The Water Matter

Hey, there! It's Sherry, your other favorite coach. I wanted to add something to Amy's water email. When discussing dehydration with my athletes and that they really should be drinking enough to replenish what they lose while running, I told them the following: To find out how much water you lose while exercising, do the following. Weigh yourself completely naked before your workout. Then weigh yourself completely naked after your workout. You should weigh less and that is all water loss that needs to be replaced.

 

Also, did you know that water is a key ingredient in converting the glycogen stored in your muscles into burnable energy? This is the energy that gets you through the workout. If you are feeling sluggish during a workout, there are several possibilities. One of the most common is that you aren't getting enough water.

 

And here's a complete tangent. This is a nice formula for figuring out your daily calorie intake to lose weight. I.e., obviously you must burn more than you take in. If you wanted to stay at the exact weight you currently are, multiply your current weight by 13. The result is the amount of calories you should eat to stay at that weight. For example, I am 119 (I know, you hate me now). Multiply by 13 and to maintain my current weight I need 1547 calories a day.

 

Aim for eating 100-200 calories less a day while you are losing weight. I know that sounds small, but you will also be burning calories in your workouts, giving you an even greater deficit. For example, a runner typically burns 100 calories per mile.  When I go for a 6 mile run, I burn roughly 600 calories. It's important that you don't eat too little and lose the calories you need to fuel your workouts.

 

There are plenty of calorie calculators on the internet. Some will even help you keep track from day to day. A popular site that our season 1 contestants really liked is the Daily Plate, which can be found on Lance Armstrong's website: http://www.thedailyplate.com/ It is part of livestrong.com and has a free diary to track calorie intake and burn rate. The site also has forums, meals, and fitness suggestions.

 

your favorite assistant coach,

Sherry