[OUWC] FW: Practicing Healthily

[Gurnick, Genevieve]

>From Mike about practicing healthily! Please read!
Genevieve :)


________________________________
From: Rigol, Mike
Sent: Wednesday, November 14, 2012 8:47 PM
To: OUMC
Subject: Practicing Healthily

Hello Everyone,

The following information is very important and I need everyone to read it very carefully and thoroughly.

I was contacted today by the Director of Club Sports and Intramural Sports and he informed me that the Director of Ping has some concerns with our use of the ergs. It has been brought to his attention that there is an ongoing issue with vomiting during the crew practices (both men's and women's). Although it is not the practices that induce vomiting, they see us practicing as an issue with the health of our members. If any vomiting continues to occur they have informed me that our privileges to use Ping's ergs will be revoked. This will force the team to find another space with ergs to use, which will most likely be very costly to the team, and in turn, to us as members. As of right now we can continue to use the ergs, but we need to make sure that we are going about it correctly.

Seeing as more often than not our team is not vomiting from the practices themselves, I am convinced that the culprit of the vomiting is due to poor health habits and not knowing our own personal limits. If you ever feel the urge to get sick or that you are going to pass out during a practice, you need to make sure that you stop the practice immediately. I completely understand wanting to push yourself in order to get better in our sport, I am always looking to improve, but anyone that pushes themselves to the point of getting sick or passing out is not helping them self get better. In regards to our health habits, I did some research about getting sick during exercise and hydration and need everyone to make sure they are cognizant of the following things:

-  Water composes as much as 70 percent of the human body and is vital in providing electrolytes as well as maintaining hydration during exercise.

- The average adult requires 2 to 2.5 liters (about 2/3 of a gallon) of water each day and will need to consume more to replace fluids lost in sweat during regular exercise. An endurance athlete may have to drink as much as 15 liters (nearly 4 gallons) of water to maintain healthy hydration.

I understand that many of us do not need 4 gallons of water to stay hydrated throughout the day and practice, but as a team we should all be consuming at least a gallon of water a day. This is a very easy thing to accomplish and I expect everyone to carry a water bottle with them when they go to classes. They are very inexpensive and makes drinking water very accessible.

-  According to Victor Liberi at the University of Southern Maine, you should drink about 20 oz. of fluids within two to three hours prior to exercise and approximately 10 oz. after warming up to prepare for rigorous exercise.

- A proper sports drink should contain no more than 6 percent carbohydrates to allow for quick absorption, 30 mg of potassium to replenish what is lost while sweating and enough sodium to encourage thirst and continued fluid intake.

-If you do not eat enough prior to exercising, you may not have enough energy to complete your exercise session. (Possibly leading to fainting). Too much food prior to exercise will also have adverse effects (i.e. vomiting).

- Eating a light snack about an hour before your exercise session will help with nausea during exercise. Choose a snack that is low in fat -- which the stomach digests more slowly -- and high in carbohydrates for energy

I know this email is very lengthy, but this is a very important issue for the team as whole and individually as athletes. All of this information can be used to make us healthier and better competitors. Although they are talking about taking our erg time away, I want everyone to know that the reason for this email is the health of all of you. I want us to be a team of competitors, but above all I want us to be healthy student athletes. If you feel that practices are pushing you beyond your limit, please let me know and we will do everything we can do to get your level of fitness up to the point it needs to be to complete these practices. Thank you all for taking the time to read this and I hope that we can all use this information to become better, healthier athletes.

If you have any questions or insight on this topic, let me know. Thank you again.

---------------
Mike Rigol Jr.
College of Business - MIS
Ohio University Men's Crew President
Ohio University Club Sports Supervisor
Ohio University Relay for Life Planning Committee

"...I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it..."
-Chuck Swindoll

Email: mr115909 at ohio.edu<mailto:mr115909 at ohio.edu>
Phone: (330) 998-4804
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