Hot Yoga Hydration Part 1: Mixing oil and water

It's summer and the heat is on.

The thermostat and humidistat may read a steady 105 and 45% but relative humidity makes you sweat a lot more now. Is it inevitable to feel super hot, lethargic, headachey in hot yoga summer class?

Not at all.

The Remedy: HYDRATE... HYDRATE... HYDRATE... and now there are more ways than ever to stay wet.

Water it down

You've heard our advice at the studio: drink half your body weight in ounces every day for maintaining baseline hydration in a normal body - but you're not a normal body, you do hot yoga and in the summertime yet, so you need even more water: fresh, clean, distilled water is best.

Gatorade, tea, popular bottled drinks do not qualify: only water is water.

Replace the "traces"

You've also heard is talk about electrolyte and trace mineral replacement. Sweating as profusely as we do in hot yoga can cause rapid loss of these essential ingredients.

We keep trace minerals on hand at Riverflow  (40,000 Volts and Rehydrate drops); just ask your teacher to drip some into your water both before and after class. Mandatory if you are on a 30 Day Challenge. You can purchase EmergenC powder for even more electrolyte replacement

Eat to Beat the Heat

Let your food be your medicine: so here are some foods that will feed and hydrate your cells throughout your most heated summer moments:

Seven super hydrating foods:

1. Cucumbers: Juice with them and use them in salads and on their own for an awesome snack. Cucumber contains silica, an ingredient that boosts moisture and elasticity.

2. Celery: Another addition to juices, celery is another hydrating food that contains skin-loving silica.

3. Chia seeds: Chia seeds are high in Omega-3 fatty acids, and foods rich in Omega-3 fatty acids limit water loss in skin cells.

4. Aloe vera: Aloe vera is not only great when used topically, but it will also quench your skin’s thirst when used internally as well. Add a small amount to your smoothies.

5. Water:  Up to 80% of the human body is made of water. For your body to function properly, you need to keep it wet. Start the day with a tall glass of distilled water to compensate for the overnight drought.

6. Avocado: Avocado is a true beauty food and a whole food: it contains every nutrient the human body needs. Coconut is another whole food (that's how the castaways survivied)

7. Watermelon: Lelons are particularly hydrating due to their super high water content. Ever wonder why they're so available in summer? Aint nature grand?

Oil it Up

Now I want to talk about my favorite new technique that takes just minutes, can be done while you are doing other things, and not only hydrates but cleans bacteria in your mouth and gums, can help with headaches, and can feed the cells of your body and make your skin years softer.

Oil pulling, an ancient Ayurvedic method of detoxing and rejuvenating the body, is having its moment in the sun, thanks to its easy technique and easily available ingredients.

For hotties, oil pulling is the new secret for hydration.

And it's so beneficial for so much more.

So what is oil pulling? It's literally swishing oil around in your mouth, much like you would do with mouthwash, and allowing the benefits of it to take hold.

According to Food Matters, studies have shown that oil pulling can reduce the amount of S. mutans (germs) in the teeth and mouth. The slick surface the oil creates seems to keep bacteria from getting a stronghold.

Other studies have found actual "saponification" or cleansing effects that literally get rid of bacteria and fungus that can cause anything from bad breath to sore throats, according to Elephant Journal.

Popular oils to use for the process include sesame oil, olive oil, sunflower oil, or most recently, but I highly recommend organic coconut oil. And here's what you do:

• First thing in the morning (before brushing or eating or drinking anything), pour yourself a tablespoon of the oil of your choice
• Put it in your mouth, and swish it around for anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes (I take my shower while swishing. No need to watch yourself in the mirror and count the minutes as you do this!)
• Spit it out into a plastic baggy or bottle (not in sinks or toilets because it can solidify and clog pipes)

• Rinse your mouth with water, then drink a glass of water (I actually drink my morning green drink.)

My natropath recommended oil pulling to me when I complained about waking up with dry mouth each morning and I can tell you, my dryness dried up fast.

Coconut oil was her recommendation - organic and unrefined Coconut Oil you can get online through Vitacost.com for a great price - and not only do I now use this amazing oil for pulling, I cook with it (coconut oil is more stable than olive oil; when you heat any good oil too much it becomes a transfat which is detrimental. Olive oil is best for salads not for cooking. I make face and and body scrub using coconut oil plus brown sugar. I use it as a hair moisturizer for split ends.  I rub my skin with it after a warm shower and it becomes a non-greasy all-body moisturizer

...is there anything coconut oil can't do? Not that I've found!

