Sometimes, if you have been training seriously for a considerable amount of time, it's a very good idea to take some scheduled time off. Most people, unfortunately, don't actually schedule this. What happens is that people often just stop working out and slip back into old habits. However, if you plan a break ahead of time, it may give you just enough time to recuperate, rejuvenate and remotivate yourself to keep going!
I often find that when I train (myself and others) that if training is steady for a long period of time (3+ months at a time), exhaustion and boredom soon settle in. Sometimes, just changing the workout routine is all that is needed to keep the training spark alive, but often a scheduled time off is what your body is actually crying for!
Our body, mind and spirit need time to refresh. Having some time to get away from the hectic workout, work and stressful life situations can allow yourself the recovery your body needs to keep yourself on the path to true health and peace.
What happens with no breaks:
Athletes:
For the athletes who are constantly looking for progress, it's important to allow a certain amount of time off. Some physicians believe that the adrenal glands can become over-stimulated and create nervous system disorders if athletes don't take some good scheduled down-time. Anxiety and depression can result if the hardcore trainer doesn't take some time to relax. In addition to that, stress fractures and other strains and sprains can occur more often for the athletes who don't allow their body to recover.
General Public:
For the general public who does not train as hard as the athlete (5-6+ days/week), if you train 2-3x's week and consistently do that, it's also a good idea to have some scheduled time off. However, for most people, it's hard enough to develop the habit of working out regularly so you should be very careful with doing this. It's best to make sure there is a very specific start and end time of your break. However, after the break is over, it's very important to get right back on your training plan to make sure the habit is still there.
It is very important to make sure the time-off is "scheduled" because what often happens is that a person follows their plan for awhile until they start to notice boredom, lack of results, or fatigue and then they skip a day one week and then they'll skip 2 days the next week and then before you know it, it's been 6 months of vacation from the gym! It's important to give your body a break ahead of time, before it steals them from you and you end up off course!
How much time-off?
There really isn't a clear answer to this question. The best answer is a nice scheduled break with specific start and end times that allows yourself enough time to relax and recover. Everyone is different.
5% Time
However, for those math nerds out there like myself, I have noticed that if I take about 5% of the time off that I put into working out, I usually can keep myself going pretty steadily. For example, if I follow a very strict 12-week program that has me working out 6 days/week, that would be 72 days of working out. 5% of that time is 3.5 days (let's round up to 4 days, shall we?). So, after a hard 12-week training routine, I take 4 training days off (I make sure to schedule it). If I want a full week off from training (6 days off from any exercise), I usually will have just completed a 5-month training program (fairly typical for prep for a bodybuilding competition). In some ways, I kind of look at it like "earned time off" kind of like many employees get for their vacation time from work. :)
It's important to allow your body the time it needs to recover ahead of time instead of trying to steal time away from it. This way, you don't break your training discipline, you allow your body time to recover and you keep a bit of your sanity! :)
"Then Jesus said, 'Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.'" Matthew 11:28 NLT
Monday, August 24, 2009
Monday, August 17, 2009
Getting an "A" on your diet!
Finding the right balance between being in control and enjoying freedom can be one of the most frustrating aspects about staying on track with a diet plan. Often, we feel pulled to not limit ourselves and eat the tasty foods that we know won't really help us attain our goals. However, we don't want to be too strict and feel like we need to live in a box in order to achieve weight loss (or gain) results. There are several methods that may be helpful in allowing you to have freedom, yet keep you on course with your goals.
"Free Day"
Having a day during the week that allows you to eat the foods that you have been craving all week, might give you the freedom you were looking for. However, I would be very cautious on how you approach this day, if you plan to choose this route of enjoyment. Often, a "free day" really turns into a "binge day" where you eat any and all types of junk food that you may normally not even consider. This day, for many people, turns into a "Last Supper" mentality and many people find that they need to eat everything in sight because they have to wait another week before they can eat junk food again.
I was first introduced to the "Free Day" concept with the Body-For-Life program. A day during the week, you were supposed to pick as your day off and eat whatever you want. The thought process behind this is that after eating all the junk food, you would not want to eat junk food again because of how it made you feel. However, what I find it does is create binging and exercise bulimia mentalities. I personally didn't have that big of an issue with binge eating until I rigorously followed this plan.
