Mukund
Hi this is Mukund and Rob from pedalmyway.com. Today we are talking about hydration and how to be safe while on a bike ride during a hot day like today actually. Rod, it’s kind of hot where you are, right?

Rob
Yeah, it’s uh, it’s been half of the last few days. So this is the perfect time to talk about hydration and uh. What you need to stay hydrated for sure.

Mukund
Man, where I am, it’s like 100 degrees Fahrenheit, I think where you are like 35 something. 35 Celsius and humid.

Rob
Yeah, I’m. I’m on the Canadian side of the border. So we go in Celsius, but yeah, it’s it’s hot in. Whatever language you speak.

Mukund
Man, yeah, so I know you play sports, rob, right? So you play soccer, you go a lot of hike. You have a dog as well. What do you do?

Rob
Yeah. So. You know there’s. No. Uh, real time to uh, sort of stop these activities, even during the summer, because during the winter you can’t do a lot of these things. So you know you’ve got to sort of hydrate and make sure that you take care of yourself during the warm weather as well. Generally I play. Soccer, but twice a week I try to, at least obviously. You’ve got to sort of plan ahead for that kind of thing. So I’m trying to sort of. Make sure that I get a lot of. Get ready with a lot of water when I’m playing soccer and I take about a litre or two of water with me so you know, that’s kind of how I prepare. I know that when you’re. Playing you’ve also got to take breaks, so obviously I take quite a few breaks when we’re playing as well. So we’ll take a water break, especially when it’s over 30 degrees Celsius. We take a break probably every 1015 minutes when we’re playing. So you know these are the kind of things we got to think about when you, when you’re playing soccer at least.

Mukund
So it’s an open ground, right? It’s not a covered stadium kind of a situation, it’s an.

Rob
Open ground. Yeah, we play well. We play is just sort of an open field and there’s not a lot of shade. Not a lot of coverage there. It’s all just open, open to the sun, open to the elements. So is you’ve got to sort of. Make sure that you stop playing quite. Or at least plan ahead to stop playing every 10-15 minutes so that because you do a lot of sprinting, a lot of running towards the ball at speed when you’re playing soccer, you’re not always thinking like, hey, I’ve got a I’ve got to stop in like 5 minutes because I’ve got to rehydrate. You just sort of thinking about the game. So you’ve got to plan ahead when you’re playing these kind of things and.

Mukund
Right.

Rob
And trying to make sure the. You everyone on the field, everyone involved in the game is is sort of understanding of what, what, what the plan is and what you’ve got to to do to stay safe in the heat.

Mukund
Wow. And what do you do you take? Anything before or after. To kind of get back energy levels.

Rob
In terms of energy levels, I usually do. Take a an energy drink like I’ll try to do. A sort of a a high electrolyte drink like a. Gatorade or something like that to make sure that. You’ve just got enough of a. A salt intake as well as water intake. You’ve got your electrolytes up so that you’re not constantly running out of energy. Especially like I said, with these high high Sprint sports like soccer, you’ve really got to consider both hydration and your salts and muscle levels as well. Your muscle energy levels. So that’s another consideration that.

Mukund
Right.

Rob
You’re going to have to make when the temperature gets as high as it has. Been the last few days.

Mukund
So you take when you say electrolytes like Gatorade kind. Of a thing.

Rob
Yeah, Gatorade. There’s nothing, nothing, nothing. Uh, in addition to that, really, I try to keep it simple because obviously if you’re running around for an hour an hour and a half. In the heat, you don’t want to tax your body too much with too many complex things. So yeah, Gatorade is one of my go TOS for keeping energy levels going and then obviously just mixing it up with water while we’re. Actually playing for.

Mukund
Oh, nice. And what is the? How do you work it out or what? What breed is it, by the way? I mean, I was asking about your darling. What? What breed is the dog? I’m sure you had a you. You mentioned that you would go walking with. The dog every day home.

