How I Learned to Love Coconut Water & Avoid Dehydration
If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, you might be experiencing dehydration:
(From signs and symptoms of dehydration.com. No shit!)
This past June I went on one of my 30-mile rides to build my endurance and get my miles on the bike. Even though it was predicted to be an especially hot day; I only brought regular tap water to replenish me as I expected to be home by 10 am and therefore avoid the "real heat." Big mistake. Huge.
Along the way to Riis Park I happened upon a bike accident and needed to stay and keep the cyclist calm as we called for an ambulance. (Wear your helmets people!) On my way home I witness another cyclist hit a car door on Bedford Avenue and tended to that accident as well. Rough morning! Don't worry--everyone is fine if just a bit banged up.
Anyhoo, my three-hour ride turned into almost five and I was plenty exhausted when I finally made it home in the now 100* heat and high humidity. This was during World Cup season and I had promised a friend I would meet her at a pub to watch the game that afternoon. So even though I was feeling sluggish and a bit "off" my feeling was that if I kept sipping water for the rest of the day I would be fine. Wrong!
The next day I was up at my usual 5:30 am to teach my Monday spin and core class and my legs, which normally feel tight and a bit stiff after a day of riding, felt rubbery and unsteady. I had a headache, my stomach felt iffy and my balance was off." But thinking a good sweat would bring me back to life-- I went off to the Y to teach. For two hours. Really dumb.
Somehow I made it through both of my classes but spent the rest of the morning in bed not knowing what the hell what was going on. It was like having a hangover without the cool story.
(Courtesy of Slashfilms.com)
Laying in bed with my laptop and chill pak, I typed up my symptoms and figured out dehydration had come into my life to kick my ass in response to the poor decisions I made the day before. My fellow cycling babe, @UniversalCyclist, ordered me to buy "tons" of coconut water ASAP which is how Zico became my lifesaver. Not kidding about the dehydration--I felt sick for two full days from it.
This is what it looks like on store shelves:
(I prefer the lime citron flavor myself, yum!)
This is the stuff I reach for whenever I am going to be working a little harder than normal and/or if the heat becomes unbearable. NYC has been especially hot this year so I have been recommending coconut water to anyone who will listen to me. Students, family, friends, strangers--they all know that coconut water is the way to go.
The folks at Zico Coconut Water reached out to me to spread the word about their newest campaign "I Am Natural" with the full details at this link. Basically cool-as-shit fitness enthusiast Amanda Russell (who is not a professional model) will be on their billboard right outside the Holland Tunnel in New York City starting this week.
Here she is!
What a cutie! And she is posing on the Brooklyn Bridge in the ad--very cool!
So let's all say "congratulations" to the lovely Amanda and remember--drink your coconut water before you overheat. Trust me, you do NOT want to go through dehydration.
Until next time...
ox ox,
BFC
Brooklyn Fit Chick
Follow Me on Twitter: @BrooklynFitChik (note spelling!)
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