What are you drinking in hot shops?

[richards72chevy]

Im welder and a painter.The shop I work in gets extremely hot in the summer.I drink plenty of water but sometimes that dosnt hit the spot.At the end of the day I sometimes feel weak.I want to stay away from the sports drinks because of all the sugar and crap in them.I don't drink soda at all.Do you guys have any tips?Some one told me there is tablets you can get.Do these work?

[arturo7]

You need extra electrolytes. Many ways to get them without all the sugar of sports drinks. One of the easiest is just to put a little more salt on your food.

[Jdubs71]

You could try these. Runners eat them to stay hydrated and energized while running in marithons. You can get them at most sport shops.

http://m.rei.com/mt/www.rei.com/prod...s-energy-chews
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[WadmalawJoe]

I easily drink a gallon of water a day during the summer while working in the heat. I will have a few drinks with cranberry juice cut in half with water. My wife picks out the cranberry juice that's the most real, as in real cranberry juice without a bunch of sugar/sweeteners, maybe no added sugar/sweeteners, I will have to check on that. Cranberry is about the only juice I can stand to drink a lot of, maybe you would prefer another. The point is I mix it up some instead of straight water all day. The heat is a killer though, your body can only take so much whether its hydrated or not.

[donut]

What I do is mix the sports drinks with water. Still primarily water, but you'll still get the electrolytes, and cuts the sugary, syrupy taste.

Guys where I work think I'm strange, but working construction we used to do this all the time. 50/50 or even 75/25 works. Take a drink every chance you get. Couple ounces many times a day worked better for me than 16 oz every couple hours.

WadmalawJoe brings up some good points. Heat is a killer and you can only take so much, it's up to you when it's getting too bad. I have been in trouble with heat (to the point one of my co-workers was going to call rescue, but it was an extreme circumstance.) It's a matter of getting used to it. At work, the break room has AC. I avoid it if possible. At home, I'll go out early (before heat builds) and I can stay out longer. if i wait until it's already hot, I don't want to do anything.

[richards72chevy]

Thanks.Im going to try all of the above.One of the guys I work with also quits going into the break room because of the ac.He said its bad to sit in there for 20 or 30 min then go back into a hot shop.

[cdowns]

i eat alot of grapes to keep fluid levels stabil while working

[richards72chevy]

Originally Posted by cdowns

i eat alot of grapes to keep fluid levels stabil while working

I love grapes.I eat tons of celery too.Its suppose to have a lot of health benefits.

Originally Posted by mongoose

i've always got the powdered gatorade and mixed it myself just like one scoop.. not what it says on the package. then mixed in some bcaa's every other bottle... 1 litre bottles usually.

Whats bcaa's Mongoose?

Originally Posted by Rufton

Salt tablets or salt as mentioned; just make sure you don't have high BP. If your drinking a lot of water w/o bathroom breaks then you probably need salt. Side effects include... yada yada ... death...consult physician before consuming salt and no lawsuits please

Im going to increase the salt.I didn't know salt intake helped.I always thought it dehydrated you.

Originally Posted by cableguy0

May not be the best thing but I kicked soda and start drinking gatorade. It definately helps and makes all the difference when its hot.

I kicked the soda habit about 3 yrs agoI still have a coffee habit though.I drink two cups every morning.

[mongoose]

i've always got the powdered gatorade and mixed it myself just like one scoop.. not what it says on the package. then mixed in some bcaa's every other bottle... 1 litre bottles usually.

[Rufton]

Salt tablets or salt as mentioned; just make sure you don't have high BP. If your drinking a lot of water w/o bathroom breaks then you probably need salt. Side effects include... yada yada ... death...consult physician before consuming salt and no lawsuits please

[tinydb84]

I used to train jiu jitsu in a uncooled building. We would where a gi (heavy cotton uniforms) and spar for long periods. It could be up to 105 in the summer. Water and poweraid (they have a low sugar one) helped but underarmor made a big difference

[cableguy0]

May not be the best thing but I kicked soda and start drinking gatorade. It definately helps and makes all the difference when its hot.

[richards72chevy]

Originally Posted by tinydb84

I used to train jiu jitsu in a uncooled building. We would where a gi (heavy cotton uniforms) and spar for long periods. It could be up to 105 in the summer. Water and poweraid (they have a low sugar one) helped but underarmor made a big difference

My wife and I and our 6 yr old daughter were going to judo for awhile.I didn't like the thought of my 235 pound body being slammed on the floor all the time.Lol but it was a very fun thing to do.

[donut]

I do the coffee in the morning when it's warm (cool,cold weather it's about all I drink)
Caffeine in coffee acts as a diuretic and pushes water out.

Something a lot of folks forget, sweat is how your body cools itself. Sweat is a good thing. (currently I'm miserable. uncomfortable warm, but not enough to break a good heavy sweat.)
I will increase my salt intake some. As mentioned, I also increase consumption of fruits and vegetables.
If I'm outside light colored clothing. (black/dark absorbs the suns rays)
When I get home, straight to the shower. Get myself cooled down.

Your body will tell you what you need, you just have to pay attention.

