BALANCE- It is EVERTHING! By Joyceann Musel-Winn

How many times have you asked yourself, “Can I stay on the beam?” or “Can I stick the landing?” We are challenged with “BALANCE” in many ways in our daily lives How about thirst? Thirst is our body’s signal that we need some fluids to replenish the water in our cells. When we sweat, our body loses water and the electrolytes, leaving us thirsty. So then the body sends out a message to “PLEASE GIVE ME A DRINK OF SOMETHING!” We may think, Coke? Milkshake? Water or sport drink, yeah that will do. We stayed on course. Hello, “BALANCE.”

In an article on athletes and drinks, Drs. Brook Carlsen and Edmund Marek give an experiment to do. They recommend to get a stalk of wilted celery (leave it out over-night). The next day, put it in some water with food coloring. You will see the process of osmosis, the same process that a cell will use to put water back into your cells. When we sweat, our body loses water through the skin. During dehydration, the electrolytes (sodium and potassium—our body salts) leave through the cell membrane into the fluids surrounding the cell. This creates an imbalance, so our body tries to correct it with signals of thirst.

Some pediatricians say that water is the best choice for fluid replacement. However, sports drinks can be consumed if you are engaging in prolonged vigorous activity and really sweating. Recently, research has shown that mineral water is a healthy choice for athletes because it does not have caffeine or glucose. Also, be careful with energy drinks; they are often loaded with sugar and caffeine, resulting in high calories. They can provide short-term energy; but remember, what goes up will come crashing down. The caffeine effect can last 2 to 10 hours and can disturb your sleep, make you nervous, and even give you a stomachache. Also, drinks like sodas and milkshakes take longer to digest and will not be as effective as water for relieving your thirst. Stick with water or mineral water to quench your thirst and rehydrate. Studies show that being dehydrated can result in less mental sharpness and cause you to feel more tired.  So rehydrate for a better skin, better blood flow to the brain, and peak performance on the BALANCE beam.

It is all about BALANCE!

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Joyceann Musel-Winn is a PhD student in the Department of Health Studies at TWU. She has 25 years of experience in healthcare, including clinical genomics.