Not seat, but basin
When I asked my grandkids why athletes need a white toilet, they all responded: “To see if it’s dirty.”
Nah
Dehydration is no fun.
Woozy, head spinning, sluggish, nauseated, headache, some loss of coherence, decreased muscle function, disorientation, poor mental and physical performance.
You know: Like after a bender – a hangover but worse
Dehydration, simply, is water loss from the body
Blood flow decreases
Brains shrink
Muscles don’t work as well and go into spasm
And you get the above symptoms
YUCK – sounds like something out of a horror movie
In life, diseases can cause diarrhea and vomiting. Conditions cause increased urination. Syndromes that cause loss of thirst and appetite. All of these can cause dehydration.
But this blurb is addressed to athletes, and for athletes, dehydration is usually caused by lack of water flowing through the body due to:
Inadequate intake
We don’t PRELOAD – we do not go into practice/games fully hydrated
We do not maintain our fluid. We do not use water breaks appropriately.
Overuse – during exercise, the body uses water. When hot, we use more
And, of course, sweating. When you run or exercise, you sweat. Sweat evaporates to cool you off. The hotter it is, the more you sweat. The more you sweat, the more water your body loses.
No sweat; preventing dehydration is easy
THE WHITE TOILET
Urine is yellow; or is it?
Actually, urine color reflects several things, but most often it indicates one’s hydration status. Now, a medical disclaimer: Many conditions and illnesses can cause dark urine. What follows below is directed toward the athlete who is losing water. If, despite corrections, the urine repeatedly remains discolored, then get yourself checked out.
Dark yellow pee usually indicates concentrated urine. The body recognizes that the water content is low, so it reclaims water through the kidneys, causing a concentrated, yellow urine. The darker and more yellow, the more concentrated. Your body is warning you that you are heading towards dehydration
Conversely, if you are well hydrated, the urine is almost colorless
A good athlete or even the not-so-good hacker who just enjoys sports has an obligation to himself/herself/themselves/itself. AT THE START OF A GAME OR PRACTICE – ESPECIALLY IN THE SUMMER – AN ATHLETE SHOULD HAVE CLEAR/COLORLESS URINE.
This is why you need a white toilet – so you can see the color and the different gradations. These are more fully appreciated with the light on. And I recommend removing sunglasses.
A couple of hours prior to the event, PRELOAD – drink enough water to get colorless pee.
This color conversion can take 60 to 90 minutes, but if you preload 2 hours before practice/game, the water will be absorbed, the urine will be colorless, and you will have peed out the extra, so you should be okay during practice.
Note that if you combine water with a snack, the absorption will be delayed.
The amount needed varies from person to person and also depends on how much you have been drinking or not drinking throughout the day. For me, a 25 lb. overweight old guy, I drink a quart. My 11-year-old lean granddaughter gets 12 ounces, which works for her. You need to figure it out for yourself.
During practices and games, take water breaks and make sure to drink while talking, socializing, and laughing. Smaller amounts more frequently is much better than the occasional guzzle.
It takes at least 15 minutes for the water to start getting into the bloodstream after you drink. Regretfully, until the water is absorbed from the gut and gets into the bloodstream, the brain/body will perceive you as dehydrated, so you will keep drinking.
This causes you to overdrink, creating bloating, which will adversely affect performance. It slows you down.
Maintain your hydration by drinking small amounts of fluid frequently during the sport.
And please remember that if an athlete goes to a game or practice “dry” (dark urine), the blood will sludge and the performance will be adversely affected. You just don’t play/perform as well. You tire more easily. You make mistakes. And of course, there is good ol” Charlie and his horse. You cramp.
For most of us, water is fine, but for the elite athlete some of the newer electrolyte sport drinks are better, especially on hot days
Other pointers
For water to be absorbed from the gut, it has to be body temperature. Best to drink slightly cool water (which is a compromise between function and tolerability) so it can be absorbed faster. Pour the ice water over the body if you need to cool down.
The youth concept of snacks at halftime in counterproductive – athletes need water. Avoid the Oranges, Coke, Sunny Delight, and similar drinks. The kids have enough glycogen stores and do not need extra energy (snacks take an hour to get into the body).
And final words of advice to the male athletes out there. You cannot adequately tell the color of urine by peeing on a tree (except maybe a birch). Use a white toilet.