[ETsC10]

I have big problems with chronic dehydration and my doctor turned me onto making my own re-hydration drink (from the Mayo Clinic):
1/2 teaspoon salt, 6 level teaspoons of sugar per quart of water.
I also munch on celery for it's potassium content. (BTW--2 stalks of celery has more potassium than a banana and 16 calories vs over 100 calories).
The drink tastes a tad like chilled tears so I add a little lemon juice or Koolade powder (unsweetened).
Sports drinks work too but they use corn syrup...good 'ol cane sugar is far better.

This may cause you guys to poke fun at me but you can check whether you are dehydrated by your urine color...should be totally clear.
The darker it is, the more dehydrated you are. Another indication is the elasticity of your skin. If it doesn't spring back when
pinched; drink more water.

This a very good thread and indeed related to shop safety...serious dehydration can land you in the hospital or worse.



E

[NONHOG]

Great thread. I have to go out of my way to drink water. Just rare that I'm thirsty.
I salt nothing but maybe I should?
I was really sick while in Tijuana last summer. I was helping my sons youth group build a house and working all day in the sun with temps in the 80+
I could not get out of bed the last day down there. Head was spinning.
Like a really weird hangover. Not how one wants to feel in Tijuana.
Anyway I suppose the mixing cement with hoes and cutting boards by hand
did me in. I tried to drink water but just don't think I drank enough.

Pretty sure I was just dehydrated.
After that situation I am better about drinking water but have a ways to go.

richards72chevy, I wonder if you had a tall glass of fruit/veggie smoothie in the AM. It'll maybe help you last through the day?

I love my VitaMix blender it'll mix anything.

[68c10airstream]

I work in a power plant and 7th floor is 180 degrees. Some take a big plastic bottle and fill it up about half full and freeze it. Adding water as needed equals always having ice cold beverage until the ice is gone. Fill with beverage of choice. When it finally gets hot up here in the north and i work in the garage a fan makes all the difference. Remember body men, dont use compressed air to blow yourself off especially when damp. A nonbeliever bodyman friend is now a believer after chasing a air bubble under his skin only to use a pin and pop it. Lucky to be alive. Air in bloodstream equals nonreversable death. No electric paddles will bring you back.
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[orngsikL]

Originally Posted by 68c10airstream

I work in a power plant and 7th floor is 180 degrees. Some take a big plastic bottle and fill it up about half full and freeze it. Adding water as needed equals always having ice cold beverage until the ice is gone. Fill with beverage of choice. When it finally gets hot up here in the north and i work in the garage a fan makes all the difference. Remember body men, dont use compressed air to blow yourself off especially when damp. A nonbeliever bodyman friend is now a believer after chasing a air bubble under his skin only to use a pin and pop it. Lucky to be alive. Air in bloodstream equals nonreversable death. No electric paddles will bring you back.
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ive been told this several times about the air bubble thing but never heard of it happening.

[ka_jd7and1]

We have something called Sqwincher at work (oilfields). It is a flavored electrolyte replacement drink mix, just have to pour it in a water bottle and shake it up. Sugar free too.

I don't like drinking tons of water unless it tastes like something, so this is a good thing for me.

[BossHogg69]

Originally Posted by ka_jd7and1

We have something called Sqwincher at work (oilfields). It is a flavored electrolyte replacement drink mix, just have to pour it in a water bottle and shake it up. Sugar free too.

I don't like drinking tons of water unless it tastes like something, so this is a good thing for me.

x2 on the Sqwincher - I also work in the oilfield, and I recently switched from buying Gatorade to Sqwincher for the crews on my rig. Pretty much all 20 of my guys like the Sqwincher better. The regular Sqwincher in the bottles isn't sugar free, but the 'lite' mix is (as stated above).

I also like mixing it 50/50 with water. I'm not big on really sweet drinks, so I would always do it with bottled Gatorade, PowerAde, etc.

[D.FENS]

You might want to try Propel. It's more or less just expensive flavored water, but it does have some electrolytes in it, no sugar / corn syrup, 0 calories (Gatorade has a ton of calories) and tastes a hell of a lot better than any other sports drink I've ever tried.

When it's real bad outside I switch off between Propel, Gatorade mixed 50 / 50 with plain water, and maybe some watermelon chunks.

[richards72chevy]

I try to eat fruits in my cereal or oatmeal in the morning.Im going to eat peunuts on my breaks also.They have salt on them.That should help me feal a little better in the heat.I think I may be overdoing it on the water and losing to much electrolytes.

[PanelDeland]

Gatorade and other electrolyte replacements are good with moderation.Some of the minerals they contain can build up if you drink too much(according to my Dr, when I got Kidney stones this could have been a contributing factor).Plain water in large amounts is good as long as you add the electrolytes also.Just for pure refreshment from the heat,there's nothing that tastes better or refreshes me more than a Cherry Lime from Sonic.

[_Ogre]

beer, preferably mickeys wide mouth
2 bottles of water have been in the shop fridge for over a year

[Cape Codder]

I work in a body shop too. I like to switch around some from straight water ,Ice tea, I make sun tea and add about a table spoon of sugar per gallon. I also add crystal lite to water. I like the pink lemonade flavor. I like to freeze half a bottle and fill as needed. Insulated jugs are nice too.