This plan can work well for some. It works best if you enjoy 2-3 meals during that day off that you normally wouldn't eat, but keep it reasonable. Don't force feed yourself junk food, just because you are running out of daylight!
Be Reasonable Plan
This plan basically means that you can enjoy the foods that you like on a daily or most days basis, if you have a small portion and keep it to that. For example, if your favorite food is ice cream, have a serving (1/2 cup) at night, but no more than a serving.
This plan can work very well if you keep yourself full from all the healthier foods that tend to fill you up (like lean protein and high fiber foods). If however, you don't keep yourself full, or you skip meals, this plan may not satisfy you all that well. One small serving of your favorite food, may just lead you into another small serving and then another....
But, I think if you are a reasonable person, you should be able to do very well with this approach to diet planning. Eat a well balanced diet and keep treats small (wow, what a concept! :).
Get an "A" on your diet plan
This plan is about having a certain number meals that are on track versus not on track. For example, let's say you eat 6 meals each day. That means you eat 42 meals each week. Now, if you want to keep at least 90% of all your meals on track, you have to eat at least 38 good meals. However, that means that 4 of those meals can be off-track or "fun meals". These 4 meals can easily be up to 150% of what you would normally eat calorically and really not create any lasting weight issues. For example, if your normal meal is about 400 calories, then a "fun meal" might be up to 600 calories.
Of course following this plan requires keeping good track of calories, and your meal plans in general. This plan may work well for bodybuilders, but might be a bit impractical for the general public. However, it can work well for people who struggle with controlling their diet too much. If you find you need to stay on track and are very strict with your diet planning, this may be an opportunity to allow yourself to relax a little bit and not worry about being thrown off course.
However, be cautious that one "fun meal" doesn't turn into another and another and then it eventually turns into a "free day". This plan is still about being in control, but allowing yourself to relax a little bit.
My Recommendations
I personally like the "Get an "A" plan" the best because it allows me to stay in control, yet enjoy myself occasionally. I think for the general public, the "be reasonable plan" is probably the best. Keep treats small and eat a well balanced diet. For the more strict dieter, the "Getting an "A" plan" may work better. I personally don't recommend the "free day plan" to that many people, just because it sets the wrong mentality. Any day that has a "no holds barred" mentality can create a lot of problems for folks.
"So think clearly and exercise self-control. Look forward to the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world." 1 Peter 1:13(NLT)
"Free Day"
Having a day during the week that allows you to eat the foods that you have been craving all week, might give you the freedom you were looking for. However, I would be very cautious on how you approach this day, if you plan to choose this route of enjoyment. Often, a "free day" really turns into a "binge day" where you eat any and all types of junk food that you may normally not even consider. This day, for many people, turns into a "Last Supper" mentality and many people find that they need to eat everything in sight because they have to wait another week before they can eat junk food again.
I was first introduced to the "Free Day" concept with the Body-For-Life program. A day during the week, you were supposed to pick as your day off and eat whatever you want. The thought process behind this is that after eating all the junk food, you would not want to eat junk food again because of how it made you feel. However, what I find it does is create binging and exercise bulimia mentalities. I personally didn't have that big of an issue with binge eating until I rigorously followed this plan.
This plan can work well for some. It works best if you enjoy 2-3 meals during that day off that you normally wouldn't eat, but keep it reasonable. Don't force feed yourself junk food, just because you are running out of daylight!
Be Reasonable Plan
This plan basically means that you can enjoy the foods that you like on a daily or most days basis, if you have a small portion and keep it to that. For example, if your favorite food is ice cream, have a serving (1/2 cup) at night, but no more than a serving.
This plan can work very well if you keep yourself full from all the healthier foods that tend to fill you up (like lean protein and high fiber foods). If however, you don't keep yourself full, or you skip meals, this plan may not satisfy you all that well. One small serving of your favorite food, may just lead you into another small serving and then another....
But, I think if you are a reasonable person, you should be able to do very well with this approach to diet planning. Eat a well balanced diet and keep treats small (wow, what a concept! :).
Get an "A" on your diet plan
This plan is about having a certain number meals that are on track versus not on track. For example, let's say you eat 6 meals each day. That means you eat 42 meals each week. Now, if you want to keep at least 90% of all your meals on track, you have to eat at least 38 good meals. However, that means that 4 of those meals can be off-track or "fun meals". These 4 meals can easily be up to 150% of what you would normally eat calorically and really not create any lasting weight issues. For example, if your normal meal is about 400 calories, then a "fun meal" might be up to 600 calories.
