Care of the Equipment---Electrolytes & Revgear
When I was getting my black belt, one of my single biggest problems was "recovery time" after classes. I resolved at the time, to learn about nutrition and to speak to some knowledgeable people to figure out what might help. Well, many article and discussions later, no lights had gone on in my head. I continued to drink lots of water and to feel terrible the day after a major workout.
But, this past weekend. I was in Running Wild buying new running shoes (great store, they really take the time to match you up with the right shoes) and I was asking questions about nutrition and recovery. One store guy asked: "Do you sweat a lot when you work out?".
The answer is that I do. More than anybody else. Dramatically so. He then connected the dots for me and said that I should make a special point of drinking electrolyte drinks right after working out. For most people, short of a 10K or half marathon, it's unimportant but in my case, it made sense (and connected with some other issues that I won't discuss on the blog).
Since then, I drink up after each class and I feel a lot better. Note that since I'm also trying to keep my weight at a reasonable level, I'm careful to be consuming drinks that have low or no calories. I've looked carefully at the sports drinks available at our dojo and the sugar content varies dramatically.
I thought I would also mention a related "care of the equipment" issue. As someone who has a powerful cooling system (eg I sweat), I needed to learn how to keep my sparring gear decent. My current program is that as soon I get home, I bring it into the air conditioning and lay it out in front of a fan for a day. This totally dries it out. The few times when I've left it in the non-air conditioned garage or the car, I had to basically junk it and buy new stuff. Just a tip for some of you who haven't found a way yet.
I'd appreciate more hints on any of these "Care of the Equipment" subjects.
But, this past weekend. I was in Running Wild buying new running shoes (great store, they really take the time to match you up with the right shoes) and I was asking questions about nutrition and recovery. One store guy asked: "Do you sweat a lot when you work out?".
The answer is that I do. More than anybody else. Dramatically so. He then connected the dots for me and said that I should make a special point of drinking electrolyte drinks right after working out. For most people, short of a 10K or half marathon, it's unimportant but in my case, it made sense (and connected with some other issues that I won't discuss on the blog).
Since then, I drink up after each class and I feel a lot better. Note that since I'm also trying to keep my weight at a reasonable level, I'm careful to be consuming drinks that have low or no calories. I've looked carefully at the sports drinks available at our dojo and the sugar content varies dramatically.
I thought I would also mention a related "care of the equipment" issue. As someone who has a powerful cooling system (eg I sweat), I needed to learn how to keep my sparring gear decent. My current program is that as soon I get home, I bring it into the air conditioning and lay it out in front of a fan for a day. This totally dries it out. The few times when I've left it in the non-air conditioned garage or the car, I had to basically junk it and buy new stuff. Just a tip for some of you who haven't found a way yet.I'd appreciate more hints on any of these "Care of the Equipment" subjects.
del.icio.usLabels: electrolytes, nutrition, revgear, sparring gear
posted by BBat50 | 6:57 AM
5 Comments:
Since you said you've already researched what drinks containing electrolytes had few, if no,calories, can you give me some recommendations on those? That would be an issue for me as well. Keep up the great work - love your blog!
Great site! I really enjoyed some of the posts from when you were getting ready for your BB test. I train in Tae Kwon Do and it's very interesting to see the differences in the katas and curriculum. It seems that you are required to learn quite a few Kempo, XMA, and even weapons katas. I read on one of your older posts that you stripe tested once per month on your curriculum. Does that mean that you learned each of your katas and self-defense moves in a month?! Sometimes it takes me several months just to memorize a single kata! Best of luck on your continued training.
OK - I'll check my notes on the drinks (they're at home and I'm travelling).
Kata - There is monthly testing for those who are ready. In the early belts, people get promoted to a new stripe about once every three months (assuming good attendence and fitness). Around green, its gets less formulistic.
To care for my Muay Thai gloves, I use baby powder on the insides to help keep the odor down, as well as a fan to help dry them. I use an antibacterial wipe to clean the outside surface.
You can get "glove dogs" for your gloves to absorb odor and sweat. Glove Dogs are little cloth sacks that are filled with absorbent material.
Here is an example:
http://www.karatedepot.com/bx-gl-99.html
Or you can do a web search for "glove dogs" and you'll find some places that carry them.
If you're concerned about calories I would recommend Gatorade G2 which is widely available at many grocery stores. It has electrolytes but not the calories of regular Gatorade.
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