Monday 21 November 2016

How To Series - Staying Hydrated for Frequent Flyers 3

It is always good to have options.
Having sodium bicarbonate on hand can help flyers stay hydrated and help beat jet lag.

You know the drill by now -

Do This

Step 1: Get your preferred non BPA water bottle.
Step 2: Pick up sodium bicarbonate inexpensively at the chemist or drug store.
Step 3: Start with an eighth of a teaspoon and at least 16 oz of water. Use less than an eighth of a teaspoon if you can't hack the salty taste .

Tip - If you use cold water you can mask the saltiness a bit.

Lets Connect the Dots

First a word of caution. Use sodium bicarbonate with diligence and the awareness that it can interact with certain types of drugs. If you are not sure about it's use consult with a doctor or your primary healthcare practitioner.

- Sodium bicarbonate is a base (it has alkaline properties) bases can neutralise acids in the body. As acids can be harmful to the body they are often kept neutralised and out of the way. Sometimes the medium used for this is water, the same water that could be used elsewhere to keep you hydrated.

- Maintaining a good acid/alkaline balance to start with is one way to help maintain hydration, especially onboard an aircraft with its acidifying cabin environment due to the positive ions in the air.

Takeaways

  • Use sparingly as there may be drug interactions if you are on medication.
  • The Acid/Alkaline balance of your body plays into how hydrated you are.
  • Aircraft cabins are acid forming.

Saturday 12 November 2016

How To Series - Staying Hydrated for Frequent Flyers 2

Another post with ideas on how to stay hydrated on the road. Follow the 3 steps of my previous post - 

Do This

Step 1:  Buy a non-BPA water bottle
Step 2: Buy the PRODUCT (this time Beetroot Crystals)
Step 3: Add a tablespoon of the Beetroot Crystals to a full bottle of water

Lets connect the dots

Beetroot has been researched and found to increase oxygen uptake. Where there is oxygen there is water, therefore there is hydration.

Beetroot has also been found to help the cardiovascular system develop tone via the production of nitrate. This is valuable as through its function the cardiovascular helps the body stay hydrated.


Takeaways

Use Beetroot to


  • Hydrate via the production of oxygen. 
  • Increase the tone of your cardiovascular system from nitrate.
  • Help your body detox, beetroot contains methyl groups that aid detoxification if you detoxify regularly you stand a better chance of hydrating better.

References

Beetroot juice and exercise pharmacodynamic and dose-response relationships - Wylie, L.J., Kelly, J., Bailey, S.J., Blackwell, J.R., Skiba, P.F., Winyard, P.G., Jeukendrup, A.E., Vanhatalo, A. and Jones, A.M. 2013. Beetroot juice and exercise: pharmacodynamic and dose-response relationships.Journal of applied physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985). 115, 3 (Aug. 2013), 325–36.

Thursday 3 November 2016

How To Series - Staying Hydrated for Frequent Flyers



Following the Inflight Health Briefing Sheet on Hydration on Hydration, the next few posts will concentrate on practical tools for flyers
who want to arrive hydrated every time.

Do This

Step 1: Buy a non-BPA water bottle
Step 2: Order Echo Effervescent Hydrogen tablets online
Step 3: Drop 1 tab in 16 oz of water and sip throughout your flight, repeat as often as needed

Lets connect the dots...
  • Hydrogen the number one element of the periodic table is the most abundant element in the universe
  • Hydrogen + Oxygen typically produces water = Hydration
  • An abundance of hydrogen protects the body against alpha particles of cosmic radiation, ps a hydrogen polymer, is used in the NASA space shuttle for this very reason
Takeaways
  1. An alternative theory of jet lag says the over-acidification of the body tissues at altitude sets the conditions for jet lag in motion
  2. A lack of hydration equals systemwide acidification
  3. Remember lemonade colour urine inflight GOOD (↓dehydration), apple juice colour urine BAD (↑more dehydration)



Disclosure - I have no affiliation with Echo Effervescent, but I do use this kick-ass product. Warning : Use supplements responsibly and under supervision if necessary.