Strategy for Dealing with Heat?

[LeewayeDiscGolf]

Do you sweat alright? Your body should sweat as a way to keep you cool. Sometimes people have a sweat issue where their body just doesn't seem to sweat properly. Not sure this has anything to do with what happened to you, but I'm just tossin' the idea out there.

 

[McLeod]

Sorry to be blunt, but about your diet...

You've seemed to ruled out a hydration issue (and I'd agree that's probably not the case). Something you might want to really consider rethinking is the lack of carbs prior to rounds, and in general. Carbohydrates are the fuel that runs the body. If you (and your hubby) are both on the same diet, that might well explain why you're both wilting in the heat.

Hydration, shade, all the above advice is helpful, but if you don't have the energy in your body from proper nutrition, of course you're going to feel terrible in the heat.

Edit: and by carbohydrates, I'm speaking primarily complex carbs like whole grain pastas, brown/wild rices, etc. Sugar water isn't going to help much.

^Right Answer

JenB, you sound like you've covered all bases except for this one. We're in the same area so I know exactly what the conditions are. The times I haven't gotten healthy calories in me prior to playing are the times I start to wilt early. Bring small, healthy snacks with you along with all the other precautions you take.

 

[notBOB]

drink beer til you drop, best thing for your body. ever.:gross:

 

[BudB]

Loren Cordain's "Paleo Diet for Athletes" addresses how to tweak a low-carb diet to boost endurance. Its geared mainly for marathoners but you should be able to scale it to meet your requirements.

 

[MooEChili]

From your symptoms it sounds like dehydration. I regularly play in the heat in avg temps of 100, give or take a few degrees. I don't recommend sports drinks, simply water..and lots of it. I never drink sports drinks. I have a 32 oz bottle of water that is usually finished during 18 holes, and always start drinking before I get thirsty. For me, if I get thirsty then I'm already losing the battle. I never drink for any days before, but will drink water on the way to the course just to get caught up. And a wide brimmed hat with good ventilation on top is helpful. Good luck with it.

 

[LmidgitD]

There's a bunch of stuff you can do, but one of the simplest things for any casual dg'er is to wash your face and put soak your hair each time you see a bathroom or water fountain. I instantly feel cooler each time, and of course don't forget to drink a bit of the agua as well!

 

[Amadeus]

It's been miserable here in NC/SC lately. The humidity is unreal. Even with a water wicking polo shirt and mesh pants I'll leave a course completely soaked. Can't wait for the fall!!!

 

[BADman]

i like to have one water bottle that is less than half gatorade, and mostly water, and one full of water. I like to drink one of those half/halfs before i go out, and i like to finish the real water first while im out there.

also snacks save me. i need the sugars to stay focused and in the game. i believe oreos are good luck, but thats not exactly science.

does beef jerky fit into your diet? thats a good one for the bag.

 

[Mr. America]

The thing for me and water is that it never seems to really quench my thirst. Almost all I drink is water. Rarely, if ever, do I drink a soda of any type, only slightly more often than that will I drink a lemonade or tea of some type. A 6-pack of beer will last me two weeks. I do often take a powerade or gatorade with me to drink along with water. So it's pretty much all water for me.

I know even when I recently ate, and am all hydrated, sometimes, soon after getting to the course, I start to feel weak. I think it's low blood sugar, but I've been told "I'm fine", so what do I know. All I know is that if I eat a pack of crackers, beef jerky, reeses' cups, trail mix or some type of snack like that I am back to 100% pretty quickly and good to go for the rest of the time I am there usually.

 

[Guru10]

i remember when i played soccer that my coach advised sipping half our weight in oz of water the night before a game. always worked for us we never had anybody petering out in the second half.

it's three weeks till the Live Oak summer Open, which will be my first B tier tourney/ 2 day event, so i am committed to getting hydrated and conditioned for the 100+ degree heat. i wanna be the one sinking all his putts and feeling cool while everyone else is dropping like flies due to the heat!

 

[Guru10]

anybody ever try that gatorade prime, perform and recovery stuff? i wonder if it works

 

[Chiefstang]

I keep my Spike Hyzer Competition Cooler Bag stocked with ice... And beer.


