bluefoxicy

My coworkers are vanishing for days or winding up in the hospital with IVs!

They keep mismanaging the heat. One was drinking plain water until vomiting, and then passed out... this is why they have gatorade and nuun and such :| It doesn't help being dressed too warm too.

I give these people advice. They don't take it. I told them, baselayers, even just walking around. Thin, light shirt that wicks, carry lots of cold water, put electrolyte tabs or mixes in the water. What do they do? Long frilly skirts, long sleeve shirts, long jeans, hats, or figure a t-shirt is good enough ... and the t-shirt is cotton, collects water, becomes an evaporation barrier, gets muggy inside, prevents cooling... and then they sweat, and dehydrate, and can't rehydrate with just water, or they lose so much salt the water makes them sick.

It's rough surviving the heat. I wear a long sleeve Zensah compression shirt with a fitted Pearl Izumi Attack jersey over, no problem. And shorts, not long pants. These people aren't biking, but a Zensah or Under Armour HeatGear compression shirt (anything wicking works, actually merino wool can work well in the heat; compression is awesome) under their clothes will help ... of course, instead of a t-shirt, they're now sweat soaked and their outerwear would get wetter. That's what happens to me anyway... a lot of water leaves my body. But I stay cooler!

You can't just layer on the fancy clothes in the heat. It doesn't work. Don't do it or you'll die.

Chris516

If Gatorade came in a size, that would fit in the bottle cage, it would be great for replacing electrolytes. Until then, we can only carry water.

genec

If you are talking about the typical cow-orker, I doubt very much whether they have any high tech clothing... like a "Zensah or Under Armour HeatGear compression shirt" nor do they have the physical conditioning to overcome dramatic changes in temp.

bluefoxicy

Gatorade and PowerAid 20oz bottles fit in my bottle cage that holds my CamelBak Podium Chill 16oz.... and you can put Gatorade, Nuun, and Elixer into your water bottles (avoid the sugary Gatorade in the camelbak).

Yeah it was the lack of high tech clothing and the lack of high tech hydration that got them I think. Fancy clothes are fancy; but fancy pretty clothes that are layers of woven cotton are not breathable, and in the heat they're fatal. A light t-shirt is better; a moisture wicking athletic shirt is much better, even under the fancy stuff.

When all that fails, you have to get water in. If the water won't go, you are dying from heat exposure. If you're sweating that much, you are losing salts, which means you are going to experience a potentially fatal electrolyte imbalance if you do get the water down.

These are the things I keep telling them, and they keep telling me I'm going to die biking ... and then they nearly die walking around outside. "But I wasn't working hard! I was just walking!" Yeah, you weren't doing yard work, but you still need to maintain core temp, and that means ejecting hot fluid from your overheating body and letting the wind strip the highest temperature molecules off first, which means you need cold water back in.

kenji666

Some workplaces do not allow shorts due to cut hazards (factory jobs).
We provide our assembly line workers with fans, Gatorade, and water.

Many folks drink sugary, carbonated, caffienated soft drinks which are diuretics, and don't drink enough water.

bluefoxicy

These people aren't dying at work; they're going out after work, showing up at the mall or something, and then experiencing heat fatigue or having a heat stroke.

Carbonated water runs out of your body too quick, as does caffeine. Sugar is good if you need sugar (i.e. an energy supplement), but better avoided if you aren't putting demands on your metabolism. Gatorade has a lot of sugar, but that's a good thing in its intended use; if your factory workers are getting a work-out, the sugar is probably good. If not so much, well, it's not bad, just it's excess.

Also, INSIDE your workplace it's not air conditioned? I suppose that would be massively cost prohibitive in factories with high amounts of heat. I wonder what the specific protection and cooling needs of a factory worker are... body armor for mountain bikers works pretty well over a base layer, but I imagine you need more something like Cordura cotton or thick Denim that resists cutting. Outer layers over a base layer need to allow for airflow ... hmm.

Interesting engineering problem ...

Possibly... some protective measures are inappropriate due to entanglement hazards ... but breathability can be achieved by a non-continuous overlapped middle layer and a containing third layer ... hmm... ideas....

Chris516

I just slammed into a wall shaped in the word 'DUH'(I should have thought of that). I wonder how much I can put in my CamelBak backpack.

tomg

transfer power-drinks TO you water bottle. if it doesn't all fit, drink the extra. H2o is good too!
stay hydrated!
t

CbadRider

Gatorade sport bottles FTW.