Since it has replaced all my expensive face and body washes and creams, this little oil that could even saves money.

Wet Wild Lifestyle

Hydration is a lifestyle. It wont do to guzzle 64 ounces of water just before class - even an hour before. Yes do drink 16 to 20 oz of water 2 hours prior to the start of class, but water has to be everywhere in your lifestyle if you really want to feel wet and wonderful.

• Drink at least 8 half of your body weight in ounces of water daily
• Water is the only thing that is water! No other water-based drinks qualify
• Distilled water is best.
• Eat lots of fresh juicy fruits and vegetables throughout the day.
• Avoid caffeine, alcohol and sugary beverages (that includes Gatorade and most sports drinks. Read the label).
• Take a regular electrolyte supplement (emergen-c, coconut water, trace mineral drops) to replenish any minerals lost from sweating.
• Show some skin during class! Sweating is the body's primary defense against overheating, and bare skin allows your body to release heat more easily.
• Do not wipe your sweat. I know, it's tempting; but if you wipe, evaporation (your cooling system) will not occur and then you can overheat.
• Bring water with you into the room. Dont wait to be dry in the mouth before you take a sip
• Rehydrate after class with at least 32oz of fluids
• And help yourself to the fruit we have waiting for you after class - refreshing and rehydrating

If you are low on electrolytes before class you can become slightly deficient during or after class. Below is a list of important electrolytes to pay attention to:

• Calcium – aids muscle contraction

• Magnesium – aids healthy cell function

• Potassium – helps regulate pH balance

• Phosphate – helps regulate pH balance
• Sodium – regulates amount of water in the body

The Under-hydration blues

The difference is huge. The term dehydration is over used and abused. It is important to remember that dehydration does not occur quickly. The body is able to monitor the amount of fluid it needs to function. The thirst mechanism signals the body to drink water when the body is dry (under-hydration). Moreover, if you are truly dehydrated hormones like anti-diuretic hormone (ADH) work with the kidneys to limit the amount of water lost in the urine. This is why you have dark urine when your body needs to conserve water. The body in turn can save itself from total dehydration or at the least slow it down. But one must ALWAYS listen to the body, if you are thirsty you must drink water. This goes for everyone whether you practice Bikram Yoga or not. Hydration is key to feeling good. Water can reduce inflammation in the body, flush out toxins and hydrate soft tissues like the vertebral discs which when under hydrated lead to inflammation and back pain. A good rule of thumb on how much water to drink is one half your body weight in ounces a day. If you practice Bikram Yoga, add another 32 ounces.

 If you drink during class we always encourage you to take it slow, sip. Drinking too much water too quickly, can cause water and electrolyte concentrations within organ cells to be negatively affected, causing cells to swell and eventually die. This is why many athletes performing outside can get heat stroke and why we DONT recommend practicing out in the sun where you can feel tempted to drink too much water too quickly. In hot yoga, you acclimate your body to the heat over time.  As a beginner you “take it easy” and pay attention. Eventually you will find you will only take water minimally during your classes.

Why you Take the Heat

Things are always getting hotter....in your practice and in your life. When everthing hums in harmony inside the hot yoga room and inside your body, watch what happens in your life outside the hot yoga studio.

And that's really why you do hot yoga. You want a hot, healthy, happy life. And it's waiting for you to warm up to it.

Comments

[GabbyL]

I love water, it is really the only thing I drink. I have two Nalgene bottles at my desk at work that I drink everyday. Coconut water is my go to after any hot yoga class. I have tried water, and it just doesn't do it. I could drink a whole 32oz nalgene and still feel soooo thirsty. After just a sip of coconut water I feel re-hydrated. Love coconut water, actually I love ANYTHING coconut.

[HeatherS]

I always drink a ton of water but a few weeks ago, I was starting to feel bad after classes. I wasn't sure what was going on and felt that it had something to do with electrolytes. I tried the dreaded Gatorade!! I had 1/2 at night and 1/2 in the morning and gagged it down. OK so not my best move. I have now switched to Smartwater and feeling good. I'd like to try the nalgene like Gabby said and the drops. Oh and a big bowl of watermelon!

[Rhonda Uretzky, E-RYT]

Electrolyte balance is the second half of the hydration equation Heather and Gabby; stay tuned for part 2 of this blog on smart hydration