Flyingsquid |
08-14-04 12:09 AM |
Caffiene & Hydration
Looking for advice & input.... I hit a bit of a wall lately & have come to the conclusion that I may not be hydrating enough. A few weeks back I went through a week long period where I was having trouble sleeping, elevated heart-rate,etc... I kind of thought it might be over-training, but after doing some research on the subject, I have came to the concluson that it was likely dehydration.
My question is this - I have a fairly heavy Diet Pepsi habit. I realize that DP is a diuretic, but how much could that be contributing to my hydration problem? I have been trying HARD the last week or so to drink more water & less DP. Does the DP still counteract the benefits of the water I'm drinking? Should I be able to keep my beloved DP (within reason) as long as I'm adding more water to my daily regimen? I know that there are a lot of roadies that are big coffee drinkers - I can think of one that has even won the TDF, so I know that caffiene is not some forbidden substance or anything. Up until last week I was a guy that basically got all his water from Fruit, DP & the bottle(s) that I would bring with me while riding. I'm embarrassed to admit that up until this year, it was DP in the water bottle as well (but no more). I have realized that since I have ramped up my riding to 300+ miles a week, I need to pay closer attention to nutrition,etc... just finished the Chris Carmichael book & it even opened my eyes more to some of these issues. I kept waiting for Chris to get to the part that preached about excess caffiene,but he never really went there. Any ideas, opinions or input appreciated.
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