Rob
Well, yeah. Yeah. So. My my dog is a he’s a border collie lab and he’s about a year old and he has all the energy in the world. So as a dog owner you kind of have to make sure that. Especially when it’s hot like this, make sure a that you’re allowing the dog to sort of like. Having not as much water as possible whenever they need it inside and outside, but also like he, he’ll just. Run for hours if if he. If he wants to like he he could run for hours but you have to sort of like make sure that he’s not just going crazy and just. You know he’ll see another dog and just run for it, even regardless of how hard it is, he. Could he could keep going? So we. We try to sort of bring water with us whenever we go out and. Force him to take breaks as much as possible.

Mukund
Nice. Nice. Well, if you had to be safe. So what else do you do in the summer? Drop outside to prevent yourself from getting overheated or?

Rob
I also I go on a lot of runs. I I’m I’m pretty big on running right now I. Sort of. Try to run about 5-10 KA week to a.

Mukund
Oh, nice. Wow.

Rob
Do a few a few runs outside, but depending on like if if it’s too hot then really. You’ve got to consider also the the negative aspect of just. Trying to do a long distance running in the heat. Sometimes it can get too hot, but recently I’ve been trying to do it when it’s about 25 Celsius to about 30. I’ll go out for a run like a 5K. I will take water with me when I do that, I’ll just take a bottle of water that’ll hold with me. I know there are hydration packs and things like that you can do as. So they’re they’re they’re obviously a great option if you know you want to keep your hands free for, you know, if you’ve got a device with you, like you listening to music or whatever you want to keep your hands free for, that your hydration pack. But you take a bottle of water with me and then go for a run. And yeah, probably like a. Maybe 500 miles to a liter of water on a 5K run. And that generally that will sustain me for the whole. The whole time, and obviously once you get back, you’ve also gotta make sure that you stay hydrated because you’re not just, you’ll sweat out a lot of the water that you took in on your on your run. If you, especially if you’re going for a 10K15K if you get up to that level, you’re obviously going to sweat out a lot of the. The liquid that you take in during your runs, you’ve got to make sure that your pre and post run or pre and post sport sort of schedule takes into consideration like how how your body reacts to the heat during the exercise, right?

Mukund
Right. Yeah. So you can cycle cycling, right, so. I do like 2530 miles loops around my house on the road or or take it off road sometimes. Humidity is the worst factor because you lose a whole lot of water while sweating. Yeah, and you drink water to quench your thirst and it just stays on you. So that’s the worst feeling. I’m sure you while running. This is the same same issue you face as well.

Rob
100%.

Mukund
So I kind of take 2 bottles, 2 water bottles, the cycling bottles on on the bike. Sometimes that’s not enough, so I had to mix. It with that for. Life, like you said, it’s crucial to replace. The salts. Replenish the energy levels from the sugar. And also eating is crucial because that’s what gives you the energy to run through in your case, or to cycle through back home. Right.

Rob
What kind of thing are you eating before a before a bike ride to keep? Your energy levels up.

Mukund
So I tried. I don’t do fats or heavy thing like a meal. Obviously not like, you know, like lunch. Like a quick sandwich, my favorite is Goto is a peanut butter and Nutella sandwich or two slices of or bread or banana, but plenty of water. Starting from the night before. If I’m going on an early morning ride or you know, throughout the day if it’s an evening ride.

Rob
Oh yeah.

Mukund
And coming back, I have a protein drink that I pre mix at home and I keep it so that that kind of gives me the protein I need because I’ll be losing it to get back to get to give the muscles some energy back.

Rob
OK.

Mukund
That comes mixed with some carbs as well, so it kind of hits both both the protein and. The carbs and. It’s also a little more easier to digest because it’s not a complex carb kind of a thing, so it is easy for the body to digest and get energy quickly. It has worked for me the past so many years.

Mukund
So that’s what I do before and after I know if you answered the question, but.

Rob
Yeah. No, that’s that’s perfect. No, I was just wondering because like you said, you were going on 25K bike rides that that to me said like, especially if you’re going uphill, right and? You’re putting a.

Mukund
Excuse me, that is 25 miles. So miles is bigger. I’m just kidding.

Rob
Right. Yeah. Yeah. So what is that 40K or something? Like that, right?

Mukund
Yeah, something like that. Yeah. 1.6. Yeah.

Rob
I’ve gotta do. All the American to Canadian conversions as I go, I’m getting pretty good. Yeah. So that I mean. That kind of thing too, when you’re on your bike, do you take? How do you carry the foods and the drinks? What do you use when you’re when you’re on your bike? Do you have like a backpack? With you, how does?