Of course following this plan requires keeping good track of calories, and your meal plans in general. This plan may work well for bodybuilders, but might be a bit impractical for the general public. However, it can work well for people who struggle with controlling their diet too much. If you find you need to stay on track and are very strict with your diet planning, this may be an opportunity to allow yourself to relax a little bit and not worry about being thrown off course.
However, be cautious that one "fun meal" doesn't turn into another and another and then it eventually turns into a "free day". This plan is still about being in control, but allowing yourself to relax a little bit.
My Recommendations
I personally like the "Get an "A" plan" the best because it allows me to stay in control, yet enjoy myself occasionally. I think for the general public, the "be reasonable plan" is probably the best. Keep treats small and eat a well balanced diet. For the more strict dieter, the "Getting an "A" plan" may work better. I personally don't recommend the "free day plan" to that many people, just because it sets the wrong mentality. Any day that has a "no holds barred" mentality can create a lot of problems for folks.
"So think clearly and exercise self-control. Look forward to the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world." 1 Peter 1:13(NLT)
Monday, August 10, 2009
Post-Competition Blues -- The Darker Side of Competitions!
The weeks following a competition can be a real downer for a lot of bodybuilding competitors. It's a time when you can relax. However, after being so focused for such a long period of time (months to even years for some), it's hard to let go.
Many competitors spend multiple hours every day in the gym trying to burn off as much bodyfat as possible the weeks leading up to a competition. After the competition is over, it's definitely a time to celebrate and relax, however this can be challenging since you were just rewarded for not relaxing and not celebrating!
In fact, many members at the gym are encouraged and motivated by what you as a competitor have just accomplished! Now, with no competition to focus on, you want to relax but you don't want to either! You have become a quasi-gym star for all your hard work, yet you need to let your body rest and recover from all the stress you have put on it and allow yourself to regain some weight. This is where many potential disorders really start to make themselves apparent!
Exercise Bulimia
Many bodybuilding competitors struggle with this condition post-competition. Once a competition is over, many competitors still want to stay really lean to see all the muscle they have worked hard for, yet they want to indulge on all the foods they have been denying themselves. Episodes of binging often occur for many competitors. There are many reasons why binging occurs:
1) the body has been deprived for a prolonged period of time and physiologically needs more nutrients than you have been giving it
2) you eat foods that are absorbed quickly and spike your blood sugar (cakes, candy, donuts, etc, you know, "junk food"), therefore eating one will create a craving to eat another and another...
3) You mentally need a break! You have been so focused for months and now it's time to relax! So you tell yourself, "it's okay! You just worked your tail off to get your body into great shape. The competition is over and besides you can always do just a little more cardio to burn this off..." And that's where the danger lies!
Binging episodes often lead to feelings of depression, guilt and withdrawal from friends, family and social events. The only thing worse than a binging episode is trying to rectify the episode with exercise and/or vomiting!
An episode of binging often occurs when you feel really out of balance with life due to high emotions (could be: stress, anxiety, depression, happiness, etc). Our emotions can often act like a pendulum on a clock. If it's allowed to swing one way without too much resistance or extra force, than it will eventually even itself out and stay in rhythm. However, if you try to force the pendulum to go back in the other direction when it's not ready, it could create a much bigger emotional swing!
What I am getting at is that if you try to rectify a binging episode with lots of extra cardio, it:
1) tells yourself that it's okay to keep binging because you can correct it!
2) can cause an even bigger binging session later because of an increased pendulum momentum!
3) may actually cause physical harm through either the excessive cardio or GI problems from the binging episodes!
Recovering
I am not a therapist or counselor and if you feel this situation is out of control in your life, I would first recommend speaking with one. If you feel it hasn't reached that level yet, then this is what I would recommend starting with:
1st) Tell someone you trust! Discussing this issue brings light to your episodes and allows you to see a little more clearly what really is going on.
2nd) Allow yourself to rebalance. If (or when) another binging episode occurs, allow yourself to feel awful! Don't try to control the situation with more exercise. Allowing your body to process the junk food helps you remember why you don't want to feel this way. Feeling a little bloated for a day or two may help you remember in the future when you begin to eat a certain food that typically sets you off to not have as much.
