Turning up the heat

I played tennis today for the first time down here this winter. I was not prepared for the heat!

I joined a tennis lesson with a gal I met through a local ladies social group on Facebook. The instructor, Jose Luis, started with some drills and practice - I learned a couple of tips on serve and backhand (watch out Serve Aces! 😉)

All good, drank lots of water (I thought). Then he got us rallying for the rest of the hour. Non-stop. The workout was great, no problem there. The headache that came after was the killer!

So, how do you prevent heat stroke?

The experts say to

drink lots of water

I did. In my new big thermal water bottle

avoid caffeine

I did not. I had coffee... come on! I need my morning coffee!

wear light colored clothes

I did not, I wore a black sleeveless sport top

change into flip flops after you play

I did not. Next time I'll bring them

bring a cold towel

I did. One of those sports towels that stays cool. Pro-tip: put it in a ziplock with some ice with a drop of essential oil to make it smell all pretty. ;)

So not bad, I did 2 out of the 5 suggestions. Next time I'll bring some of my homemade sugar-free Gatorade also.

Gatorade replaces electrolytes that sweat out during activity. The problem is that regular Gatorade is full of sugar! I found this recipe to make at home

HOMEMADE GATORADE 1 batch, can be doubled

2 cups water

¼ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice

¼ cup fresh squeezed lime juice (or orange juice)

¼ teaspoon sea salt

2 Tablespoons sugar substitute*. my fav. is Monk Fruit with Erythritol

Mix all together in a pitcher, chill and enjoy!

*sugar substitute: if you prefer Stevia, adjust the amount to equal 2 TBsp.

Now for the rest of the day I've got a headache. 😕 Well, all I had to do today is write this post and chill out. Guess that's not a bad price to pay for playing tennis!

Keep Happy,

Joan