Mukund
That work, so on road bike you don’t. I don’t actually have anything on the bike like 10 years or any bike bags. So I just take take take a banana in my back pocket on my jersey. That comes the shirt you wear. I just. I just take a piece of fruit or an energy bar that’s going to sustain me throughout the ride. I know the route which which I take before you know any. Any pit stops, like any convenience store to fill up on Gateway, for example if needed because I have bombed before and bumped a few times, my body had just given up. So what really happens is that if you have felt it while running. The boy just just shuts down. You’re just alive. You you can function, but you can’t put stress on it like cycling or anything. It just it just won’t happen. So sometimes I have to call home, you know, get a ride, call a friend to come and pick me up. It has happened to me. So that’s why I’m able to. That’s why I’m kind of careful in planning my meals around cycling, especially in today’s weather.

Mukund
So yeah, so that’s your question. What do I take with me, either a piece of? Banana for a quick. Energy fix that’s also going to kind of. Replenish the salts. A few of the energy bars and also one bottle of water and one bottle with Gatorade just for, you know, the balance of salts. And energy. But the but I. But pre and post writing, at least for me personally, has helped a lot because that’s what is going to get me in shape during the ride because I can’t go and hungry and I can’t come back with no food. So I need to I need to plant both I’m sure. It’s the same with you too.

Rob
Yeah, you said that you would. There was a point when you were on your bike ride that you noticed you couldn’t. Go on. And you had a friend pick you up. What was the like? What? What was that experience? What did you feel where you just decided that that was you couldn’t go any further? Is that something people got watch for? Like what? What kind of symptoms are people looking at when their body is dehydrated?

Mukund
So this is something that’s hard to describe, but people have gone through and I’m sure a lot of them have without realizing what they are going through.

Rob
Right.

Mukund
So what happens is. Now that I think back, or rather after the fact that happened, I go back and thought about what I did wrong was I did not have enough pre write nutrition in. I was in a rush to get out to get my weekly miles in that I didn’t consume much that day. Before the ride and I had not taken. Any food with me? The combination of those two kind of hit me hard and that’s what created what’s called as *******, where you have no energy to go. Go on and you just like you. Know slug through the ride for the all the way home, or in my case, I had to call because I was. I couldn’t even throw up. So it was so tiring and I was just shut down. You know it. I know, you know. Say, when you do a heavy Sprint for an extended amount of time, right. And when you stop, you are in a state where you are about to throw, but you can’t throw up. You know, I don’t know if you’ve been there, but I have been there. During my workouts. So it’s a very uncomfortable state, which you cannot really describe, but that’s a complete shutdown of your body where you’re just like baselining. You know, your your life to get back into. So that’s the end of.

Rob
So that’s when you you go to such an extreme that you got literally have. No energy levels left for your body to to exert its natural functions.

Mukund
Exactly. Yeah, that’s at least what I went through. This is similar with everybody. But of course, you know, everybody’s specific case is different, but this kind of a similar experience that I’ve heard from. Other writers as well.

Rob
That’s interesting. Like I I don’t think I’ve ever gone to that length of exertion. I’ve probably got to got close and and decided that was enough, but I usually what happens is. If I found this too in team Sports where you don’t want to let your team down, you tend to overexert yourself more. For me, at least, that’s what happens if I’m playing a solo sport. Tennis, badminton, racquetball, racquet sports in general. I I know when to stop. I know when my bodies had too much. I can stop for water. Get hydrated, get food, whatever I need. But in a team sport you can’t really. The you you have, whether it’s soccer and you have 10 other people, sort of depending on you in your position or you know it’s whatever, it’s basketball and you have the same issue. You’ve got your people on the court that are looking to you to play. I always find it very difficult to stop, and that’s when I’m more likely to overexert myself and there’s going to be problems.

Mukund
So have you. You said that, I mean it’s a good thing that you’re not felt what I went through, but what is the closest or the worst experience you’ve had when you overexcited yourself?

