Hot weather riding tips concerning Hydration - long

Our bodies are always losing water. We can drink after the loss, and play catch-up, or we can begin a ride by drinking before we start and build a reserve. The harsher the environment (heat) and the longer the ride, the more we need to have a plan for hydration.

As sports and activities go, riding in high temperatures for many hours at a time is very much an extreme activity. It requires more extreme measures. This has nothing to do with someone who plays soccer for an hour or two and sweats a little. Being subjected to multi day temperatures of 110F or more and winds of 60mph for hours on end qualifies as an extreme activity. You need a plan.

Do you have a plan?

Instead of playing catch-up with hydration, I begin hydrating lightly a day or two before extended touring in hot weather and increase use of salty snacks.

Then, two hours or so before departure, I will drink from 12 to 24 oz. of water. This allows enough time for my body to fill its need of water and to dump the excess as urine. Fifteen to twenty minutes before the start, I will drink another 10-16 oz. This is what I will initially use to fuel sweat production, without dipping into my body hydration.

This sequenced intake provides me with a base that my system can access for sustained sweating as well as system functioning. From then on, I drink lightly but frequently.
The higher the rate of sweat, the more frequent the drinking. The goal is not to gorge on water, but to replace water lost by sweat and breath.

Part of my initial drinking includes electrolytes. This can either be from a sport drink, a banana, or what I find very convenient, an electrolyte capsule. The benefit of an electrolyte capsule is that it is convenient, travels well, and offers a preset dosage of electrolytes.

This way I have filled my stores of water. I find that it makes a significant difference in the way that I feel.

So how much can I gulp down?

Drinking smaller amounts of water often is best ie 8 to 12 ounces. On a motorcycle, this involves having some sort of onboard water supply that allows you to drink on the fly.
In hot weather riding, drinking large amounts every 2 hrs is nowhere near as good as drinking smaller amounts at more frequent intervals.

Gulping down significant amounts of water may actually be counter productive since there is a limit as to how much water our stomach can process at one time.

The typical maximum rate of absorption for liquid is between 25 to 30 ounces per hour.
With large gulps, much of the water may end up sitting in our stomach, as opposed to being rapidly absorbed and put to use. Water sitting in our stomach only makes us feel bloated.

Gulping larger amounts of water also implies waiting for longer intervals between drinks. During this time, our system is subjected to a yo-yo effect as we replenish and then deplete its resources with our electrolyte levels swinging from significant concentration to significant dilution.

This is because heavy and rapid water intake has a direct and quick effect on our blood volume, momentarily diluting our blood's concentration. So we spend the day going from concentrated blood to diluted blood, back and forth. Not ideal.

It's similar to long discharge intervals between recharges for an automotive battery. Deep discharge rates are not good for the battery. The ideal is to hook the battery up to an automatic charger that will give it what it needs in small doses. Same reasoning.
How serious is this need to ensure hydration?

Consider that during high speed, hot weather riding, you can lose up to 50 ounces of water per hour or more. And yet you can only absorb a maximum of approx 30 ounces per hour. Assuming that you are very efficient and hydrating maximally, after 5 hours of riding in intense heat you will still be in water deficit by 100 ounces!

This underscores the importance of getting a head start by beginning to hydrate before the ride begins and then continue by drinking often. Because there is a limit to how much water we can absorb over a one hour period, you cannot make up for forgotten drink by drinking more. This is where having a plan and sticking to it takes on more meaning.

Drink after a ride, even if you find yourself in a nice air conditioned room. You may no longer need water to allow for sweating, but you want to replace the water lost since your last hydration. You also want to begin building reserves for tomorrow's ride. Remember the plan.

Eating some salty food or snacks (unless you have high blood pressure) will be good on 2 levels. It will increase your thirst level as well as helping your body retain more of the water by replenishing your sodium (electrolyte) levels.

Note: Caffeine and alcohol are diuretics. They will increase water loss through urination. Alcohol also tends to pull water from brain cells and other organs, dehydrating them. Something to consider when hydration is critical.

Summary: If I expect to be sweating for hours on end, especially on a multi day, hot weather ride, I drink before the need arises in order to build up reserves and I take electrolytes in order process this water optimally.

Why adding sports nutrition and vitamin supplements is a good thing

Electrolytes are our friends. They regulate many vital processes in our body. Some of the main players are: sodium, potassium, chloride, magnesium, calcium, bicarbonate, phosphate, sulfate.

So why are they important?

Electrolytes are used by our body to ensure proper cellular functioning. They regulate water levels and play vital roles for muscle, nerve, and brain function. Basically, they make sure that the water is where it is supposed to be and doing what it is supposed to do. And they supervise that this is so. Remember our example about the factory workers and the supervisors?

And this is no small task as our bodies are made of approx 60% water. We know that water is a critical resource for our body processes. It not only is used for body cooling but to maintain cellular health and allow for body processes to function. As many know, we can live without food for several weeks, but die if without water for several days. But it's not a question of just drowning everything in water. Our system water levels and electrolytes need to be in balance. Not too much nor too little.

So water is only a resource that our body uses for its processes. Electrolytes are what determine what to do with that resource.

For example, too dilute or too concentrated electrolyte levels can swell our brain cells with water or shrink them by pulling water out of the cell walls. And of course, this affects our thinking.

As with many things important to good functioning, our body monitors our electrolyte levels. Too low a level and we may get cravings. Too high a level and it dumps the excess in urine.

Speaking of cravings, if you ever enter a food mart, notice what you have a craving for. Chances are good that your body is speaking to you about what it needs.

So when do we need them?

For normal activities and sports, electrolyte levels are not a problem. Even when sweating heavily, most activities only last between 90 and 120 minutes. There isn't enough sweat loss and water replacement to dilute our electrolyte levels beyond what is provided by a regular diet.

But motorcycle riding in hot weather for many hours provides a brutal and resource-depleting environment. Our cooling system is working with pedal to the metal ie at max capacity for a prolonged period of time. This is a very different game.

With heavy sweating, we can lose over 50 ounces per hour. This sweat is composed of body water and electrolytes. That's why sweat tastes salty. If all we do is drink copious amounts of water, we dilute our electrolyte levels.

Result? Our body gets the raw resource it needs for its processes, but it now lacks the elements that determine what to do with that resource. The delicate balance that our system requires is literally thrown out of whack.

Another consideration is that electrolytes work in balance with each other. One way to ensure good electrolyte levels is by our choice of foods.

For example, orange juice and bananas are good items. Tomato juice or vegetable juice cocktails are also very good. But when traveling in hot weather for many hours, keeping perishable food items at a reasonable temperature is often a bother.

One solution that I find very convenient (from my athletic days) is to use sport nutrition supplements. They are relatively inexpensive and very convenient. Good sport nutrition supplementation provides a proper dose and balance of electrolytes and is easy to carry and take. I just pop a capsule when needed. They also don't give me a lot of what I might not want i.e. added sugars, fats etc. When drinking significant amounts of water over time, they remove the guesswork of wondering if my electrolyte levels are in balance.

Another option that I use are energy drinks that target more extreme activities. More on this later, as this is a whole subject in itself.

After considerable trial and error, I find this to be the most convenient way to ensure proper electrolyte levels when sweating for extended periods of time on a motorcycle. They keep well (are not heat sensitive), are easy to take, and allow my system to function at peak capacity while considerably reducing heat-related fatigue.