Proper Hydration from an Athlete with Celiac Disease

I recently ran across some great information from a Sacramento Athlete with Celiac Disease.

Althete Steve's tip for the week is: Weather you are a Celiac or not LISTEN to your body for the proper water consumption for you.

"Hydration is always a popular subject in sports.  You continually see the pendulum swinging back and forth on the subject.  Years ago before there was sports medicine the common thinking was that taking water was a sign of weakness.  Just a few years ago the pendulum switched yet again to over consumption.  Here you started to see people carrying water bottles on their runs.  This has lead to the very severe problem of getting hyponatrenia.  Marathons are now more apt to warn runners about over consumption of water.  In recent years there have been several deaths (mostly within football camps) caused by heat and lack of proper hydration.  So what do you do, and how does this affect those suffering from Celiac?

Everyone sweats at a different rate.  You have to find the proper level of hydration for you.  Two simple things to keep in mind are that if you have to go to the bathroom (again) before you’re workout you’re probably drinking too much.  Vice versa, if you are light headed or having a difficult time recovering, you are probably not getting enough.

For a Celiac the hydration question compounds itself. Typically a Celiac will have to call upon reserves earlier.  Meaning they are heating up more and thus sweating more.  A lack of proper hydration will mean crashing even harder for a Celiac.  However, you cannot consume extra water at the start to combat this.  Taking fluids during a run has a whole host of problems.  It’s inconvenient and cumbersome, and you can also easily have water sloshing in your stomach.  My general rule of thumb is not to consume any water unless I am working out over an hour in length.  Overall, my experience has shown me that consuming fluids AFTER the run is by far the most important.  I noticed that I would quickly go into a tailspin after a hard workout if I did not IMMEDIATELY get fluids in me. 

I also discovered that enhanced fluids really made a difference.  I found that milk made me feel even better.  Since this I have discovered Orgain Meal Replacement nutritional drink is the best at aiding my recovery.  Rainbow Light also makes a Protein Energizer drink supplement that works well (dairy free).  Also, consider coconut water.  It’s a high source of important nutrients, particularly potassium (more than a banana)."

 

If you have questions for Steve you're likely to run into him at the Gluten Free Specailty Store located in downtown Sacramento at 26th and J Street.