Rob

Uhm, I think it’s mostly. For me, it was the the most recent one that comes to mind was when I was playing soccer about a year ago and. I was trying to. We were playing with younger people, we were playing with the people that were in their teenage years like early 20s and we were trying to sort of like keep up with their energy levels, levels guys as guys in our 30s. And I remember all or everybody looking on the team to sort of like, you know, we’ve got a really pick up our energy levels. We’ve got to keep playing. We got to keep going and it was around this time of year, it was probably actually was probably in June of last year. We were trying to sort. Of play as hard and as physical. The strongest possible and to keep going and I think we were playing by about a for about an hour straight at one point.

Mukund
Was it like a like a competition? Kind of a match or a friendly match?

Rob
It was just it really. In theory it was just a friendly match. But you know, you know what? It play you get to a point where people everyone wants to win even a friendly match, right. So we were sort of like all playing and.

Mukund
Right.

Rob
Yeah, I just, I remember it was probably about 35 degrees Celsius, so it was probably humid. It was still, it was in the evening. So it wasn’t as warm as it could have been during the day. But I remember I had to stop at one point because I I couldn’t see straight. I felt dizzy. I felt I felt as if I was going to pass out. I didn’t, but I had to sort of stop and realize, like, hang on a second. You’re not 19 anymore. You can’t just keep going. Your body says your body will give you a clue or a few clues, and you probably should listen to it after at least the first couple.

Mukund
I think that’s that actually, that’s close to what I experienced as well. What he just said in terms of what he just like stops you know, so that’s what kind of kind of happened.

Rob
Yeah. And you can sort of try to go mind over matter. I know like you, you hear about, you know, all those ultra marathon guys, right that are running. Whatever it is, 100 miles or where, whatever they’re doing, whatever distance they’re doing over a series of days and they, you know, they run for five 6-7 hours a day, probably longer. But that that involves not only. You know, mental toughness. They they train for for weeks and weeks and weeks and they they they you know, they they plan ahead in terms of the foods that they’re gonna consume. They don’t. Just like they don’t just grab their bike and go or grab a ball and go or put on their running gear and go. These are sort of these are. Scheduled events that have to happen. You can’t. You’ve got to sort of planning for me is the most important element of any sort of. Event like that if you want to get the best results from your training, you’ve got to plan your for how your body is going to react during that event and make sure that you you get ahead of any particular problem you’re going to face, whether it’s, you know, low light and you need lighting or it’s. You know, it’s a, you know your your muscles cramping up and you need salt. Whatever. Whatever the potential issue is, you’ve really gotta plan ahead and make sure you’re doing things in the right way so that you can avoid. Basically screwing up your plans in the future because any sort of problem you have is going to stop. You from training for for. Weeks. If you really hurt yourself, right? So I I’m. I’m just sort of. The more the older I get the the more important I find these sort of pre planning rituals are.

Mukund
Right, right. Yeah. And the older I. Get the more I’m realizing that not as as fast as I used. To be on the bike so.

Rob
Yeah, well, that too. That too. Everything goes a little slower as you get older, right? But yeah.

Mukund
It’s an ego. It’s an ego thing for me, so I’m. Getting slower so. And if I go faster I end up ******* so you know I need to do a whole evaluation after I cross the 4040.

Rob
Yeah, it’s, it’s, it’s all about making sure that you listen to your body when it’s telling you that it’s had enough and just making sure that. You’re able to sort of react in the moment and and you know having the tools to react in the moment means planning ahead, right?

Mukund
So yeah, so we’re in flat lining ahead, right? It gives me, you know this is a. Good point to kind of. Evaluate what you know what to eat and drink. I’ll share mine.

Rob
We’ve talked about preparation a little bit. We’ve talked about what happens is it *******, you said that’s. What it’s called on a bike.

Mukund
your where you completely lose energy you are running on almost empty. When you can’t, when the body knows that you know, listen body is telling you. Listen, I can do. I can. Do it your.

Rob
That’s it.

Mukund
Know. Yeah, that’s it. I’m done.

Rob
Yeah, we were just talking about. How you feel as you get older when you’re trying to to outdo how you did as a younger man, and it’s interesting how. The more I think I’m getting healthier as I get older, but I I feel as if the limits to how healthy I can get are sort of getting.

Mukund
I know exactly what.

Rob
Tighter and tighter.