KD5NRH

Long before I got back to riding, I had the WalMart "DriStar" compression shirts for hot jobs. Still use them quite a bit actually.

tomg

transfer power-drinks TO you water bottle. if it doesn't all fit, drink the extra. H2o is good too!
stay hydrated!
t

Chris516

Looking back at my original reply to your response, are you saying not to use the CamelBak with 'any' kind of Gatorade?

MLKATO

They do make Gatorade in powder form. Works good for me. We had the mix at work for years and it done a good job.

slipknot0129

So what are you suppose to do to not get dehydrated? I just bring water with me.

Mr Gnome

https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...=#post12916635

The time has come, the Walrus said, to talk of many things:
of shoes and ships and sealing wax, of cabbages and kings,
and why the sea is boiling hot and whether pigs have wings.

CommuterRun

Drink water. Your electrolytes are fine if you eat a well balanced diet that suits your lifestyle. Sugary "sports" drinks are crap. Might as well drink soda or Kool-Aid. Cover up and keep the sun off. All my work is outdoors. I wear boots, long pants long sleeve shirt with an undershirt, hat and gloves. Cotton is fine. Once it soaks with sweat, the sweat evaporates to cool the body. High tech fabrics are all marketing gimmic.

meanwhile

If you use anything that bacteria can feed on then you have to clean your bladder and tube much more carefully. Is there a type of Gatorade that bacteria can't eat?

Anyway, the advantages of electrolyte drinks over pure water aren't enormous. Outside of a sporting event, I'd opt for water and a much lower chance of poisoning myself. I did messenger work in a Sydney (as in Australia) summer drinking nothing but water. And wearing a cotton T, come to think of it. Wicking fabrics are better, but cotton is anything but fatal. Some people are far too susceptible to advertising...

Jamesw2

I buy the powder in the can that makes 5 gal. it is about $9.00 and i am not adding to the land fill as much. Mix the strength you want. They also have packets that make a quart

Roustabout

I worked as an operator in the oil and gas fields of Texas for approximately 30 years. We always wore cotton whenever possible. I chose to wear long-sleeve cotton shirts due to sun exposure over the years (possible skin cancer potential). Also had to wear hard hat when around compressors, wellheads, etc. and I opted for hat with brim in back. Last few years the company made us wear flame-resistant clothing, both pants and shirts. No way to wick away moisture and extremely uncomfortable in both the winter and summer. Hydration during the summer consisted of staying ahead of the curve on fluid intake, electrolyte drinks available, and most important were frequent rest breaks. Gotta know when to say enough is enough. As far as employers go at work (as opposed to recreational activities), they would rather an employee take a short break to cool off than to have one of their workers have a serious health crisis and have to go thru an investigation from the company safety coordinators, plus also OSHA being on their backs.

irwin7638

I always use Gatorade in my water bottles. I keep a gallon dispenser mixed up in the fridge all the time.

Marc

genec

Careful now, there's a guy here from Colorado that will come on and tell you that long sleeve cotton shirts don't work in the heat and he's never heard of wearing such clothes in the heat.

I wore long sleeve cotton shirts when bike touring in the desert, in the summer. They worked quite well for me.

Flying Merkel

For hiking, I'll wear a light colored long sleeve cotton dress shirts. No problem with heat for the last 40 years. Love my Target house brand exercise wear for bike riding. Water and lots of it. Alcohol is for toasting the setting sun. Banana, raisins and nuts for sustenance.

Since I'm not a sponsored racer being paid multibux to ride in the heat, I try to avoid it as much as possible. Best tactic.

crhilton

Not to my knowledge, I believe all gatorade has sugar. But there are salt tabs, and those shouldn't offer any significant source of food for small organisms.

fuji86

When you ride is key, as close to sunrise & sunset. I wear the Nike dri-fit fabrics. A cotton t-shirt underneath, a soccer jersey on top. Loose fitting and stay with white or lighter colors. The darker may hide dirt & stains, but a black shirt may look "sexy, cool", but is infinitely hotter when a strong sun is the day.

DX-MAN

The 20oz. Gatorade sports bottle fits wonderfully in my bottle cage; been using it for about 4 years now, just get a new one (filled with Gatorade!) for $1 every couple months.

Standard, cage, BTW . . .