3rd) Pray! God listens when you pray! He wants the best for you and He will find a way to help you with this situation! However, you never know how that help may appear until it does!
My Issues
The main reason why I am discussing this topic is because it has been an issue for me with just about every competition that I do. There is always a time (usually the first few weeks) after a competition where I find myself binge eating. I also tend to try to rectify theses episodes with lots of cardio. However, I have found that the more I try to force myself to keep my bodyfat down after a competition, the more I want to rebel at the same time! I have had binge eating episodes where I consume nearly 3000 calories of junk food within an hour and a half! Of course after doing something ridiculous like this, the next morning I would go run 10 miles trying to get rid of it. This of course would just set me up to do it again, because I know I can control (or at least I feel like I could control) the situation.
Doing this binge eating causes severe stress on my GI system. I have had severe heart burn, in fact it has been so bad that I have mistaken the symptoms for a heart attack a couple of times (chest pain, short of breath, dizziness, etc) and gone to the emergency room to find that I need lots of pepcid AC just because of all the crap I had been eating!
I have been able to get out of these habits by first allowing myself to feel like crud after an episode and humbling myself enough to not try to correct it. I also pray consistently for God's guidance and strength! After an episode or two without trying to control it, I begin to realize I can still eat the foods I like but I don't have to overdo it.
I realize that this subject can hit closer to home for some rather than others. Also, it can be a very serious issue for some and not others. I definitely don't want to make light of these disorders. In fact, if you find yourself binging and exercising to rectify it consistently, I would recommend speaking with a counselor sooner rather than later. This is not something you want to prolong in your life!
I have personally found that through prayer and accountability with someone who understands the seriousness of the situation, I have been able to overcome these issues. I pray you will find healing also if you are seeking it!
"Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done." Luke 22:42 (NASB)
Many competitors spend multiple hours every day in the gym trying to burn off as much bodyfat as possible the weeks leading up to a competition. After the competition is over, it's definitely a time to celebrate and relax, however this can be challenging since you were just rewarded for not relaxing and not celebrating!
In fact, many members at the gym are encouraged and motivated by what you as a competitor have just accomplished! Now, with no competition to focus on, you want to relax but you don't want to either! You have become a quasi-gym star for all your hard work, yet you need to let your body rest and recover from all the stress you have put on it and allow yourself to regain some weight. This is where many potential disorders really start to make themselves apparent!
Exercise Bulimia
Many bodybuilding competitors struggle with this condition post-competition. Once a competition is over, many competitors still want to stay really lean to see all the muscle they have worked hard for, yet they want to indulge on all the foods they have been denying themselves. Episodes of binging often occur for many competitors. There are many reasons why binging occurs:
1) the body has been deprived for a prolonged period of time and physiologically needs more nutrients than you have been giving it
2) you eat foods that are absorbed quickly and spike your blood sugar (cakes, candy, donuts, etc, you know, "junk food"), therefore eating one will create a craving to eat another and another...
3) You mentally need a break! You have been so focused for months and now it's time to relax! So you tell yourself, "it's okay! You just worked your tail off to get your body into great shape. The competition is over and besides you can always do just a little more cardio to burn this off..." And that's where the danger lies!
Binging episodes often lead to feelings of depression, guilt and withdrawal from friends, family and social events. The only thing worse than a binging episode is trying to rectify the episode with exercise and/or vomiting!
An episode of binging often occurs when you feel really out of balance with life due to high emotions (could be: stress, anxiety, depression, happiness, etc). Our emotions can often act like a pendulum on a clock. If it's allowed to swing one way without too much resistance or extra force, than it will eventually even itself out and stay in rhythm. However, if you try to force the pendulum to go back in the other direction when it's not ready, it could create a much bigger emotional swing!
What I am getting at is that if you try to rectify a binging episode with lots of extra cardio, it:
1) tells yourself that it's okay to keep binging because you can correct it!
2) can cause an even bigger binging session later because of an increased pendulum momentum!
3) may actually cause physical harm through either the excessive cardio or GI problems from the binging episodes!
Recovering
I am not a therapist or counselor and if you feel this situation is out of control in your life, I would first recommend speaking with one. If you feel it hasn't reached that level yet, then this is what I would recommend starting with:
1st) Tell someone you trust! Discussing this issue brings light to your episodes and allows you to see a little more clearly what really is going on.
