Hot in the North Country also

[WestMichBlue]

Holland Michigan, on the shores of beautiful Lake Michigan - right where you want to be on a summer weekend, right? Not last weekend. In the 90's with heat index over 100 all three days. Hasn't rained in over a month and every thing is burned and the fields were 3 inches of dust.

Thanks to the previous advice of our Southern friends, I was well prepared on the water issue. Cooler had 24 bottles of water on Friday and was empty on Sunday.

While everyone talks about water, water, water - there is not a lot of discussion about the negative effects of water - and that is overhydration. If you just replace the lost water without replacing the lost electrolytes (primarily sodium and potassium) you can face some serious medical consequences.

Adequate sodium is critical - take salt tablets or snack on potato chips or fig newtons. If you want to keep that heart ticking right, replenish the potassium with banannas or oranges (man, does chilled orange juice taste great between games!).

If you can stand the taste, drink a lot of sports drinks. Better yet, V8 juice has 6 to 10 times the sodium and potassium levels per once as does Gatorade. In addition to water, my cooler now has OJ and V8 in for tournaments.

Foot note: we go back to Holland this weekend for an ASA JO Nat Qualifier - and the expected highs for Friday will barely make it into the 70's! May not hit 80 all weekend - what a relief after last week.

WMB

[justmom]

Originally posted by WestMichBlue


If you can stand the taste, drink a lot of sports drinks. Better yet, V8 juice has 6 to 10 times the sodium and potassium levels per once as does Gatorade.
WMB

You can't stand sports drinks, but you LIKE V8? Good grief man!

I do agree about the orange juice...funny thing, I was just reading labels last week, and wondering why orange juice isn't promoted more for potassium. IMO, Powerade Arctic Shatter flavor the best tasting sports drink. Remember when the only thing you could get was the yellow Gatorade?

[tcannizzo]

Originally posted by justmom
Remember when the only thing you could get was the yellow Gatorade?

That is still my favorite, and I still call it green Gatorade.

[azbigdawg]

One thing to remember about sports drinks and Juices....they contain a LOT of sugar..so if you are going all day and drinking large amounts of it... you get a good does of sugar and possibly a sugar low later in the day...I dilute whatever drink I have with water....that usually works out ok.

[JEL]

I usually go through a 2.5 oz bag of Frito Lay sunflower seeds per 7 inning game as BU, about 1/4 bag at the dish. Frito's seeds seem to be saltier than others. I had a coach tell me once "I don't see how you can eat all those seeds, it would make me thirsty".

"Exactly" I replied! Thet also replenish some of the salt lost via the pores.