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June 28, 2009
Staying Hydrated -- and Black Bean Nacho Coleslaw
You don't need a CR blog to tell you the importance of staying hydrated, especially in this weather. I don't know what it's like where you are, but it's been 90 degrees here and quite humid. It's my favorite kind of weather... I grew up in North Carolina so the summers here in Philly rarely bother me at all, and I despise winter.
A lot of people, myself included, don't really notice when we're not drinking enough fluids until the problem gets pretty bad. Thirst isn't a good indicator, as it seems one is often not thirsty enough. I notice that when I'm dehydrated, I get symptoms that one wouldn't necessarily realize are connected, like a headache, fatigue, irritability (no, I'm not naturally that way!) and puffy eyes/face, as well as more pronounced circles under my eyes and a bit of tightness in the skin right under the eyes.
Taking Bikram (hot) yoga at Steamtown Yoga in Scranton really brought home the dehydration issue to me. I probably hadn't had enough water in advance of the class -- they recommend drinking 3 liters of water the day before you take a class, and one liter in the hour in advance, as well as an entire liter during class. I was so dehydrated after class that I found myself thinking, "If I need IV fluids, at least I know all the nurses at the hospital!" Of course after drinking more water I felt fine, but I really noticed the immediate symptoms of dehydration. They say that your first three classes are the hardest and then you adjust to the heat and it gets much easier. I found the class very challenging but I really liked it, and I felt so much better afterwards that I was determined to come back as soon as possible. This time I'm going to drink enough in advance, and I'm hoping to go to class tomorrow at 9 am in Scranton (hitting the road at 4:30 am for meetings starting at 7, but hopefully I'll make it to class between meetings!) so right now I'm working my way through a 1.5 liter bottle of iced white tea.
One of the unexpected benefits of Bikram yoga that I experienced right away was a dramatic improvement in my skin. I looked like I'd had a facial, and the benefit continued all through the day I took class and throughout the following day. If you were to practice three times a week, you could stay in a continuous state of looking like you just emerged from the spa -- all for $15 a class instead of $90 or more for a facial! Pretty good deal!
I loved Bikram, but it was really, really hard. I don't think I'd recommend it to anyone who hasn't already taken some yoga or practiced another kind of hard physical discipline. I felt like I was going to die at certain points in the class, and I've been practicing for over a year. The room is 105 degrees with 60% humidity, and it causes you to pour what seems like gallons of sweat. It's amazingly cleansing though, like a 90 minute detox. I noticed that my body felt after one Bikram class the way it feels after about four days in a row of my regular vinyasa flow classes, and those are not easy classes. It's awesome. If you haven't tried it and you're in pretty good shape and not afraid to feel some discomfort at first, give it a shot. For the rest of your life you may find yourself thinking, when confronted with a challenging situation: "Hey, at least I'm not in a 105 degree room!"
It's so much easier to stick to my calorie goals now that I'm no longer locked in a conference room with high calorie food. Even in spite of several going out and celebrating post-campaign events, I'm still losing weight again, and have been back at yoga almost every day this week. I'm investigating yoga studios in the places I travel to, and it's fun to practice in different locations and different styles of yoga. I bought a beautiful mat bag, and it encourages me to take my mat with me when I hit the road.
Here's a quick recipe for a hot summer day:
Black Bean Nacho Coleslaw
2 parts green cabbage, 1 part red cabbage, chopped
1/2 cup black beans (canned is fine)
Cider vinegar
Cumin, garlic and chili powder
Nonfat cheddar cheese, shredded, 2 oz
2 tablespoons store-bought taco sauce, I used Ortega
2 tablespoons nonfat sour cream
Mix up, serve cold. You could even top with a dash or two of your favorite hot sauce. It's what happens when my potluck favorite, Nonfat Nacho Black Bean Dip, makes friends with the cabbage in the fridge.
Off to yoga... happy Sunday to all!
Posted by april at June 28, 2009 6:09 AM
Comments
I adore hot yoga. If you're on the road and would like to try a different style from Bikram, I highly recommend Baron Baptiste. I attend his studio in Boston and it's absolutely amazing: http://www.baronbaptiste.com/.
Posted by: Sarah at June 29, 2009 7:26 AM