever woken up the morning after a great hot yoga class with a headache and thought “oh I should not have had that last glass of wine” only to realize you didn’t even have one glass? Avoid the “Hot Yoga hangover” by making sure you drink enough water after a hot yoga class or any other workout that causes you to sweat. The headache is a sign of dehydration. Drinking enough water before, during and after an intense workout will help you avoid it.
Weather you are a competitive athlete or someone who exercises for the health of it, it is important to stay hydrated. Water lubricates the joints, regulates body temperature, maintains blood volume, transports nutrients and generally keeps you healthy. Water also aids in cellular repair. This means that micro muscle tears from exertion during exercise will heal faster thus leaving a serious or a not so serious athlete less sore the day following the workout. Dehydration can be detrimental to performance for an athlete. Especially an endurance athlete. They will be unable to work as hard if they are not hydrated. Performance drops and fatigue sets in as dehydration begins. As an athlete, if you feel thirsty you are already somewhat dehydrated. Drink water prior to the event to avoid this.
Other symptoms of dehydration are muscle cramps, fatigue, dizziness, aching joints and elevated heart rate. If you experience any of these, re-hydrating with water as soon as possible will help. In extreme cases dehydration can be the cause of mental confusion. If you get used to drinking water on a regular basis, throughout the day, in moderate amounts, as well as drinking every 20 minutes during a workout and consuming at least 8 oz. of water at the end of a workout you will keep dehydration at bay. Pay close attention to how much fluid is lost during a workout and re-hydrate accordingly. Ingest more water after a particularly sweaty workout. Sweat releases toxins. Being properly hydrated aids the process.
More attention is often paid to re-hydrating when working out outside in the summer months but it is necessary to keep it in mind when working out during the winter months as well, be it indoors or out. If you are sweating, be it from hockey, cross country skiing or even a pool workout, you need to re-hydrate. If you are someone who doesn’t really like drinking plain water, try squeezing some lemon in it. Avoid sugary sports drinks except if the workout is longer than 90 minutes and even then, sports drinks are best diluted with water. If you consume caffeine or alcohol post workout, you will need to drink more water to combat further dehydration due to both of these. Avoid headache, muscle cramps, fatigue and aching joints, stay hydrated.