2nd) Allow yourself to rebalance. If (or when) another binging episode occurs, allow yourself to feel awful! Don't try to control the situation with more exercise. Allowing your body to process the junk food helps you remember why you don't want to feel this way. Feeling a little bloated for a day or two may help you remember in the future when you begin to eat a certain food that typically sets you off to not have as much.
3rd) Pray! God listens when you pray! He wants the best for you and He will find a way to help you with this situation! However, you never know how that help may appear until it does!
My Issues
The main reason why I am discussing this topic is because it has been an issue for me with just about every competition that I do. There is always a time (usually the first few weeks) after a competition where I find myself binge eating. I also tend to try to rectify theses episodes with lots of cardio. However, I have found that the more I try to force myself to keep my bodyfat down after a competition, the more I want to rebel at the same time! I have had binge eating episodes where I consume nearly 3000 calories of junk food within an hour and a half! Of course after doing something ridiculous like this, the next morning I would go run 10 miles trying to get rid of it. This of course would just set me up to do it again, because I know I can control (or at least I feel like I could control) the situation.
Doing this binge eating causes severe stress on my GI system. I have had severe heart burn, in fact it has been so bad that I have mistaken the symptoms for a heart attack a couple of times (chest pain, short of breath, dizziness, etc) and gone to the emergency room to find that I need lots of pepcid AC just because of all the crap I had been eating!
I have been able to get out of these habits by first allowing myself to feel like crud after an episode and humbling myself enough to not try to correct it. I also pray consistently for God's guidance and strength! After an episode or two without trying to control it, I begin to realize I can still eat the foods I like but I don't have to overdo it.
I realize that this subject can hit closer to home for some rather than others. Also, it can be a very serious issue for some and not others. I definitely don't want to make light of these disorders. In fact, if you find yourself binging and exercising to rectify it consistently, I would recommend speaking with a counselor sooner rather than later. This is not something you want to prolong in your life!
I have personally found that through prayer and accountability with someone who understands the seriousness of the situation, I have been able to overcome these issues. I pray you will find healing also if you are seeking it!
"Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done." Luke 22:42 (NASB)
Monday, August 3, 2009
Balancing Electrolytes - A Deadly Game!
Your electrolyte balance in your body can have a dramatic impact on how you feel, how you look and whether or not you stay alive! Many bodybuilders often try to control their electrolytes as they approach a competition. Unfortunately, if these competitors aren't careful, it could turn into a life-threatening issue!
Electrolytes are essential molecules that the body needs to perform many functions. Without going into all of the boring details and chemistry of electrolytes (which I don't completely understand myself), I just want to address a few of the main electrolytes and their functions. If you have ever considered controlling electrolytes to control your weight, you may want to read through this before doing it again!
Sodium
Many people control sodium intake because of how it affects the body and its ability to hold onto water. People with heart disease typically follow a low sodium diet because it helps to decrease pressure on the heart. The higher the sodium intake, typically the higher potential blood pressure which could cause strain on the heart and blood vessels. However, not everyone is affected the same way from sodium. There are plenty of people that are not "salt-sensitive". Regardless of how much sodium these people consume, it doesn't appear to affect their blood pressure.
Regardless if you are "salt-sensitive" or not, once you consume a certain level of sodium for a prolonged period of time, your body grows accustomed to that amount and will often balance the amount of water it has. Any changes in sodium after it has been set at a certain level for awhile will usually produce a weight change (either up or down, depending on high levels or low levels of sodium). This is why bodybuilders (and other weight-based sport athletes) will typically decrease their sodium intake the last week before a competition. This will help to decrease the amount of water the body is holding onto during the last few days. Of course, if they drop sodium too soon, then their body will readjust to the lower level of sodium and conserve water. The downside of cutting sodium too low is the decrease in blood pressure. Some highly trained athletes may notice their blood pressure dropping especially with decreased sodium.
Low Sodium
Low blood pressure can lead to vital organs not receiving the oxygen it needs. People who experience low blood pressure may feel dizzy, pass out and may require hospitalization. If the brain doesn't receive enough oxygen, the brain may become damaged! This is definitely something to take seriously. I personally have felt the low blood pressure effects of decreased sodium intakes close to competition time. I often had to hold onto a desk or a pole whenever I stood up to make sure I didn't pass out! Kind of scary to think that I may have been just a few hundred milligrams of sodium away from needing serious medical attention!