Mukund
You mean? I exactly know what you’re saying. I I think I’m the fittest asset being ever. I’m not talking about my college or even my mid 20s. I am fitter now than when I was in my 20s. So what you said resonates with me as well. I’m more fitter now, but my. Peak performance is not there anymore, but I’m fitter if that makes sense.

Rob
Yeah. No, I really wish I had discovered like training and and physical fitness in my late teens and early 20s. I did to a certain extent, I I played soccer and racquet sports and I’ve I’ve ran my whole life, but I never really put myself into it. But the more I I and I’m sure. People have found this too. The more the more you do it, the more you realize your body needs this kind of thing. Your body needs this regular exercise and you know what we’re talking about today. Hydration and fuel and food and things like that. It all sort of goes together with the idea of. What is going to get you in the best condition to be able to enjoy these activities and? And and sort of benefit most from them in terms of muscle development and stamina and this kind of thing. And yeah, I found that. The more I do it and the more I learn about health in general, the more I’ve I’ve I feel better in general. I just feel clear headed. I feel I have a mental clarity that I certainly didn’t have in a decade ago, and I feel fitter and ready for whatever. The next day has has in store right? So. It’s interesting how those sort of things go together the the better you plan for these exercises, the better you feel in general and how you’re gonna feel afterwards. You know, it’s always going to be if you’re going from zero to 100, it’s always going to be more difficult to or sorry, it’s always going more painful of an experience afterwards. You know your muscles are going to hurt a little bit. If you prepare properly, if you take in the right fuel, if you hydrate properly, you’re going to give yourself the best chance of wanting to keep going and to keep doing it. And if you’re and just enjoying it and and benefiting from it in terms. Of the the long. Yeah. So right.

Mukund
And and I’m sure you also. So the best part of running is ending it, right? The feeling you get after you end it.

Rob
Yeah, people always talk about the endorphins, right? People always talk about that. You get that, that adrenaline rush of you finished.

Rob
Run. You get that feeling of euphoria. Whatever you want to call it. I I still have not experienced that. To be honest, I enjoy running. I enjoy listening to music. I enjoy listening to podcasts while I run. I don’t have. I’ve never had that adrenaline rush from completing a run. I just enjoy the actual exercise itself. My enjoyment of it comes from. Running and being in the moment and sort of it makes for me running makes me feel like I’m like 8 years old again and you just sort of like you can just keep running forever when you’re 8, right? You just it just has that feeling of. This is what you’re supposed to be doing right now. You forget about emails and texts and you know all this work thing. You’re just a person moving their legs as quickly as possible as quickly as a 40. Year old can move their legs. That’s what. That’s what you feel like in the moment, right? So you trick your body to thinking you’re a little bit younger. That’s the benefit to me.

Mukund
Yeah, of course, yeah. Yeah, I agree with you. I don’t. I cannot not have a physical exercise. Majority of the week because that’s my outlet and I think that’s also contributes to. Being fitter now than when I was in my 20s, I just ate junk food. I’m sure it’s all the same with you as well. Fast food, junk food, whatever you can eat. I think you know. Now you. I watch what I eat. I am trying to help my son plan properly so that he’s at peak performance. That I could not do. He doesn’t listen to me. So so this is going to be a fun, fun next few years to see how he does what he does.

Rob
He can make his own mistakes.

Mukund
Yeah. And he will tell his son or daughter. And the cycle continues.

Rob
And that we pass down from generation to generation.

Mukund
Yes, passes everything down. Even the mistakes made are passed down so.

Rob
Well, that’s, that’s that’s another benefit from all this stuff that we’re talking about right now. You get to see I’ve got a a nephew that I play sports with too. And you get to see when you’re healthier, you get to enjoy those things. With, you know, your younger family members and that whether it’s a niece or a nephew or a son or a daughter, you know, you go and you, you, you, you that to me is one of the biggest benefits of me getting healthier is I’m able to run around with him and we played basketball. He plays soccer too. To play soccer like he’s be able to do that is a huge benefit. And also we’re talking about hydration and staying healthier knowing that, you know, I’ve got, I’ve got, I’m going to be. Playing sports with my nephew in the next couple of days. I’ll plan ahead and rehydrate for that. I’m sure it’s the same when you go on a bike ride with your son, right?

