Heat, Cramps, Hydration, and other fun stuff
Third part of a four part series

Kyle M. Meintzer

Summer’s here in a big way, which raises a whole new set of issues you need to deal with. These things won’t be just things you’ll need to deal with in your training. They are also things that are likely to be an issue on early season Muley and elk hunts.

1. Staying hydrated hasn’t got a thing to do with thirst. It has to do with maintaining your body weight, your ability to function properly, and even staying alive. Nothing can put you on the ground, or in the hospital, faster than getting dehydrated.  But if you know a few key indicators, dehydration should never be an issue.

• First, the easiest way to monitor how well you are hydrated is by monitoring the color of your urine. Clear urine means you’re getting the job done. Light yellow means “Drink!” Dark yellow means, “Drink a lot.” Gold means, “STOP! Get in the shade, and rehydrate before going further.” The US military has developed some good color indicators on hydration, which you need to memorize. Just Google up, “urine color dehydration,” for plenty of examples. IMO, the colors on these charts aren’t that great, but the idea is spot on! You will also find several good articles on this matter there as well.
• Dehydration will, at best, slow you down and cause you to lose mental acuity. At worst, it can cause kidney damage and even death.
• Thirst is a lousy indicator of how well hydrated you are. You can lose a lot of fluids without ever getting thirsty. Urine color is the ONLY accurate indicator. Pay attention and stay alive!

2. Maintain your electrolytes! When you perspire, you lose sodium, potassium, magnesium and other vital stuff. Those must be replaced if you are to function properly. I learned the hard way that sodium is the key to muscle cramps. For years, I'd get cramps in my legs and neck, especially at night after I'd done a 20 - 40 mile run in warm weather. If you've ever suffered muscle cramps, you know what excruciating pain is.

By pure luck, I read an article about the relationship between muscle cramps and sodium. From that point on, I made an extra effort to really pound the sodium both during and after my runs. The result was no more cramps! During the long runs, I'd carry some of those little salt packets you get in the fast food places with me. During the runs, I'd open one or two up, dump the salt on the end of my tongue, then chug a slug of water REALLY fast. You need to do it just that way. If that salt stays in your mouth for more than a nano-second, it's going to make you hurl. Trust me. Been there, done that, and it's not pretty!

After my runs, I'd make sure I ate high sodium foods. Chips and Doritos are great, as is canned soup. Then I'd add extra salt to my meals. I also carried powdered Gatoraid with me on the runs and would add it to my water bottle when I filled up at streams or where ever I could get water along the trails. Gatoraid was developed by scientists at the University of Florida. They were trying to determine what athletes lost when they perspired, so analyzed the athletes sweat residue on their bodies. (What do you think that white stuff is that dries on your arms after a long hot workout? It's salt!) So Gatoraid was formulated to replace those vital elements. Drink it during the day on your hunts, during and after your workouts, then drink another 20 oz bottle or two in the morning before you leave camp! V-8 is fabulous as well, as it also is packed full of sodium and other electrolytes. Remember, if you're hunting in warm or hot weather, never leave camp unless you're urine is clear!

3. Stretching - Most people stretch before they workout. WRONG! Stretching when your muscles are cold can cause problems and injury. Much better you should stretch AFTER your workouts! Before you run, just walk around the house before you head out. Then, stretch after your workout. Not only are your muscles warmed up, but stretching then will help you recover more quickly from that workout. The best set of stretching exercises I've seen are in the back of Nathan's Running Log, which is available at most running shoe stores and at nathatansports.com . I've been using a few of these for years, and they're great! By accident, a few weeks ago, I found them on the internet, but of course, now that I want to post these with this article, I can't find them!