High Sodium
Conversely, high sodium intake, as discussed above, can lead to significant water retention and increased blood pressure. "High" is a very relative term. You could have a "high" sodium intake of 2000mg (which is approximately 500mg below the recommended daily intake) if you have been following a 500mg sodium intake for 3 weeks! This is usually what happens to most bodybuilders following a competition. They follow a very restricted level of sodium intake and then dramatically increase it right after the show is over. What happens here is the body will dramatically hold onto the amount of water it has and if you consume more, it will hold onto that as well. If your sodium intake is very high (again relative to where it has been), you could experience edema, or swelling, in ankles, wrists and extremities. This is an indication that your body's cells are having significant issues holding onto the fluid it uses and is being sent out into surrounding tissues. It also means that your body is having a hard time getting rid of the built up fluid. Usually, with time your body should be able to filter out all the sodium. However, if the condition persists, it may lead into a more serious condition that may require medical attention.
One bodybuilding competitor had dehydrated herself and cut sodium completely from her diet for about a week leading up to a competition. After the show was over, she went out to party and drank 2 martini's and her legs began to swell up like a balloon! It became so bad that her left calf muscle lost oxygen from the swelling and had to be amputated! This is not something to play around with!
Potassium
Another electrolyte, potassium, is often controlled by athletes and especially bodybuilders because of the effects it might have on helping fluid balance and prevention of muscle cramps. Unfortunately, muscle cramping occurs for many different reasons and low potassium is often not what the issue is. For very active athletes (like competitive bodybuilders), a muscle cramp can occur just because they are so darn active! Just allowing the muscle to have a break, relax and stretch will help to reduce a lot of the cramps that are experienced. However, muscles can also cramp up when there is an electrolyte imbalance, but the occurrence is actually quite small. It is actually more common to have a cramp from a calcium and magnesium deficiency than potassium.
Also, consumption of more potassium helps to get rid of more sodium from the body. This is typically what most bodybuilding competitors do close to competition time. If a high potassium and low sodium diet is followed, an increased urine output occurs. This helps again to get rid of more water from the body, however the dangers of post-show horrors increase, as discussed above with dramatic shifts of increased sodium.
Now, if any of the above information hasn't made you at least think twice about contolling electrolytes, I hope this next bit of information will stop you dead in your tracks! Potassium at very high levels is lethal! In fact, it is SO lethal that it is used as a "lethal injection"! When an in-mate has done the worst deed of them all and he or she has received the death penalty, a lethal injection is administered and all that it is, is a very high dose of potassium! Potassium at very high levels (10,000+mg) will stop your heart!
My Recommendation
The best approach is to keep your body in balance! Regardless of competitions or not. The more steady you are with your electrolytes, the less of an issue you will have after any competition that you do.
For bodybuilders and would-be competitors, I would recommend just focus on decreasing your bodyfat through proper diet and cardiovascular exercise and not worry about the water loss through electrolytes. If you bring your body-fat percentage down far enough, the last little few ounces of water that you might have on your body won't make that big of a difference! In fact, by keeping a healthy flow of water through your body during a competition, you will be able to pump your muscles more effectively than the other dehydrated competitors. In addition to that, you will be able to healthfully celebrate your victory afterwards and truly not worry about killing yourself! :-)
"Honest scales and balances are from the LORD; all the weights in the bag are of his making." Proverbs 16:11 (New International Version)
Electrolytes are essential molecules that the body needs to perform many functions. Without going into all of the boring details and chemistry of electrolytes (which I don't completely understand myself), I just want to address a few of the main electrolytes and their functions. If you have ever considered controlling electrolytes to control your weight, you may want to read through this before doing it again!
Sodium
Many people control sodium intake because of how it affects the body and its ability to hold onto water. People with heart disease typically follow a low sodium diet because it helps to decrease pressure on the heart. The higher the sodium intake, typically the higher potential blood pressure which could cause strain on the heart and blood vessels. However, not everyone is affected the same way from sodium. There are plenty of people that are not "salt-sensitive". Regardless of how much sodium these people consume, it doesn't appear to affect their blood pressure.