Mukund
Yeah, I am trying to educate my son. We went on. A bike ride. Actually, before the heat wave said in about. A month ago. So that was his first or second road bike ride, so I’ve always been careful of him. He just not.

Rob
Oh wow.

Mukund
Even so, as a dad, I’ve always been extra vigilant of from not getting taking the risks that I do. I’ve actually rode bikes are as safe as it used to be, but that’s a completely different conversation. Maybe in a further in another podcast. But yeah, I tried to be vigilant of what he does. I know what the mistakes I made when I was his age. I’m trying to help him not do the same thing. And he’s doing the same mistake I did by not listening to my. Dad. So. So I’m sure the cycle will continue, but you know, but going back, right? So yeah, I’m trying to educate him on nutrition. Especially don’t drink your water these days in general, so I’ve been asking to drink at least you know. 2 bottles of water a day. And you know, just be healthy overall I guess.

Rob
Yeah, you’re right. People don’t drink enough water these days. And also for your. Son, it’s sort. Of like at that age you can go on a bike ride and you don’t have to think about hydration. Use your body can keep going and keep doing. It and regenerate that energy as readily as possible, as as as easily as possible, and so I wish I had that guidance at that age or that that understanding of that age, I did have guidance. So I just didn’t listen to my parents or people around me saying hey. You should. You should have some water or you should. You should think about this cause when. You’re older. You’re not gonna have that energy.

Mukund
It’s the same with me. So I I didn’t listen to the guiding voices that I had around me.

Rob
And maybe, maybe that’s just what’s going to happen and maybe. That’s just being. An 11 year old, a 12 year old 13 like they’re not going to listen to adults as much as possible because they think they know better, right?

Mukund
Right, right. Yeah.

Rob
That planning part of it has always been important that planning for the next adventure, the next bike ride, has always been important. So yeah, I think. That’s a it’s a great point and it’s a great way to sort of think about it like that passage of time, that transition right between when you’re a kid and when you’re at our age now, where we’re starting to slow down a little bit and trying to think about how can we maintain our energy levels. It’s a good way to sort of get that. Thought in our mind of. What’s best for me in the future and how best can I protect myself if I want to keep going and? Keep going on. Bike rides and my son. If I want to keep playing soccer with my nephew, basketball with my nephew. So it’s a it’s a great way to think about it.

Mukund
Right man. So I can’t kind of you know, wait till he goes up to see what he does, especially the how healthy he’s going to be. You know, so let’s see. So what do? You have planned for this weekend?

Rob
Not a whole lot we were. Doing a lot last weekend, so I think I’m going to definitely playing at soccer on Sunday. We’re going to go out. And play. But not a lot else going on, I don’t. Well. Probably mostly preparing for. We got friends coming over, so a lot of a lot of house cleaning. It’s it’s non physical exercise, right? How about you? What’s?

Mukund
So yeah, so I might go for an early ride on Saturday. I know we have a heat warning till Saturday, actually. So early morning is cooler. That’s when I like working out. I might do that. I might. You know, I’ll let you know if I. Bumped again, yes, yes.

Rob
Well, if you figure that out.

Mukund
So cool then I. Guess it was. Nice catching up on hydration this week. And you know, we’ll see. Next episode, what needs to be talked about?

Rob
Yeah, man, this has been. This has been fun. This has been a good, uh, a trial run, so to speak, for the for the podcast, I really it’s been a it’s been a good chat and hopefully it’s been beneficial for people to learn. Little bit. From me, certainly as a novice, but you’ve got a lot more experience with this kind of thing. So hopefully people have at least enjoyed the conversation and we’ll keep at it and we’ll have more. Of the pedal list and the pedal my way. Podcast to come.

Mukund
Yeah, like I said, it’s not. It’s not that I’m an expert. It’s just my experience. So you know, hopefully. My experience gets me to be an expert in these fields, but by the time I’ll be too old. So let’s see.

Rob
Never too old. You’re never too old man so.

Mukund
Thanks, rob. We will chat again soon.

Rob
Sounds good, man. Thanks for talking to you. Good, good talking to.

Mukund
Thank you. Have a nice weekend.

Rob
You bye for now.