Today is the eve of the start of UC band camp. Most of it was gathering all the things I'll be eating and drinking through the week. Concerning drinks, other than breakfast, I stick to Gatorade and water. I prefer Gatorade as I like getting the electrolytes and I like a little taste. I feel like its more refreshing in that way. Sometimes with water, it takes a while for me to feel hydrated again, and I tend to over-drink. Speaking of hydration, I'll technically be in a state of dehydration the entire time in the heat. When I'm out like that and sweating, my body just barely expels more than it takes in, so I have to have water nearly all the time, though not by chugging it. Pro tip- when you're dehydrated (regardless of health), you want to take water in like an IV line, sipping it and gradually taking more in.
For food, some of what I'll be eating may surprise people, but do know that these choices come from things I've heard from nutritionists as well as other people with similar medical conditions as me.
First, I've recently learned I also don't absorb salt as well, so I do have a few snacks. Some fruit as well, mostly citrus and watermelon. Pretty much anything without skins, such as berries and apples which I don't feel like peeling. As weird as this sounds, PBJ is also something I've been recommended to eat, much to my dismay and surprise. Also some diet supplement drinks, I stick with Boost. With that, I will be focusing on eating through the day instead of eating mainly at breakfast, lunch and dinner. Heck, I may be eating a few things here and there in the middle of rehearsals. I've learned that a constant flow of little things cuts down on air in the digestive tract, which is mainly what causes cramps for me. Obviously this is a concern with me using my lungs all the time playing my sax, but having food in there helps with that, even a little bit. I will be eating things like sandwiches with meats and similar things, mostly for dinner when my body is a little more open to things, so I have some source of protein. Another interesting thing I've picked up is that one shouldn't drink too much during a meal. The extra water nulls down the acid in your stomach, making it harder to digest things. I think it goes without saying at this point that when you get something that affects your digestive tract, you really get to learn how to eat better.
I have a bit of a separate thing I want to write about. I have to admit, since I went in last week to fill out my band paperwork for the last time, its been feeling more surreal as its been inching closer to the start of the year in band and school. I've been giving a lot of thought towards how I want this year to go. Part of that does hinge on the football and basketball teams doing well, would love to go to a good bowl/tournament location when the time comes. A bit out of my control, but I can dream, right? I do feel a bit more prepared musically this year than in years past. The UC Community Band's season and some of the more rigorous music certainly helped keep me at the top of my game, and I chose to get a head start on memorizing music, too. I also somehow got myself playing all 12 major scales fluently and am starting to extend my range into the altissimo range on the alto sax, the stuff way high in the octave register with some pretty radical fingerings and such. I'm really hoping to kick but in concert and jazz band this year.
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