Mmmmmm... Beeeeer...

 

[drickanderson]

When I worked out at Front Sight, we would spend hours standing in the sun in black and grey outfits. We were required to keep hydrated, and had to drink 1 oz of water for every 2 oz of gatorade that we drank. It's possible to overdose on sports drinks. If you weren't drinking any water at all, I'm willing to bet that it was a combination of this, and heat stroke.

Make sure you're drinking water. Gatorade/Powerade are fine, but they aren't a substitute for drinking actual water.

 

[Chiefstang]

When I worked out at Front Sight, we would spend hours standing in the sun in black and grey outfits. We were required to keep hydrated, and had to drink 1 oz of water for every 2 oz of gatorade that we drank. It's possible to overdose on sports drinks. If you weren't drinking any water at all, I'm willing to bet that it was a combination of this, and heat stroke.

Make sure you're drinking water. Gatorade/Powerade are fine, but they aren't a substitute for drinking actual water.

^^ Never saw Idiocracy.

 

[jenb]

I made it through the tournament this past weekend. The thing I think helped the most was taking along a small cooler with ziplock bags of ice in it, and occasionally taking one out and putting it on the back of my neck for a while.

 

[cmcolomb]

^^ Never saw Idiocracy.

Idiocracy FTW

 

[sidewinding]

Gatorade type drinks are really high in sodium. When you get a high level of sodium in your cells it causes water that you drink to be pulled into those cells (through osmosis) to dilute the sodium. You were hydrated and dehydrated at the same time because you had so much sodium in your body that what water you did have was being used by your body to equilibrate itself. Drink less gatorade and more water. Eating a whole bag of sunflower seeds during a tourney will do the same thing. Headache is a symptom because your blood cells have twice as much water in them as normal so your blood pressure is higher causing a headache.

Do you eat much bacon as part of your low carb diet? It is real high in sodium too. It's ok to replenish your electroylytes after you have lost some of them as you sweat but if your body is already loaded with sodium due to diet then gatorade is not what you need to start a tourney drinking.

 

[Chiefstang]

I drink enough beer to always be dehydrated. That way I don't notice.

 

[ottawa_adam]

Gatorade type drinks are really high in sodium. When you get a high level of sodium in your cells it causes water that you drink to be pulled into those cells (through osmosis) to dilute the sodium. You were hydrated and dehydrated at the same time because you had so much sodium in your body that what water you did have was being used by your body to equilibrate itself. Drink less gatorade and more water. Eating a whole bag of sunflower seeds during a tourney will do the same thing. Headache is a symptom because your blood cells have twice as much water in them as normal so your blood pressure is higher causing a headache.

Do you eat much bacon as part of your low carb diet? It is real high in sodium too. It's ok to replenish your electroylytes after you have lost some of them as you sweat but if your body is already loaded with sodium due to diet then gatorade is not what you need to start a tourney drinking.

Best answer so far.

I don't drink any sports drinks. I replenish electrolytes via snacks while on the go. Water is the only hydration method I really use in hot weather.

 

[jenb]

Gatorade type drinks are really high in sodium. When you get a high level of sodium in your cells it causes water that you drink to be pulled into those cells (through osmosis) to dilute the sodium. You were hydrated and dehydrated at the same time because you had so much sodium in your body that what water you did have was being used by your body to equilibrate itself. Drink less gatorade and more water. Eating a whole bag of sunflower seeds during a tourney will do the same thing. Headache is a symptom because your blood cells have twice as much water in them as normal so your blood pressure is higher causing a headache.

Do you eat much bacon as part of your low carb diet? It is real high in sodium too. It's ok to replenish your electroylytes after you have lost some of them as you sweat but if your body is already loaded with sodium due to diet then gatorade is not what you need to start a tourney drinking.

The salt issue is one I have thought about. We traditionally eat egs and bacon each day before a tournament. I've only had a problem when I drank only powerade zero, and no water, but my spouse had the opposite problem, so IDK. My blood pressure is strikingly low (100 over 60 is not uncommon), so maybe I'm more sensitive to a blood pressure spike, not being used to it. My spouse, with typically high blood pressure, has the opposite experience?