Exertion... what is it? Cross country edition

    Exertion- the application of a force, influence, or quality. Most are familiar with the idea of exertion but don't often think about how much we exert on a day to day basis. The human body can perceive exertion based on the physical sensations a person experiences during physical activity, including increased heart rate, increased respiration or breathing rate, increased sweating, and muscle fatigue. 

   One thing comes to mind when I think of all of those things combined and it is exercise...specifically running. Jesus Dominguez said in LA Times "Cross-country is a running sport, but to some people it is not a sport. They think just because you don’t get hit or shoot a ball, you aren’t an athlete. Then there are people like me, who think cross-country is the hardest sport by far. Why? It takes everything you have to run" (https://highschool.latimes.com/la-river-school/why-cross-country-is-the-hardest-sport-around/). According to The Top 10s wrestling and cross country are the top two most exhausting high school sports. This implies basically that our runners are using and burning more energy than most and it is crucial this energy be replenished and maintained.

So how do we replenish energy? Well, rest and a proper diet are crucial but proper hydration is KEY. It is recommended that runners should try to drink one liter of water for every 1,000 cal you burn daily. (An average male burns around 2,500 cal a day, a runner covering five miles a day more like 3,000 cal.) Proper hydration can avoid overheating, weakness, fatigue, etc. As mentioned in previous blogs maintaining hydration is just as important and COMPEL can play a huge role in helping runners protect and maintain their skin barrier that keeps water inside of the cell. Compel also functions to help runners cool their skin after runs to avoid sudden heat exhaustion. With the recent increase in heat temperature this summer, keep your runners protected and prepared with COMEPL. Try yours at www.compel.com.