Regardless if you are "salt-sensitive" or not, once you consume a certain level of sodium for a prolonged period of time, your body grows accustomed to that amount and will often balance the amount of water it has. Any changes in sodium after it has been set at a certain level for awhile will usually produce a weight change (either up or down, depending on high levels or low levels of sodium). This is why bodybuilders (and other weight-based sport athletes) will typically decrease their sodium intake the last week before a competition. This will help to decrease the amount of water the body is holding onto during the last few days. Of course, if they drop sodium too soon, then their body will readjust to the lower level of sodium and conserve water. The downside of cutting sodium too low is the decrease in blood pressure. Some highly trained athletes may notice their blood pressure dropping especially with decreased sodium.
Low Sodium
Low blood pressure can lead to vital organs not receiving the oxygen it needs. People who experience low blood pressure may feel dizzy, pass out and may require hospitalization. If the brain doesn't receive enough oxygen, the brain may become damaged! This is definitely something to take seriously. I personally have felt the low blood pressure effects of decreased sodium intakes close to competition time. I often had to hold onto a desk or a pole whenever I stood up to make sure I didn't pass out! Kind of scary to think that I may have been just a few hundred milligrams of sodium away from needing serious medical attention!
High Sodium
Conversely, high sodium intake, as discussed above, can lead to significant water retention and increased blood pressure. "High" is a very relative term. You could have a "high" sodium intake of 2000mg (which is approximately 500mg below the recommended daily intake) if you have been following a 500mg sodium intake for 3 weeks! This is usually what happens to most bodybuilders following a competition. They follow a very restricted level of sodium intake and then dramatically increase it right after the show is over. What happens here is the body will dramatically hold onto the amount of water it has and if you consume more, it will hold onto that as well. If your sodium intake is very high (again relative to where it has been), you could experience edema, or swelling, in ankles, wrists and extremities. This is an indication that your body's cells are having significant issues holding onto the fluid it uses and is being sent out into surrounding tissues. It also means that your body is having a hard time getting rid of the built up fluid. Usually, with time your body should be able to filter out all the sodium. However, if the condition persists, it may lead into a more serious condition that may require medical attention.
One bodybuilding competitor had dehydrated herself and cut sodium completely from her diet for about a week leading up to a competition. After the show was over, she went out to party and drank 2 martini's and her legs began to swell up like a balloon! It became so bad that her left calf muscle lost oxygen from the swelling and had to be amputated! This is not something to play around with!
Potassium
Another electrolyte, potassium, is often controlled by athletes and especially bodybuilders because of the effects it might have on helping fluid balance and prevention of muscle cramps. Unfortunately, muscle cramping occurs for many different reasons and low potassium is often not what the issue is. For very active athletes (like competitive bodybuilders), a muscle cramp can occur just because they are so darn active! Just allowing the muscle to have a break, relax and stretch will help to reduce a lot of the cramps that are experienced. However, muscles can also cramp up when there is an electrolyte imbalance, but the occurrence is actually quite small. It is actually more common to have a cramp from a calcium and magnesium deficiency than potassium.
Also, consumption of more potassium helps to get rid of more sodium from the body. This is typically what most bodybuilding competitors do close to competition time. If a high potassium and low sodium diet is followed, an increased urine output occurs. This helps again to get rid of more water from the body, however the dangers of post-show horrors increase, as discussed above with dramatic shifts of increased sodium.
Now, if any of the above information hasn't made you at least think twice about contolling electrolytes, I hope this next bit of information will stop you dead in your tracks! Potassium at very high levels is lethal! In fact, it is SO lethal that it is used as a "lethal injection"! When an in-mate has done the worst deed of them all and he or she has received the death penalty, a lethal injection is administered and all that it is, is a very high dose of potassium! Potassium at very high levels (10,000+mg) will stop your heart!
My Recommendation
The best approach is to keep your body in balance! Regardless of competitions or not. The more steady you are with your electrolytes, the less of an issue you will have after any competition that you do.
For bodybuilders and would-be competitors, I would recommend just focus on decreasing your bodyfat through proper diet and cardiovascular exercise and not worry about the water loss through electrolytes. If you bring your body-fat percentage down far enough, the last little few ounces of water that you might have on your body won't make that big of a difference! In fact, by keeping a healthy flow of water through your body during a competition, you will be able to pump your muscles more effectively than the other dehydrated competitors. In addition to that, you will be able to healthfully celebrate your victory afterwards and truly not worry about killing yourself! :-)
"Honest scales and balances are from the LORD; all the weights in the bag are of his making." Proverbs 16:11 (New International Version)
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