Hi all,
just incase you didn't get my email, here are my updated tips on staying healthy and enjoying the sun and the ride all day long:
In the interest of keeping us all healthy, so that we may stay alert and better enjoy our ride together, I have put together a few easy tips. The goal is to prevent sunburn, sunstroke, dehydration and other illnesses that may get in the way of your enjoyment, severely impair your judgment or cause you physical harm.
1. What to wear: Remember that we will be in the sun and on the water, which means we will be exposed to the sun from above and below, even on cloudy days.
a. Hats – help to protect your head, scalp and ears — if they have a wide brim
b. Sunglasses or tinted goggles will protect your eyes
c. Clothing: long-sleeved shirts and pants can help decrease sun exposure, though you can still get burnt even through your clothes!
2. Sunscreen: If you aren’t going to be wearing long sleeves and pants and sitting under an umbrella all day, you can still prevent sunburn and sunstroke and decrease your chances of getting skin cancer related to sun exposure
a. Type: at least SPF 30 with UVA and UVB protection (you’ll have to read the fine print to be sure that it covers UVA, but if it has “avobenzone”, “titanium oxide”, or “zinc oxide” in it, then you’re covered
b. Waterproof is probably a good idea, but not absolutely necessary
c. How to apply it: Liberally, i.e. so that you end up with a thin film covering your body, face, ears, neck – front and back, and any other sun-exposed or only thinly covered skin.
d. When to apply it:
i. At least 30 minutes before being in the sun (so it has time to soak in) – do not apply moisturizers over it
ii. Reapply after 30 minutes of being in the sun
iii. And every 2 hours, after swimming, and after excessive sweating – even if it is waterproof
3. Keeping hydrated: Getting dehydrated, at the very least, can make you feel thirsty, irritable, and generally uncomfortable, at the worst, it can lead to sunstroke and death. As you get more dehydrated you can get headaches and feel dizzy and weak. Your judgment and ability to navigate your personal water craft will be impaired. You may get muscle or stomach cramps, get chills, and start feeling nauseated and have vomiting. To avoid all that, I recommend the follow hydration regimen:
a. Drink 17 – 20 ounces of water 2-3 hours before we get on the water
b. Drink 10 oz. of water or Gatorade (or other sports drink – non-carbonated, not fruit juice) 10 – 20 minutes before getting we start down the river
c. Note: Gatorade is 2x the concentration of sugar and electrolytes that your body needs, so ideally you drink at least 50% or more water : 50% or less Gatorade
d. After we have started, there are 2 options
i. If you have a camel-pack or other way of drinking water or a sports drink while riding, aim to drink 7 – 10 oz. every 10 – 20 minutes or 20 – 30 oz every hour.
ii. If you have to wait for refueling stops, do your best to drink 20 – 30 oz. or more at these stops.
e. Ideally, you should need to urinate every 2-3 hours while we are on the river. Also, keep an eye on your urine, if you haven’t gone to the bathroom much during the day and the color of your urine is dark orange or even soda colored, you haven’t kept yourself hydrated and you’ll need an oral rehydration regimen to catch up.
f. What NOT to drink
i. No Alcoholic drinks the night before or during our trip
ii. No Caffeine or other caffeinated beverages – if you must, limit it to less than 16 oz. for the day and drink an equal amount of water or more to help replace what you will lose. Caffeine and alcohol are diuretics and will make you pee out all that water you will need on the trip.
iii. No carbonated beverages during the trip, they will fill you up and make it more difficult to get enough water to keep hydrated.
4. Keep your energy up with adequate solid food, such as energy bars between meals if you need it. Eating bananas can replenish or provide many nutrients the body needs.
5. Get acclimated to the heat this week, before the ride. If you work in doors in the air conditioning, spend a couple hours in the heat and humidity each day, getting some exercise, moving around, so that you are used to the heat. This will help your body adjust to being in the sun and heat all day, so that you can use more of your energy for the ride.
6. Keep an eye on your neighbor. We can help each other out by reminding our neighbors to reapply sunscreen and drink water. If you think someone is having a difficult time, looks too tired, is irritable, or is showing poor judgment ask them if they are feeling OK and let Watson, me (Justine), or someone else who can help know. If caught early enough, problems with sun exposure and dehydration can be easily remedied. If allowed to progress, it can mean a trip to the hospital!
Let’s all be safe and healthy and enjoy our extreme ride!
Justine
Thu Jul 03, 2008 3:56 pm