Riding Is The Best Medicine
I've obviously been retaining water, that's what landed me in the hospital this week. My legs are still showing signs of edema; so this morning, I hopped on my bike for a 4 hour ride out to Purcellville and back on the W & OD trail. I was looking to get myself a bit dehydrated, enough to pull some of that excess fluid out, so I restricted my fluid to one water bottle per hour on the way out. I know that's my normal recommendation for fluid, but I was planning on reducing my fluid on the way back.
I stopped at Subway in Purcellville. I know, not the best meal out there, but it was probably the best choice in the area. I had their 6" turkey no cheese, no mayo, so it should be pretty close to the published nutritional data. Right now, I don't really care about the calories, fat, protein, etc. The only thing I care about in the nutritional data is the sodium levels. I took in approximately 1.250 grams of sodium at Subway, which is probably my recommended daily amount. I probably sweated out 2-4 grams while riding. I limited my fluid intake on the way back, but I don't think it was enough. My feet have definitely lost some of the fluid weighing them down, but my ankles still have some extra fluid.
I've definitely lost fluid and sodium, just not as much as I wanted. My guess is that I covered 45 miles; so, not to shabby for a guy who was just in the hospital for congestive heart failure and renal failure. If I can keep riding, I should be able to manage my health issues (blood pressure, extra fluid, sodium levels, etc).
Labels: edema
